News from the Surplus Lines Industry and InsCipher
The Licenses section has been reorganized into dedicated tabs and includes new fields for managing primary license dates, reporting email, and primary license assignment. This article covers what changed and how to use each new tab.
Note: The term “Default license” has been updated to “Primary license” throughout InsCipher, Connect, and Broker Portal, including UI labels, forms, column headers, and CSV exports and imports.
The Licenses section (Add New and Edit) is now organized into the following tabs:
In addition to the above tabs, when editing a license includes this tab:
Note: When a license is marked as Primary, “Is Primary” now displays in the modal header next to the license name.
This tab centralizes all date-related settings, including the Primary license designation and new Primary Effective date fields.
The Primary License Yes/No toggle has moved here from the License Details tab. Changing this toggle does not auto-update, recalculate, or clear any existing date fields — only the Primary Effective From and Primary Effective To fields respond to toggle changes.
Two new editable date fields track when a license's primary status begins and ends:
Based on a filing’s transaction effective date, the system automatically associates the correct primary license. If a filing is entered after a license’s Primary Effective To date, it is associated to the current primary license instead.
The following existing date fields are also on this tab:
No logic changes were made to these fields.
Visibility:
This tab is visible to Filing Agency Admins and Filing Agents only. It is not visible to agent or agency admin users
Always Assign Primary License to Filings
This setting controls whether the primary licensee is automatically assigned to all filings, overriding any license data in imported transactions.
To enable:
Check the box labeled “Always Assign Primary License to Filings Imported into or Created in InsCipher.” Select Update to save.
Tooltip:
Select the “i” icon for a description: “Enabling this setting will always assign the primary licensee to filings imported into or created within InsCipher.”
When enabled:
When disabled (default):
The portal behaves as it currently does. No license override occurs.
When to use:
Enable this setting for states that require all filings to be submitted under the primary licensee. This prevents incorrect license assignments on import, which would otherwise require manual correction and can generate SRTs.
A new Reporting Email section has been added to the Other Settings tab. This email is used to complete required reporting unless a specific email address is required for the report.
To configure: Select the Other Settings tab, then choose an option from the Reporting Email dropdown:
One email address can be stored per license record. The field accepts a valid email format only.
SLIP+ has released a new bulletin outlining filing guidance in SLIP+ for Colorado and Kansas endorsements associated with policies that were originally filed in their legacy systems. Please see below for an excerpt of the bulletin:
NOTE: A correction has been made to the endorsement filing instructions, and the instructions below reflect the updated workflow for endorsements.
Submitting endorsements for Colorado or Kansas policies originally filed in their legacy systems must follow a specific SLIP+ workflow to ensure submissions are accepted. This workflow should be used when the original policy filing was submitted in the legacy system and now there is an endorsement to file in SLIP+ for States.
To complete these filings, use the following steps:
1. Start with a placeholder filing (Filings Tab → “New Policy”)
2. Submit the endorsement transaction (Transaction Details → “Add Transaction”)
Filing Guidelines
Why Your Credit Transactions Will Be Questioned
SLIP+ Review:
No action is required while TIQs remain open, and there is no negative impact on the broker.
Need assistance with filing an endorsement of this nature? Please contact the SLIP+ staff at info@slipplus.com for help.
The Delaware Department of Insurance has adopted an Export List pursuant to Bulletin No. 24, effective April 13, 2026.
We encourage you to review the official bulletin for full details here.
Our team is actively working on updating the portal to accommodate this change. We will provide additional updates as they become available.
The Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (FSLSO) has released Bulletin 2026-02, announcing a decrease to the FSLSO service fee from 0.06% to 0.03% for all new and renewal policies effective on or after July 1, 2026, including subsequent endorsements to those policies. Policies effective prior to July 1, 2026, and their subsequent endorsements will continue to use the service fee percentage in effect at the policy’s inception.
We will update the portal accordingly to reflect this change ahead of the effective date.
The New York State Department of Financial Services has announced that it will grant 30-day penalty waivers for the surplus lines annual tax filing.
Excess line brokers are required to pay taxes on all business they procure and electronically file an annual premium tax statement by March 15 of each year.
In accordance with Insurance Law Section 9109{b), the Superintendent may waive penalties for excusable delays in required filings. In recognition of questions some brokers have in connection with accessing DFS ID - the Department's new single-sign-on system - the Superintendent has waived penalties related to the delay of excess line broker tax filings through April 14, 2026.
Brokers seeking assistance with DFS ID, including step-by-step user guides, instructional videos, FAQs, and a Help Form, should visit www.dfs.ny.gov/DFSID.
Please review the SLIP+ announcement below for important information regarding the upcoming Kansas onboarding webinar they will be hosting. The announcement also outlines recent updates to the SLIP+ website, including the addition of a dedicated Kansas state page with key resources and guidance to support the transition:
We will host the Kansas onboarding process with an introductory webinar on Thursday, March 26 from 3-4PM (EST), which will cover:
To support agents through the transition, we’ve created a dedicated state page with everything you need leading up to, and following, the launch.
On the Kansas State Page, you’ll find:
Visit the Kansas state page anytime to stay up to date as new materials and guidance are added throughout the onboarding period.
For quick updates and onboarding support, follow SLIP+ on LinkedIn. It’s another easy way to stay in the loop as Kansas moves through their respective launch process.
SLIP+ has released additional details regarding Louisiana’s transition to the SLIP+ platform for surplus lines filings and tax reporting beginning July 1, 2026. Partners are encouraged to review the official SLIP+ bulletin for system guidance and implementation information.
SLIP+ for States has announced updated Colorado filing requirements effective April 1, 2026. Colorado surplus lines policies, endorsements, audits, or cancellations with effective dates January 1, 2022 and forward that were not previously reported through the Colorado Division of Insurance (CO DOI) must be submitted through SLIP+ for States.
Applicable filings remain subject to the 3% Colorado surplus lines tax, and certain transactions effective January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024 will not incur the SLIP+ transaction fee.
Please review the full bulletin for detailed guidance and filing examples: Bulletin
The Louisiana Department of Insurance has issued Bulletin 2026-03 announcing the adoption of SLIP+ For States effective July 1, 2026. Effective that date, the 4.85% tax, along with the new 0.175% SLIP+ transaction fee, will apply to applicable filings submitted through the electronic reporting and payment system.
Please review the announcement below from the Surplus Lines Association of Washington outlining their branding updates and portal improvements:
Today we are proud to introduce the new brand and website of the Surplus Lines Association of Washington!
A brand-new look...and modernized tools to support you!
Our updated brand identity reflects our role as a trusted resource and guiding presence in the surplus lines marketplace.
Along with our new branding, we're also releasing:
Explore our new website! Watch the Launch Video!