Glossary · Insurance agency commissions
ACORD forms and standards
ACORD is the insurance industry’s standards organization; ACORD forms are its standard paper and electronic forms, such as applications and certificates, and ACORD data standards are the formats carriers and agencies use to exchange data, AL3 for batch download and XML for real-time messages.
What it means
The name covers two different things agencies meet. The first is forms. ACORD’s forms page says that “since our first paper form was released in 1971, ACORD has provided the standard forms used by the insurance industry,” now “in a variety of formats, including printable PDF, electronic fillable, and eForms.” The best known is the certificate of insurance.
The second is data standards. On its P&C data standards page, ACORD says property and casualty standards come “in two formats: AL3 and XML.” AL3 “is designed as a one-way, batch communication method for policy and commission data”; XML “is constructed to support real-time requirements for business transactions via request and response messages.” AL3 sits behind most downloads; XML behind real-time inquiries. Our guide to what an AL3 file is goes further into the AL3 side.
How it shows on a commission statement
A standard says where each field goes; it doesn’t make the numbers in it right. Two carriers can both follow ACORD and still print different statements, and the commission amount inside a standard file is whatever the carrier calculated.
What Lapidar reads. Lapidar does not read AL3 files or connect to Ivans or to your management system’s download. It reads the statement files carriers let you save: CSV, XLSX and PDF.
Example
- Certificate issued to a client’s landlord
- ACORD form
- Overnight policy changes from Carrier A
- ACORD AL3, by download
- Billing lookup in Carrier B’s system
- Real-time message
- Carrier C commission statement
- PDF, no standard file
Commonly confused
- ACORD forms vs ACORD data standards. Forms are documents people fill in; data standards are formats systems exchange.
- AL3 vs XML. AL3 is one-way batch; XML is request and response, built for real time.
- ACORD vs Ivans. ACORD writes the standards; Ivans runs a network that carries data.
Common mistakes to check
- Assuming a statement in an ACORD format has correct commission amounts.
- Confusing ACORD forms with the data standards behind downloads.
- Expecting every carrier to send commission in a standard file.
Questions
What are ACORD forms?
Standard insurance forms published by ACORD, the industry standards organization, since 1971, such as applications and certificates of insurance. They come as printable PDF, fillable and eForms; downloading them requires an eligible subscription.
What is the difference between ACORD AL3 and ACORD XML?
ACORD describes AL3 as a one-way, batch method for policy and commission data, and XML as built for real-time transactions via request and response messages.
Is an ACORD 25 a data standard?
No. The ACORD 25 is a form, the common certificate of liability insurance. The data standards are AL3 and XML.
Sources
- ACORD, ACORD Forms. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
- ACORD, Property & Casualty Data Standards. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
Lapidar is commission reconciliation software for independent insurance agencies, in its founding pilot. Related: certificate of insurance.