SERFF filing fees: what filers pay and to whom

The SERFF transaction fee

NAIC's billing page says that while SERFF does not have a licensing fee, there is a per-filing transaction fee. Each state's submission is its own SERFF filing, so a product filed in ten states incurs the fee ten times.

The fee changes from time to time. NAIC's billing page announced an increase from $19.58 to $21.00 per transaction for transactions on or after January 2, 2026, subject to a vote of the NAIC membership, and ties the fee revenue to building and then maintaining the modernized SERFF platform. Check the billing page for the amount in force when you budget.

The transaction fee can be paid by EFT or by credit card at the time of submission. Setting up EFT on a SERFF account needs the Bank Account Manager role, which the filer's SERFF User Admin can request from the Settings tab. NAIC publishes step-by-step banking instructions, and questions about billing go to the SERFF marketing team.

State filing fees

State filing fees are a matter of state law, so they differ in whether they exist, how much they are and what they apply to.

• No fee. Arizona's general filing instructions for property and casualty say the state does not charge a filing fee, but that insurers must pay the costs of submitting a filing through SERFF or another third-party provider. NAIC's state participation page shows the same for Arizona, and shows no fees for Texas property and casualty rate and form filings.
• A fee per filing. Other states charge per submission under a statute, regulation or bulletin. Alabama's property and casualty filing page says submissions should include the required filing fee per its fee schedule bulletin, and that EFT is required.
• Fees per company. Where a state charges, its schedule sets what the fee applies to. SERFF's Filing Fees tab records whether a fee applies, the amount per company and the payment method, so a filing that lists several companies can owe more than one fee where the state charges per company.

Fee schedules change. Read the state's current schedule, not one saved from a previous filing, and check the effective date of the bulletin or rule that sets it.

How state fees are paid

States that charge a filing fee commonly collect it through SERFF by EFT. NAIC's state participation page lists, for each jurisdiction, whether it uses SERFF's EFT and any notes on its fees and billing. Texas, for example, shows no fees for property and casualty rate and form filings and notes that it bills in arrears for life, accident and health rate and form filings.

Some states made EFT mandatory along with SERFF itself. When Missouri required SERFF for all insurance product filings in 2016, its department said it would also require insurers to use SERFF EFT for payments. Alabama's filing page says EFT is required.

Where to check a state's fees

1. NAIC's state participation page. Each state's entry shows whether it accepts EFT through SERFF and any notes about fees or billing. It is the fastest first check across many states.
2. The state's SERFF filing rules. Inside SERFF, check the state's submission requirements and General Instructions for fee instructions. NAIC's page points filers to Submission Requirements by State in SERFF Filing Rules, or to the SERFF Help Desk.
3. The department's own fee schedule. The bulletin, rule or statute that sets the fee is the authority. Departments often link it from their property and casualty filing page.

When these disagree, rely on the state's own current fee schedule and ask the department if it is unclear.

Fees on related filings

• Compact filings. Products filed with the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission pay the Commission's own fees. See the Insurance Compact.
• Responses and amendments. Whether a response to an objection or an amendment carries a new state fee depends on the state's schedule. Check before assuming it is free or that it repeats the original fee.
• Copies of public filings. Fees for records requests, such as per-page copy charges for filings that are not online, are a separate public-records matter. See Are insurance rate filings public?.

Practical tips

• Budget both charges. For a multistate project, list the SERFF transaction fee once per state filing and each state's filing fee, per company where the state charges per company.
• Set up EFT before the deadline week. The Bank Account Manager role has to be requested through the filer's User Admin, so arrange it before the first filing that needs it.
• Read the fee from the current source. Use the state's current bulletin or schedule rather than an amount carried over from an earlier filing.
• Keep the payment with the filing record. Note the fee paid, the date and the EFT reference alongside the filing's SERFF tracking number, so a state's question about payment can be answered quickly.