Personal auto insurance relies on accurate, complete, and clean data. Every policy starts at the same place: the application form. For personal automobile coverage, that form is ACORD 90.

Whether you’re an agent, carrier, or part of an operations team, ACORD 90 shows up in your daily workflow. It captures the key information needed to understand the risk, assign the right premium, and issue a policy with confidence.

This guide clearly breaks down ACORD 90, from what it covers to why it matters, how it differs by state, and how automation can transform how your team handles it.

What is ACORD 90?

ACORD 90 is the standard form used to collect all details required for a personal auto insurance policy. Agencies use it to gather information from applicants. Carriers use it to assess risk and calculate premiums. It applies to the vehicles, the drivers, and the household.

The form follows a familiar structure. It includes applicant details, garaging data, vehicle listings, driver history, and coverage selections. It also consists of the legal notices and disclosures required by each state.

Purpose of the ACORD 90 Form in Insurance Workflows

ACORD 90 has a clear purpose:

• It standardizes the application process.
• It provides a full view of the risk.
• It reduces confusion between agents and carriers.
• It supports compliance with state insurance rules.
• It creates a documented record to protect agencies and carriers.

Because every carrier accepts ACORD 90, it creates a predictable submission process across markets and states.

Key Sections of the ACORD 90 Form

Below is a simplified breakdown based on verified ACORD 90 versions, including ACORD 90 ME and ACORD 90 NY:

Applicant & Agency Information

Fields include:

• Name and contact details
• Mailing address
• Producer/agency information
• Policy term
• Time at current address
  (Source: ACORD 90 ME)

Residence & Garaging Details

Carriers need accurate garaging for rating. The form asks for:

• Garaging address
• County/territory
• Primary and secondary garaging, if applicable
  (Source: ACORD 90 NY)

Vehicle Information and Usage

Each vehicle listing includes:

• Year, make, model
• VIN
• Body type
• Annual mileage
• Days driven
• Commute distance
• Usage percentage per driver

Some versions allow up to four vehicles before requiring a schedule.
(Source: ACORD Forms Index)

Driver Information

This includes:

• Driver details
• License state
• Years licensed
• Driver training
• Good student qualification
  (Source: ACORD 90 ME)

Coverage Selections

The applicant chooses:

• Liability limits
• PIP/MedPay
• UM/UIM
• Comp/Collision deductibles
• Rental, towing, and additional options

Accident, Violation, and Loss History

Captures:

• Prior claims
• Cancellations
• Tickets
• Suspensions
• Uninsured driving periods

Additional Interests

For financed or leased vehicles:

• Lienholder name
• Address
• Loan/lease number.

Importance of ACORD 90

ACORD 90 plays a central role in personal auto insurance. It keeps the application process clean, accurate, and compliant.

1. Clear understanding of coverage

• Carriers see liability limits and physical damage selections upfront.
• This prevents misunderstandings about what the policy includes.
  
  

2. Accurate view of vehicles and drivers

• The form records how each car is used and who drives it.
• These details set the base for rating and risk assessment.

3. Built-in legal protections

• ACORD 90 carries fraud warnings and state notices.
• It protects the insured and the agency by confirming important disclosures.

4. Faster underwriting

• A complete form reduces follow-up questions.
• Underwriters can move the file forward without delays.

5. Strong documentation for audits

• ACORD 90 becomes part of the permanent record.
• It supports internal reviews, compliance checks, and E&O protection.

State-Specific Variants of ACORD 90

Why Forms Differ by State?

Personal auto rules vary across states. This affects:

• Required disclosures
• Fraud statements
• UM/UIM rules
• Coverage acceptance forms
• Credit-use notices

ACORD publishes state editions to reflect these requirements.

Examples of State Differences

• ACORD 90 VA (2025/11) updated for state coverage rules
  
  
• ACORD 90 DE (2025/07) appears in the forms index

These differences show why agents must always use the correct state version.

