--- title: "What Is a Policy Download? — Lapidar" url: https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/ description: "Policy download sends carrier policy changes into your AMS. Policy download vs commission download, and why a missed endorsement looks like a short payment." last_modified: "Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:33:03 GMT" source: getlapidar.com (HTML converted to Markdown at the edge) --- Glossary · Insurance agency commissions # Policy download A policy download is carrier policy data, such as new business, renewals, endorsements and cancellations, sent electronically into an agency management system so the policy record there matches the carrier’s. It is separate from commission download, which carries what the carrier paid. By Lapidar, the team building it · October 13, 2026 · Also called carrier download; policy and claims download ## What it means Policy download is the older and more common half of carrier download. Ivans’ [product page](https://www.ivans.com/for-agents/products/ivans-download/) lists commercial and personal lines policies separately from the direct bill commission statement. In the [2018 IA Magazine guide to management systems](https://www.iamagazine.com/magazine/issues/2018/may/guide-your-valuables-leveraging-your-ams), Vertafore talks about “expanded lines of business for commercial downloads,” and HawkSoft about “Download Compare, which automatically compares new downloads to old ones and highlights any changes between the two.” How it works: when the carrier issues or changes a policy, it sends the transaction; the system files it on the client and policy. Coverage varies by carrier and line, and personal lines are more often downloaded than commercial. Our guide to [what an AL3 file is](https://getlapidar.com/guides/what-is-an-al3-file/) explains the format many of these transactions use. ## How it shows on a commission statement Policy download sets what your system thinks you should be paid on. If an [endorsement](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/endorsement/) or cancellation never comes through, your book and the carrier’s statement disagree, and the statement may be right. Before raising a short-paid line, check that the policy record itself is current. **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 Policy record vs commission line · EX-61305Example data **Premium in agency system (last download)** $2,400.00 **Mid-term endorsement on carrier’s statement** −$300.00 **Premium the carrier paid on** $2,100.00 **Commission difference at 12%** $36.00 Example data. The $36.00 is not an underpayment: the endorsement never reached the agency system by policy download. ## Commonly confused - **Policy download vs [commission download](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/direct-bill-commission-download/).** Policy data vs payment data; separate feeds. - **Policy download vs [real-time inquiry](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/real-time-carrier-interface/).** Download is batch and arrives on its own; real-time asks the carrier at the moment you click. ## Common mistakes to check - Assuming every endorsement and cancellation reached the system by download. - Raising a commission discrepancy before checking the policy record. - Assuming commercial lines download as fully as personal lines. ## Questions ### What is a policy download? Carrier policy data, such as new business, renewals, endorsements and cancellations, sent electronically into an agency management system. ### What is the difference between policy download and commission download? Policy download keeps the policy record current; commission download posts what the carrier paid. They are separate feeds, and a carrier can offer one without the other. ### Why doesn’t my system match the carrier after a download? Often because a transaction didn’t come through, or the line isn’t on download. The download contains only what the carrier sent. ## Sources - Ivans, [Ivans Download](https://www.ivans.com/for-agents/products/ivans-download/) product page. Retrieved October 13, 2026. - IA Magazine, [Guide Your Valuables: Leveraging Your AMS](https://www.iamagazine.com/magazine/issues/2018/may/guide-your-valuables-leveraging-your-ams), May 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2026. Lapidar is [commission reconciliation software for independent insurance agencies](https://getlapidar.com/), in its founding pilot. Related: [commission download](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/direct-bill-commission-download/). In this entry 1. [What it means](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#meaning) 2. [On a commission statement](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#on-statement) 3. [Example](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#example) 4. [Commonly confused](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#confused) 5. [Common mistakes](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#mistakes) 6. [Questions](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#faq) 7. [Sources](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/policy-download/#sources) All 63 terms, from account current to written premium. [Glossary A–Z](https://getlapidar.com/glossary/) Check which short lines are carrier errors and which are stale policy records. [See a sample report](https://getlapidar.com/sample-report/) ## Reconciling statements is the hard part. Check which short lines are carrier errors and which are stale policy records. [See a sample report](https://getlapidar.com/sample-report/), or read [how the founding pilot works](https://getlapidar.com/pilot/). [Open an account — founding pilot](https://app.getlapidar.com/signup) [See a sample report](https://getlapidar.com/sample-report/)