What is a Retroactive Date in Insurance, and Why Does it Matter?
In some types of work, such as providing professional advice or services, the results of an error may not come to light until well after the project is completed. In that type of scenario, does an insurance policy cover the incident or not? Obviously, the answer to that question can mean the difference between avoiding a significant financial burden and having to figure out how to deal with a large, unexpected expense.
An insurance retroactive date helps the policyholder by addressing claims arising from past work. The date also helps the insurance company by limiting how far back it will go in providing coverage. So, both insureds and insurance companies can benefit from carefully chosen retroactive dates.
Retroactive Date: Meaning and Example
As a business owner, you may wonder, “Does insurance cover retroactively?” The answer involves understanding what a retroactive date is.
If your biBerk professional liability policy (also known as errors and omissions or E&O insurance) has an agreed-upon retroactive date, we may still help cover the costs associated with claims that are filed after coverage begins if the retroactive date is before the effective date of your policy. That’s true even if the error, unfulfilled duty, or negligent act happened before coverage was effective and you were not aware of or notified about the error prior to the coverage being effective. So, the concept of a retroactive date in insurance (sometimes referred to as retroactive insurance coverage) can be crucial to keeping your company protected financially.
For example, let’s say your professional liability policy began on June 1, with a retroactive date of January 1. On August 12, a former client claims you made a mistake on their taxes in March. You were unaware of this claim when you purchased the policy.
Since the occurrence causing the claim took place during the retroactive coverage period (between January 1 and June 30), and the claim was made during your regular coverage period, you’ll likely be covered.
A similar concept is what’s called full prior-acts coverage. It means you’ll have professional liability coverage for all services delivered before the current policy period, provided you had coverage at the time. If you didn’t previously have a professional liability policy, claims would only be covered if the error, unfulfilled duty, or negligent act happens during the policy period.
Addressing Coverage Gaps with an Insurance Retroactive Date
Understanding insurance retroactive dates is especially important if your professional liability coverage lapses, even for a short time.
Imagine that you’ve decided to switch providers for your professional liability insurance. You cancel with your current provider, and your coverage comes to an end. However, you get busy and don’t immediately buy a new policy. As a result, by the time your new policy kicks in, you’ve been without coverage for the month of August. And let’s say you’ve decided not to have a retroactive date for the new policy.
Then, a client sues you claiming that an error you made in work for them on August 14 caused their company financial harm. Your current insurer may not cover the claim since it occurred when your old policy wasn’t in force, and your new policy hadn’t been activated.
It would be a different story if you and your insurer agreed on a retroactive date going back a year or more when you bought your new policy. In that case, the fact that the work that led to the lawsuit occurred during that retroactive period means costs related to the claim will likely be paid.
Needless to say, the addition of the retroactive date can be a game-changer. Completing the scenario, imagine that the court finds you liable for $275,000 in damages. If that amount isn’t covered by your professional liability insurance, it has to come from somewhere—such as your company’s savings or future revenues.
Unfortunately, many small businesses fold each year due to unbearable debt brought on by lawsuits for which the company didn’t have coverage.
Who Needs To Pay Especially Close Attention to Insurance Retroactive Dates?
Anyone who has retroactive insurance coverage (meaning insurance with a retroactive date) should understand what that date means. But that knowledge can be especially important to certain business professionals. These three groups stand out:
- Small business owners. Operating a business involves juggling many responsibilities, so it would be easy to gloss over the retroactive date in an insurance policy. But it’s crucial that you understand how the date affects your coverage. The last thing you want to do is assume the retroactive reach of your policy means you’re protected financially from the consequences of a specific incident when, in fact, you aren’t.
- Insurance agents and legal professionals. Needless to say, people who advise their customers or clients about insurance or other matters have to understand what a retroactive date is. They also have to remember to explain it clearly. It’s a concept that’s very familiar to people who deal with it daily, but may not be to business owners who rarely (or never) think about it.
- Anyone purchasing or renewing insurance coverage. Imagine you join a company after it has its insurance coverage in place, and it’s your job to renew the policies. You need to be sure you understand all aspects of the coverage—including any retroactive dates—before proceeding. And the same applies to buying new policies, of course. A biBerk licensed insurance expert is happy to explain what a retroactive date means and provide examples if that would be helpful.
It can take a little time and effort to understand retroactive dates in insurance. But it’s time and effort well spent. Your business may never find itself in a situation where an insurance policy retroactive date comes into play. But it could encounter that scenario at any time, so it’s best to be prepared.
Frequently Asked Questions About Retroactive Dates and Retroactive Insurance Coverage
We’re always happy to answer your questions about retroactive dates in insurance. However, a few of the most frequently asked questions are answered below for your convenience.
Why is a retroactive date in insurance important?
An insurance retroactive date determines how far back in time an incident can occur and have the claim paid by your current policy. So, the date makes the difference between being covered and having an out-of-pocket expense.
What do I need to know when transitioning to biBerk insurance from another provider?
It’s important to provide all the information you have on your existing policy, including the retroactive date, so we can cover your business properly.
Do all business insurance policies have retroactive dates?
No, not all insurance policies have a retroactive date. That’s why it’s important to understand the coverage a policy provides before you purchase it.
What should I do if I’m unsure whether my biBerk policy covers a past event?
Retroactive dates are one of the trickier concepts in business insurance—especially if you’re dealing with them for the first time. Our advice whenever you need clarity on a biBerk policy is: When in doubt, reach out. We’re always happy to answer your questions.
Talk With biBerk About Insurance Retroactive Dates
Do you have a biBerk insurance policy with a retroactive date? Or are you considering buying a biBerk policy that has one? In either case, we want you to be confident you have the financial protection your business needs.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of retroactive dates and retroactive insurance coverage—or know what they are but have never thought about how they would affect your coverage—the best thing to do is talk with one of our licensed insurance experts.
They can explain how your coverage would be affected in scenarios involving different incident reporting, insurance activation, and retroactive dates.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions when you talk with them. While the concept of an insurance retroactive date can seem fairly straightforward in principle, it often feels less clear when you’re trying to put it into practice regarding your company’s financial protection.
Retroactive Dates and Claims-Made Policies
Not all types of insurance policies have retroactive dates. For example, the coverage of a claim is determined differently with a general liability policy. The difference has to do with whether or not a policy is what’s called a claims-made policy, which most errors & omissions policies are.
A biBerk licensed insurance expert is happy to explain that concept to you, as well.