Cyber insurance renewal checklist: 90 days out

A cyber insurance renewal is a fresh underwriting decision. The underwriter looks again at your answers, your controls and anything that happened during the year. If the form arrives late or half done, you lose the time to fix weak spots and compare terms.

Ninety days gives you room to work. Use this checklist to plan the three months before your policy ends.

90 days out: update the facts

• Confirm revenue, staff numbers and the countries you trade in.Underwriters price on these facts. Use your latest accounts and note any revenue from the US or Canada, which many forms ask about separately.
• List acquisitions, new companies and new services.Many policies set a deadline to tell the insurer about a business you bought during the year. If you missed it, tell your broker now.
• Record every incident and near miss since the last renewal.Include a phishing email that led to a payment, an outage or a lost laptop. A short note with dates and outcomes is the evidence.
• Ask senior managers about anything that could become a claim.Many policies exclude problems a senior person knew about before the policy started. Disclosing them now protects you later.

60 to 90 days out: refresh the evidence

• Repeat any restore test older than six months.Many underwriters ask for a tested restore in the last six months. Keep a record with the date, the system and the result.
• Check that all staff finished phishing training this year.Underwriters usually ask for training at least once a year. A completion report from your training tool proves it.
• Pull a fresh patch report.Show critical and high fixes applied within a month. A report older than three months tells the underwriter little about today.
• Recheck multi-factor authentication on every access path.Cover email, remote access, admin accounts, cloud consoles and the backup console. Staff changes and new tools often open gaps during the year.
• Find and replace end-of-life software.Some policies apply lower limits to attacks through unsupported software or known flaws left unpatched. Your asset list should show what you run.

45 to 60 days out: answer the new questions

• Read the renewal form for questions that changed.Insurers add questions over time, for example on ransomware or remote management tools. Copying last year's answers can leave gaps.
• Answer each question for the whole business.If one office or one system is the exception, say so. A clear note now beats a surprise at claim time.
• Send the form to your broker with the evidence attached.Underwriters who see proof early ask fewer follow-up questions. Name each file after the question it answers.

30 days out: compare before you sign

• Compare limits, sublimits and the excess with last year.A renewal can keep the same premium with a smaller ransomware or supplier limit. Ask your broker to show each change side by side.
• Check that the retroactive date stays the same.Many claims-made policies only cover acts after that date. A new insurer may set a later date unless you ask to keep your existing one.
• Read new or changed exclusions.Look closely at the war, widespread event and infrastructure wording. Your broker can explain what changed and why.
• Know your options if you leave this insurer.Many policies offer a reporting period after expiry, and some need you to ask for it within days. Check your wording for the deadline.
• Update the incident line and policy number in your response plan.A new policy can bring a new phone number, app or email address. Your team needs the right one on day one.

Broker's tip

At the 90-day mark, book a short call with your IT provider and go through last year's form line by line. Renewal surprises often come from small changes nobody passed on, such as a new remote access tool or a contractor who still has admin rights. Fix those before the form goes out, and the renewal becomes a calm talk about terms. If you are thinking of changing broker, this guide on choosing a cyber insurance broker can help.