Accounting and CPA insurance · Ungated planning tool
Accountants' Claims-Made Continuity Worksheet
A claims-made continuity review lines up the current and proposed retroactive dates, renewal date, known gap, declarations, prior-acts request, notice process, extended-reporting discussion, and practice changes. This worksheet performs a transparent date comparison and identifies follow-up questions. It does not determine whether a claim is covered, whether a date is legally effective, whether a reporting option is available, or whether a renewal preserves continuity.
Key takeaways
- Compare expiring and proposed declarations and endorsements line by line.
- Record requests for prior acts or an extended reporting option without treating them as granted.
- Flag gaps, practice transactions, and known circumstances for timely written review.
Compare the dates before renewal
Enter the current retroactive or prior-acts date, proposed date, renewal date, and any known uninsured gap. The arithmetic comparison highlights when the proposed date is later than the current date, but it cannot interpret policy definitions, continuity wording, or the facts of a claim.
Retain declarations and endorsements for both periods. A date on a worksheet is not evidence that a policy grants prior acts or responds to a loss.
Organize notice and known circumstances
Claims-made programs can make timing, notice, circumstances, and related-claim questions important. Use the practice's actual policy notice process and do not place claim narratives or client names into this worksheet.
Mark whether the process was reviewed and assign a reviewer. The tool does not decide whether a notice was timely or sufficient.
Flag transactions and reporting options
A sale, merger, retirement, change in services, or practice acquisition can change the renewal and reporting questions. Discuss timing, prior acts, open engagements, client communications, and any extended-reporting provision with the appropriate insurance and legal reviewers.
Availability, deadlines, triggers, and pricing of any reporting option depend on the actual policy and facts. The worksheet records a discussion, not an entitlement.
Keep a dated continuity record
Save the completed worksheet with the expiring and proposed documents, written requests, responses, and engagement schedule. Revisit it when the policy changes, an acquisition closes, a service is added, or a material circumstance arises.
The output is complete when the entered prompts are organized and caveats are visible. Only the actual policy, endorsements, notices, jurisdiction, and facts can determine coverage.
Continuity review questions
| Question | Record | Do not conclude |
|---|---|---|
| Retroactive date | Current and proposed dates with source declarations | That an earlier date is guaranteed |
| Gap | Known period and reviewer | That the tool can fill or waive a gap |
| Prior acts | Request and written response | That a request was granted |
| Reporting option | Provision, deadline, and discussion | That an option is available or sufficient |
Use the result as a review agenda
- Record the source document or assumption behind each answer.
- Assign unresolved questions to a person and a date.
- Compare the worksheet with the issued policy and current contracts.
Hypothetical: Hypothetical: later proposed date
A proposed renewal date is later than the current date. The worksheet marks that comparison as a prompt for written continuity review; it does not state whether any claim is covered.
Hypothetical: Hypothetical: retirement
A partner plans to retire while engagements remain open. The practice should coordinate timing, notice, prior acts, reporting options, and client communications with the relevant reviewers.
Additional questions
Does a prior-acts request preserve continuity?
No. It is a request to document and compare with the issued policy or endorsement.
Does a zero gap mean there is no continuity issue?
No. Date continuity is only one planning question; policy wording, notices, related facts, limits, exclusions, and endorsements still control.
Does the tool decide whether a claim is covered?
No. It does transparent date arithmetic and organizes review prompts only.
Sources
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners: Small Business Insurance — accessed 2026-09-13; supports Business insurance terms, exclusions, conditions, and facts should be reviewed rather than assumed..
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society: Module 3: Professional Liability Insurance: Introduction — accessed 2026-09-13; supports PLUS's educational module explains professional-liability policy components and claims-made coverage concepts; it is educational context, not a policy interpretation or coverage determination..
- AICPA & CIMA: Professional Standards — accessed 2026-09-13; supports Accounting practice and engagement standards should be considered with actual services and records..
General insurance education, not legal, accounting, actuarial, professional-standards or policy-specific advice. Coverage depends on the policy form, endorsements, limits, deductibles, exclusions, jurisdiction and facts. Submission does not bind coverage or guarantee a quotation or carrier approval.