What Is an Insurance Declarations Page?

Andrew Marder is a former lead writer for NerdWallet focusing on insurance and data analysis. He has over a decade of experience in finance, with previous roles at Barclays, The Motley Fool and Gartner. His work has appeared in The Week, The Washington Post and other national news outlets. He has presented his work at the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo and Accountex.

Assigning Editor Lisa Green
Assigning Editor | Insurance, data journalism

Lisa Green leads the life insurance team and oversees insurance-focused data journalism at NerdWallet. A professional journalist since high school, she was an insurance writer at NerdWallet before becoming an assigning editor. Previously, Lisa spent more than 20 years as an editor at The Tennessean in Nashville, where she led business and consumer coverage for several years. At The Tennessean, she was part of a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist team for coverage of devastating floods in Middle Tennessee. Her work has also won awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Lisa is an alumna of the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also studied data journalism with the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, business editing with the American Press Institute and writing, editing and news research with the Poynter Institute. In addition to her work at NerdWallet, Lisa is a real estate investor and has taught a seminar on how to earn college scholarships. She is based in Nashville.

Fact Checked

GettyImages-1178695243.jpg-What is an <a href=Insurance Declarations Page?" />

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Table of Contents

MORE LIKE THIS Auto Insurance Policies & Coverage Insurance Auto Insurance

Table of Contents

MORE LIKE THIS Auto Insurance Policies & Coverage Insurance Auto Insurance

An insurance policy is only useful if you understand what it covers and when you can use it. Does your homeowners policy cover hurricanes? What’s the deductible on your auto insurance? When can you count on your insurance company to step up and help you out?

Car with shield on road

See what you could save on car insurance

Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you. GET MY RATES on NerdWallet

An insurance declarations page is a summary of your insurance policy in one or two pages. It lets you know what’s covered, who’s covered and how much you’re going to pay for coverage.

Declarations pages are also called “dec pages” for short. There are differences between auto insurance, homeowners insurance and renters insurance declarations pages.

Auto insurance declarations page

An auto insurance declarations page is an overview of your car insurance policy, but it doesn’t contain all the fine points. Those are laid out in other sections of the policy, which go into much greater detail.

Your car insurance declarations page will contain information about:

When the policy is valid. What vehicles are covered. Which drivers are covered. What your coverage limits are. What your deductibles are. How much your premium is. What discounts you’ve received. Any optional coverage you have.

These facts are all presented at a summary level. For instance, your coverage limits might list bodily injury liability coverage of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. The declarations page won’t say that this coverage doesn’t apply when you intentionally attempt to harm someone or that you won’t be covered when using your car for a business.

Exceptions are laid out in the policy details pages. You’ll know you’ve found the details of your policy when you find page after page of numbered paragraphs, subsections and sections where words like “you” are defined.

The dec page is meant to be a quick overview of your policy. It’s also an easy place to start understanding all of the parts of your coverage. You can see at a glance if you have the coverage you need and how much you’re currently paying.

Your declarations page also might contain contact details for your agent, information about your premium payment schedule and names of any drivers specifically excluded from the policy.

Whenever you compare car insurance quotes , it makes sense to keep a copy of your declarations page nearby.

Homeowners insurance declarations page

A homeowners insurance declarations page is similar in layout to an auto insurance declarations page. You’ll see details about your policy such as who and what’s covered. You’ll also see your premium and any discounts you’ve received.

Renters insurance declarations page

The declarations page for renters insurance looks very much like a homeowners insurance declarations page. The main difference is in the types of coverage you’ll see and the lack of any mortgage details.

A renters insurance declarations page will cover:

When the policy is in force. What your personal property limits are. What your deductible is. How much your premium is. Any discounts you’re receiving. Any additional coverage options.

The main difference between renters and homeowners insurance is that renters insurance covers the stuff in your rental, like your clothes, furniture and electronics but not the property you live in. Landlords will have insurance to cover the building in case of fire or another catastrophe.

Renters insurance also covers you for any damage you might cause to the property or to people on the property.

About the author

You’re following Andrew Marder
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following.

Follow for more nerdy know-how Keep up with your favorite financial topics on NerdWallet.

Andrew is a former insurance and data studies writer at NerdWallet. Over more than a decade, he's worked in everything from banks to tech startups. See full bio.

On a similar note.

Compare Car Insurance Rates Compare Car Insurance Rates Get instant quotes from top auto insurance companies and compare now. Get Started NerdWallet Home Page Finance Smarter Credit Cards Financial Planning Financial News Small Business

Download the app

QR code for downloading the app

Disclaimer: NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. This information may be different than what you see when you visit a financial institution, service provider or specific product’s site. All financial products, shopping products and services are presented without warranty. When evaluating offers, please review the financial institution’s Terms and Conditions. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. If you find discrepancies with your credit score or information from your credit report, please contact TransUnion® directly.

NerdUp by NerdWallet credit card: NerdWallet is not a bank. Bank services provided by Evolve Bank & Trust, member FDIC. The NerdUp by NerdWallet Credit Card is issued by Evolve Bank & Trust pursuant to a license from MasterCard International Inc.

Impact on your credit may vary, as credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations.

NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539

California: California Finance Lender loans arranged pursuant to Department of Financial Protection and Innovation Finance Lenders License #60DBO-74812

Insurance Services offered through NerdWallet Insurance Services, Inc. (CA resident license no.OK92033) Insurance Licenses

NerdWallet™ | 55 Hawthorne St. - 10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105