Challenges of Processing ACORD 90 Forms Manually

Handling ACORD 90 forms by hand looks simple, but it quickly becomes slow and stressful when volumes rise or when applications come from different states. Here’s why manual work gets in the way.

1. High typing workload

Manual entry takes time. You have to type VINs, driver details, mileage, garaging addresses, and coverage selections line by line. One form is manageable. Ten forms start to feel heavy. 

2. Frequent errors

Typing mistakes are common, even for experienced staff. A single wrong digit in a ZIP code or VIN can stop the whole file. Missing a driver or entering the wrong mileage forces the underwriter to send the form back. Most of these errors aren’t intentional; they happen because the workflow is repetitive.

3. Hard to manage many state versions

There isn’t just one ACORD 90. There are more than 50 versions, each with different disclosures and state rules. Teams must know which version matches the applicant’s state.
Using the wrong form means the carrier may reject the file or ask for a corrected version.
Keeping track of all editions becomes harder when you write business across multiple states.

4. Compliance risks

ACORD 90 forms include fraud warnings, disclosure statements, and required state notices.
Missing even one of these creates compliance issues. Manual review makes it easy to overlook edition dates or small changes in wording. This increases E&O risk and can cause problems during audits.

5. Systems don’t always match the form

Carrier systems usually don’t mirror ACORD 90 section-by-section. This means staff must take the information from the form and adjust it to fit the internal system. Some fields don’t line up. Others need to be split, reformatted, or manually checked. This extra step adds more time and more chances for mistakes. It also creates friction for teams that want to work faster but are limited by outdated tools.

Why Teams Still Process ACORD 90 Manually

1. Legacy workflows

Many insurance teams still use older systems that were built long before automation tools became common. These systems rely on PDFs, email attachments, and manual data entry. They don’t support structured ACORD data or direct form ingestion. Because the tech stack cannot read forms automatically, employees must type everything by hand. This keeps teams stuck in a slow workflow, even when better tools exist.

2. Heavy use of scanned forms

Agents often send ACORD 90 forms as scanned PDFs, phone photos, or low-quality copies. These files are hard for traditional systems to read. Some forms arrive tilted, blurred, or with handwritten notes in the margins. Teams must open the files, review each field, and type the information into their system. This slows down the process and increases the chance of errors.

3. Habit-driven processes

Insurance teams follow the steps they learned during onboarding.
If the process has always been “open the PDF → read it → type it,” staff continue doing it that way. Even when automation becomes available, switching methods takes effort. Training, practice, and workflow changes feel disruptive, so teams stay with familiar routines. This habit keeps manual processing in place long after it becomes inefficient.

How to Automate ACORD 90

Automation fixes the common bottlenecks in ACORD 90 workflows by extracting data and verifying it automatically.

1. Automated field extraction

• The system reads the entire form.
• It picks up applicant details, garaging, drivers, vehicles, and coverage selections.

2. Smart rule checks

• Validates usage percentages.
• Confirms ZIP codes match territories.
• Checks coverage choices for state compliance.

3. Exception handling

• Any unclear or missing entry is flagged.
• Reviewers correct only what’s needed.

4. Direct system integration

• Clean data moves into AMS, PAS, rating systems, or spreadsheets.
• No duplicate typing or copy-paste.

5. Consistency across states

• Automation detects the state version and adapts the extraction rules.

Benefits of Automating ACORD 90

1. Faster processing

Automation reads the entire ACORD 90 form the moment it is uploaded. There is no typing. No scrolling. No manual copying of VINs, mileage, or garaging addresses. Data moves from the form into your system in seconds. This speed helps agents quote faster and helps carriers clear applications quickly. Even high-volume teams see a major improvement in turnaround time.

2. Higher accuracy

Manual entry often leads to small mistakes: wrong ZIP codes, missing drivers, or incorrect mileage. Automation reduces these errors because the system extracts the data as it appears on the form.

It also runs built-in checks:

• Do usage percentages add up?
• Is the garaging ZIP valid?
• Are the required fields filled in?

