Editorial Standards

PolicyBenchmark is committed to publishing accurate, well-researched, and impartial information about commercial insurance. This page describes our editorial standards, review methodology, and the principles that guide our content.

Editorial Independence

Our editorial content is produced independently of our business relationships. Insurance providers that have affiliate partnerships with PolicyBenchmark receive no preferential treatment in our reviews, ratings, rankings, or coverage guides. Our editorial team makes all content decisions based on what is most useful and accurate for our readers.

Content Standards

All content published on PolicyBenchmark adheres to the following standards:

  • Accuracy — Facts, figures, and claims are verified against primary sources including state regulatory filings, AM Best ratings, NAIC data, and carrier documentation.
  • Currency — Content includes publication and last-updated dates. We review content regularly and update it when regulations, rates, products, or market conditions change materially.
  • Clarity — Insurance terminology is explained in plain language. We avoid jargon where possible and define technical terms when they are necessary.
  • Impartiality — We present facts and analysis, not opinions disguised as facts. When we state a position, we support it with evidence and data. We do not advocate for specific carriers or products.

Review Methodology

Our carrier reviews evaluate insurance providers across six standard dimensions:

  1. Coverage Options — Breadth and quality of available coverage lines, policy customization, endorsement options, and industry-specific products.
  2. Pricing — Competitiveness of premiums relative to coverage, availability of discounts, and pricing transparency.
  3. Customer Service — Responsiveness, availability, support channels, and quality of policyholder support.
  4. Claims Experience — Claims filing process, turnaround time, approval rates, and policyholder satisfaction with claims handling.
  5. Digital Experience — Online quoting, policy management, mobile access, certificate issuance, and overall technology platform quality.
  6. Financial Strength — AM Best rating, financial stability, surplus adequacy, and long-term viability as a coverage provider.

Each dimension is scored on a 1-5 scale. The overall rating is an average of the six dimensions. Scores are determined by our editorial team based on documented research, not by algorithms, user votes, or carrier input.

Tool Methodology

Our interactive tools provide educational estimates based on publicly available data:

  • Workers' Compensation Calculator — Uses NCCI class code base rates, state-specific multipliers, and experience modification factors from published rate filings.
  • General Liability Estimator — Uses industry cost survey data, state adjustment factors, and revenue-based scaling models from insurance industry publications.
  • Business Insurance Quiz — Uses a decision matrix based on state mandates, industry risk profiles, and common coverage guidance from regulatory and industry sources.
  • State Requirements Checker — Uses state statutory requirements from official regulatory agency publications.
  • Cyber Risk Assessment — Uses industry risk weightings and security control effectiveness data from cybersecurity and insurance industry research.

All tool outputs include disclaimers that these are educational estimates and that actual premiums and requirements should be verified with licensed insurance professionals.

Corrections Policy

We take accuracy seriously. If you identify a factual error, outdated information, or misleading content on PolicyBenchmark, please contact us. We investigate all reported issues and publish corrections promptly when warranted. Corrected content is marked with an update note and revised date.

Disclosure Standards

  • Every page with affiliate links includes an affiliate disclosure.
  • Affiliate links are clearly distinguishable and labeled.
  • Sponsored or paid content, if ever published, would be clearly labeled as such. As of this writing, PolicyBenchmark does not publish sponsored content.
  • Our revenue model is fully described on our How We Make Money page.