How a claim reaches your CLUE report and your renewal price

Not every phone call to your insurer counts as a claim, but a loss you report and ask the company to cover can be recorded even if it pays nothing. Once recorded, it can sit in a claims database such as LexisNexis C.L.U.E. for up to seven years, while the price effect at renewal is a separate matter that usually fades in about three to five years under your insurer's own rules. Those are two different clocks, and mixing them up leads drivers to either over-worry about a small claim or to file one without knowing the cost.

This article follows a claim from the first call to the report that other insurers read, and then to the renewal notice. It explains what the databases record, what an "inquiry" is, how surcharges and accident-forgiveness programs work, and how to dispute a mistake under federal law.

What gets recorded when you contact your insurer

The word "claim" does a lot of work in this subject, so it helps to separate three things that can happen after a bump or a break-in.

An inquiry. You ask your agent what your policy would cover, what your deductible is, or whether a $700 scratch is worth reporting. You have not asked the company to pay for a loss. The Connecticut Insurance Department says in its C.L.U.E. FAQ that insurers have been instructed by C.L.U.E. not to report inquiries about possible coverage.

A reported loss that is closed without payment. You describe damage that actually happened and ask for it to be covered. The insurer opens a file, the repair turns out to be below your deductible, or you decide to pay out of pocket, and the file is closed with no check. The same Connecticut page warns that discussing an actual loss with your insurer may count as a claim even if no payment is made, and advises consumers to be specific about whether they are filing a claim or only making an inquiry. The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance's C.L.U.E. FAQ sheet (PI-207, revised May 2026) defines consumer claims information as any losses you have requested the insurance company to cover, whether or not it paid.

A paid claim. The insurer pays you, a repair shop or another party. That includes payments to someone else under your liability coverage. Connecticut's FAQ describes the database as holding claim details such as date of loss, type of loss and amounts paid, along with policy information.

The practical consequence is a small script worth using before you describe a loss:

1. Ask, "If I tell you what happened, will you open a claim, and will it be reported?"
2. If you only want information, say "I have a coverage question and am not filing a claim yet."
3. If a claim is opened, ask for the claim number and write down the date and the person's name.
4. If you decide not to pursue it, ask in writing that the claim be closed and ask how it will be reported.

This does not let you hide a real loss. Our article on how long you have to report a car insurance claim explains why waiting too long to report can cost you coverage. The point is only to be precise about what you are doing when you call.

Where the data goes: CLUE and A-PLUS

Two companies dominate claims-history reporting for auto policies, and both are regulated as consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's entry for LexisNexis C.L.U.E. says the database reports up to seven years of auto claims and gives the consumer center's phone number, 866-897-8126, and mailing address (LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105108, Atlanta, GA 30348-5108). The CFPB's entry for A-PLUS, last modified October 2023, says the company collects insurance claims and loss history associated with homes, auto or personal property and will provide one free report every 12 months on request. Verisk's own A-PLUS Auto summary describes up to five years of loss history, including claims filed by others about the insured or the vehicle. Because look-back periods can change, rely on what appears on your own report.

Two limits are worth knowing. First, the databases hold only what insurers send. The Wisconsin FAQ notes that some companies choose not to subscribe to C.L.U.E., so losses filed with them will not appear, and that no credit reports, criminal records or lawsuits are part of it. Second, a record of a claim is a record of a request or a payment, not a court's finding of fault. Our guide to the CLUE report and your motor vehicle record shows how it differs from the state-kept driving record.

Does an insurer read it at renewal?

Mostly no, which surprises people. The Wisconsin OCI sheet says C.L.U.E. reports are used almost exclusively to underwrite and rate new policies, and that most insurers renewing existing policies do not pull them at renewal, largely because they already hold the loss history for their own policyholders.