These checks catch problems early, before the file reaches underwriting.
Better accuracy means fewer corrections and fewer delays.

3. Less clutter

Paper forms create a mess: stacks of applications, printed attachments, and loose pages. Automation removes the need for physical storage. Every ACORD 90 is scanned, digitized, and stored in an organized way. You can search, filter, and retrieve files without digging through folders. This keeps your workspace clean and your documents easy to manage.

4. Reduced workload

Manual ACORD entry takes time and drains productivity. Teams may spend hours each week typing the same fields again and again. Automation eliminates this repetitive work. Staff can focus on reviewing flagged items, making decisions, and helping customers. This lifts workload pressure and helps teams stay efficient even during peak seasons.

5. Better compliance

ACORD 90 forms carry required disclosures, fraud warnings, and state notices. Automation ensures these details are captured exactly as they appear. Every edit, every approval, and every correction is stored in an audit log. This creates a clean trail for regulators, auditors, and compliance checks. It also reduces the risk of using the wrong form edition or missing key disclosures.

Top Tools to Automate ACORD 90 (Non-Competitive Overview)

Teams commonly use:

• IDP platforms with ACORD form support
• Agency management systems with ACORD ingestion
• AI validation engines
• PDF form processing tools

These tools work together to remove manual entry from personal auto underwriting.

How Infrrd Automates ACORD 90 at Scale

Infrrd helps teams handle ACORD 90 forms faster by turning the form into clean, usable data with very little manual effort. The system removes repetitive typing and gives underwriters clearer information to work with.

1. Template-free extraction

Infrrd can read any ACORD 90 form you upload, no matter which state the form belongs to. There is nothing to set up. The system recognizes the layout on its own and pulls out the fields as they appear. This makes it easy to work with many versions without creating templates.

2. Accurate capture of key fields

The platform extracts all major sections of applicant details, driver data, vehicle information, garaging, and coverage. It also checks values like VINs, ZIP codes, mileage, and dates, so common mistakes are caught early. This reduces the back-and-forth that normally slows down the process.

3. A simple way for underwriters to find answers

Instead of scrolling through the PDF, underwriters can ask direct questions.
For example:

• “Show all listed drivers.”
• “Is any garaging address incomplete?”
• “Are any fields missing?”

The system looks at the extracted data and gives a clear response. This makes the review process quicker and easier.

4. Maker-checker review built into the workflow

If the system finds missing or uncertain data, it flags the field for a quick review. A reviewer can confirm or update the value in one step. All changes are saved automatically, so teams always have a clear record for audits or internal checks.

FAQs about ACORD 90

Q. What information does ACORD 90 collect?

ACORD 90 captures the details needed to rate a personal auto policy. This includes the applicant’s contact information, driver list, vehicle details, garaging address, and selected coverages.

Q. Why are there different versions of ACORD 90?

Each state adds its own notices and rules to the form. Because of these differences, ACORD publishes separate versions for each jurisdiction to meet state insurance requirements.

Q. What happens if a driver is missing from ACORD 90?

A missing driver can affect pricing and coverage. Carriers may delay the application until all household drivers are listed, or they may request a corrected form.

Q. How does the garaging address affect the policy?

The garaging address helps carriers determine the right rate for the vehicle. Territory-based pricing depends on where the car is normally kept, since risk varies by location.

Q. Why do agencies automate ACORD 90 forms?

Automation reduces typing, errors, and rework. Teams can process more applications, move submissions faster, and keep state-required fields accurate and complete.

In a Nutshell

ACORD 90 is the central form in the personal auto insurance application world. It captures applicant, vehicle, driver, coverage, history, and compliance data. It varies by state. It demands accuracy. It invites errors if processed manually.

Automation changes the game. With IDP, you reduce manual work, speed cycles, improve data quality, and scale. The key is to use systems built for ACORD forms, support many states, apply business rules, integrate with your systems, and maintain audit trails.