That has two consequences:

• Staying put. If you remain with the same company, your renewal price after a claim is driven by that company's own claim records and its rating plan, not by whatever sits in the database.
• Shopping. When you ask another company for a quote, it will usually pull your claims history from CLUE or A-PLUS. A claim that your current insurer has already stopped surcharging can still show up in the new insurer's pricing for as long as the new insurer looks back.

Neither company's rule is universal. Check your own state's rules and your policy documents, and see how long accidents and tickets affect your rates for how the three clocks (state driving record, claims database, insurer's rating window) interact.

From claim to surcharge: how the renewal price moves

A surcharge is an increase applied to your premium because of an at-fault accident, violation or sometimes a claim, under a rating plan the insurer files with the state. The size and duration depend on the company, state and the claim.

What usually decides the effect:

• Fault. Accidents where you are at fault are surcharged far more often than those where you are not. Many states regulate how an accident is counted.
• Claim type. Collision and liability claims tied to a crash often weigh more than a windstorm or a theft, although some plans count comprehensive claims too. Ask your insurer how it treats them.
• Amount paid. Some rating plans use dollar thresholds.
• Your history. A second claim within the look-back window usually costs more than the first.
• Duration. Insurers commonly surcharge an accident for about three to five years, and longer for major violations, as described in our guide on how long accidents stay on your record.

State rules draw lines in different places, and they are worth checking:

• New York. The New York Department of Financial Services' consumer FAQ says insurers can surcharge for an at-fault accident involving bodily injury or property losses over $2,000, or for certain traffic convictions, and that two or more accidents or minor convictions within about three years can also be surcharged. Our New York guide has state context.
• Arizona. Arizona Revised Statutes 20-263 says no insurer shall increase the premium as a result of an accident not caused or significantly contributed to by the insured, and that an insurer that raises the premium for accident involvement must notify the insured of the reason. See Arizona.
• California. Under 10 CCR 2632.13, a rating regulation, a driver counts as "principally at fault" at 51% or more, a $1,000 damage threshold applies, and a hit-and-run victim is presumed not at fault. See California for the state's wider rating limits.

If your state is not here, your department of insurance publishes its rules, and state requirements lookup can point you to the right site.

A worked example

Say your premium is $1,800 a year and your insurer's plan applies a 25% surcharge for three years after an at-fault accident. The surcharge is $450 a year, or $1,350 over three years. Your repair bill is $3,400 and your deductible is $500, so the claim pays $2,900. On that arithmetic, filing nets you $1,550 after the surcharge ($2,900 minus $1,350), and the real cost is higher if the surcharge is bigger or the shop's price is closer to the deductible. Now change the damage to $1,300: you would receive $800 and pay $1,350 in surcharge, a loss of $550. These figures are hypothetical; the point is that a small claim can cost more than it pays. The Should I file a claim? calculator lets you plug in your own numbers, and our guide on should you file a claim or pay out of pocket? explains the trade-offs.

That math applies to at-fault crashes. If the other driver is clearly at fault, a claim against their insurer may not touch your premium at all, though a record may still exist; our article on dealing with the other driver's insurer: calls, offers and releases explains that route. If you are new to a policy, also read filing a claim shortly after a policy starts: what insurers check, because a claim soon after a purchase draws extra scrutiny.

Accident forgiveness and what it forgives

Accident forgiveness is an optional or earned feature under which your first at-fault accident does not raise your premium. It addresses the renewal clock, not the database clock: the claim is still recorded in CLUE even if your price does not rise.

Programs differ. Progressive describes three versions as of November 2026: small accident forgiveness, automatic for new customers in most states, covers a first claim of $500 or less; large accident forgiveness requires at least five years with the company and up to five consecutive years free of accidents and violations; and a purchased version forgives one eligible accident per policy period. The page does not say how not-at-fault accidents count. Other insurers use their own terms, and states may limit it. Our comparison of accident forgiveness programs shows how several insurers handle eligibility.

Questions to ask before relying on it:

• Does it apply to the driver, the policy or the household?
• Does it cover only the first accident, or one per period?
• Does it forgive a surcharge only at your current insurer?
• If you switch, does the new insurer see the claim and price it?
• Are there dollar thresholds, as in the $500 example above?

How to request your reports

You have a right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to a free copy from each nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency once every 12 months. The CFPB says that for companies that must provide a report free each year, they must do so within 15 days of receiving your request.

1. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. Request your report at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com or by phone or mail using the contact details above. Ask for the auto report; a property report is a separate file.
2. Verisk A-PLUS. Use the contact details on the CFPB entry or on Verisk's FCRA disclosure page.
3. Read for these items: each claim's date, the vehicle and driver, the type of loss, the amount paid, the insurer and whether any claim shows that you do not recognize.
4. Compare with your own records, including claim numbers from your insurer.

If an insurer raises your price or declines you based on a consumer report, federal law requires a notice. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681m, a company that takes an adverse action based in whole or in part on a consumer report must give notice, name the agency that supplied the report, say that the agency did not make the decision, and tell you that you may get a free copy within a 60-day period and dispute the report. If you receive a letter like that, request the report named in it.

Disputing an error

The Wisconsin OCI sheet describes the C.L.U.E. process: you report the problem to LexisNexis, which contacts the insurer on your behalf and notifies you of the result within 30 days. Federal law supports this. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i, once an agency receives your dispute it must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation free of charge, generally within 30 days (extendable by up to 15 days if you send more information during the period), and if it cannot verify the item, it must delete or correct it. If the dispute is not resolved, you can file a brief statement explaining it, which the agency may limit to 100 words if it helps you write a clear summary, and which then accompanies the item in future reports. Insurers cannot add notes to your file, according to the Wisconsin sheet; only you can.

Common errors include:

• A claim on a car or policy that is not yours.
• A duplicate entry for one loss.
• A payment amount that does not match your records.
• A loss recorded under the wrong driver.
• A closed-without-payment file that should have been an inquiry.

Gather proof (claim letters, repair invoices, police reports), send your dispute in writing, and also contact the insurer that reported it, because the insurer supplied the data. Keep copies and dates. If the agency does not respond or the problem returns, file a complaint with the CFPB or your state insurance department. A dispute cannot remove a claim that is accurate; it can only correct inaccuracies or add your explanation.

Common questions

Does a claim where I was not at fault hurt my premium?

It might not, but the record can still exist. Whether your insurer can raise your price for an accident you did not cause depends on state law and its filed rating plan. Arizona's statute prohibits it, and New York's list of surcharge triggers covers at-fault accidents. In states without such a rule, ask your insurer how it classifies the claim, and ask for the classification in writing.

How long will the claim stay on my record?

LexisNexis says up to seven years for C.L.U.E. Auto, and Verisk's materials describe up to five for A-PLUS Auto. Your premium effect usually ends sooner. Your state driving record has its own period.

Does a comprehensive claim, like a cracked windshield or a stolen wheel, count?

It is a claim, so it can be reported to the database. Whether it raises your price depends on your insurer's rating plan and state law. Some insurers treat comprehensive claims more lightly than at-fault collisions; others count the number of claims regardless of type. Ask before filing, and see comprehensive coverage explained.

Can I stop my insurer from reporting a claim?

Generally not. Insurers that subscribe report the claims they handle, and an unpaid file may still be recorded if it was a real request for coverage. What you can do is make sure an inquiry is treated as an inquiry, check the report afterward and dispute any inaccuracy.

Key takeaways

• A coverage question is generally not reported, but describing a real loss and asking for it to be covered can create a claim record even if nothing is paid.
• CLUE holds claims for up to seven years and A-PLUS up to five per their own materials, while your renewal surcharge usually runs three to five years under your insurer's plan.
• Many insurers do not pull CLUE at renewal; the new-quote moment is when other companies see your history.
• Request your free reports every 12 months and dispute errors in writing; federal law gives you a 30-day reinvestigation right.
• Do the arithmetic before filing a small claim: a surcharge can outweigh the payment.