Texas Insurance Rate Filings: How to Check a Rate Change

If your Texas home or auto insurance premium jumps at renewal, you do not have to rely only on a short billing notice to understand what changed. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) gives consumers direct access to home and auto insurance rate filings submitted by insurance companies.

The tool can show the company name, filing date, type of insurance, product name, estimated percent change, effective dates, filing status, and a SERFF identification number that can lead to supporting documents.

But there is an important limitation: a company’s overall percent change is not the same thing as the exact increase or decrease on your individual policy. Your premium can move differently because insurers also use policy-specific rating factors.

This guide explains how to use the TDI data without confusing a statewide filing with your personal renewal price.

Quick answer: what can the TDI rate filing tool tell you?

Texas insurance companies must file home and auto rates with TDI before using them to set premiums. Consumers can search those filings by company name.

The database can help answer questions such as:

Did my insurer file a rate change?
When did TDI receive the filing?
Is it for homeowners or personal auto insurance?
What product does the filing apply to?
What is the estimated overall percent change?
When does the new rate take effect for renewals?
Is TDI still reviewing the filing?
Was the filing reviewed, rejected, or withdrawn?
Where can I find supporting documents?

That makes the database useful before or after a renewal notice arrives.

Step 1: find the insurance company’s legal name

Do not start with the name of your local agency unless that is also the insurer.

TDI specifically warns that the insurance company name is not necessarily the same as the agency name that sold you the policy.

Check your declarations page, policy, billing statement, or renewal notice for the legal name of the insurance company. If you are not sure, ask your agent.

This step matters because searching the wrong company can make it look like no filing exists.

Step 2: search the TDI home and auto rate filing database

Open TDI’s Search home and auto insurance rate filings page and enter the company name.

TDI also provides an open-data version for people who want to export or analyze the records.

If the company has multiple filings, do not assume the newest row automatically applies to your policy. You still need to match the type of insurance, product, and effective date.

Step 3: match the type and product

The “Type of Insurance” field identifies whether the filing is for personal auto or homeowners insurance.

The “Subtype of Insurance” and “Product Name” fields can narrow the filing further.

Product names are especially useful when one insurer sells several versions of a policy. Compare the product name in the filing with your policy paperwork when possible.

If you cannot tell which filing matches your policy, ask your insurer or agent for the product name or filing information.

Step 4: read the Percent Change field carefully

TDI defines “Percent Change” as the estimated impact that the rate change has on existing policyholders.

That number is not a promise that every customer’s premium will change by the same percentage.

TDI explicitly notes that the impact can be higher or lower for an individual policyholder depending on changes to specific rating factors.

For example, suppose a filing shows an overall 8% increase. One customer could see less than 8%, another could see more, and another could see a different result because of changes in coverage, discounts, location, claims history, vehicle characteristics, home replacement cost, credit-based insurance information where allowed, or other lawful rating factors.

A blank or 0% filing does not always mean nothing changed. TDI says it can mean that the filing changed rules or another item without changing the overall premium impact, or that the combined impact across policyholders is 0%.

Step 5: check the renewal effective date

The database has separate effective-date fields for new business and renewal business.

If you are checking an existing policy, focus on “Effective Date (Renewal Business).” TDI defines that as the date the company starts using the rate for a policy being renewed.

Compare that date with your policy renewal date.

If the filing’s renewal effective date is after your renewal, it may not explain the increase you are seeing now. If it is before your renewal, it may be relevant — but you still need to confirm that the filing matches your product and policy.

Step 6: understand filing status and closed type

A “pending” filing means TDI is still reviewing it.

A “closed” filing means TDI has completed its review process.

TDI also provides a “Closed Type” field. The agency explains several possible outcomes:

Reviewed: TDI reviewed the filing and closed it.
Rejected: TDI rejected the filing for technical reasons, such as filing under the wrong line of business or failing to provide enough information.
Withdrawn: the company withdrew the filing. TDI says companies may withdraw for reasons including needing more time to answer questions, wanting to refile, or being asked to withdraw because the filing did not comply with applicable requirements.

Do not interpret “closed” as meaning TDI approved every possible premium outcome for every customer. It describes the filing’s review status.

Step 7: use the SERFF ID to see more detail

Each filing has a SERFF ID number.

TDI says consumers can use that ID in the System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing, commonly called SERFF, to look for the filing and supporting documents.

Some documents can be confidential and therefore unavailable publicly, but the SERFF ID is still the best reference number to save if you want to discuss a specific filing with your insurer or TDI.

Rate versus premium: why your bill may not match the filing percentage

TDI distinguishes between a rate and a premium.

A rate is part of the pricing formula. A premium is the amount you actually pay for the policy.

Your premium can be affected by many factors beyond the overall company rate change. TDI lists factors such as location, claims history, home replacement cost, driving history, how much you drive, vehicle replacement cost, and other characteristics.

So if your renewal premium rises 20% while a company filing shows an overall 10% increase, that difference does not automatically prove the insurer did something illegal.

The right next step is to ask the insurer what factors changed on your policy and compare that explanation with your records.

Texas also prohibits price optimization — pricing based on how much an insurer thinks a customer will tolerate rather than genuine insurance risk. Our separate guide explains the Texas price optimization rule and why a high renewal price alone does not prove price optimization.

A practical renewal-check workflow

Compare the old and new premium.
Check whether coverage limits, deductibles, vehicles, drivers, property information, or discounts changed.
Identify the insurer’s exact legal name.
Search TDI’s rate filing database.
Match the insurance type and product.
Compare the filing’s renewal effective date with your renewal date.
Read the overall percent change, but do not treat it as your guaranteed personal change.
Save the SERFF ID if you need more documentation.
Ask your insurer to explain your individual increase.
Shop other insurers using comparable coverage and deductibles.

What if the insurer will not explain the increase?

TDI says your company should be able to explain why your premium changed. If you believe the company used inaccurate information or violated Texas insurance rules, document the issue and contact the insurer first.

If the problem is not resolved, TDI accepts complaints against insurance companies, agents, and adjusters it regulates.

A rate filing can support your questions, but it is usually not enough by itself to establish that an individual renewal price is improper.

What if the company is not renewing you at all?

A nonrenewal is different from a price increase.

Texas HB 2067 created a written-reason requirement for certain declinations, cancellations, and nonrenewals beginning in 2026. If your insurer is ending coverage instead of renewing at a higher price, use our guide to the Texas written-reason rule.

Should you switch companies after a rate increase?

Not automatically, but you should compare options.

TDI recommends shopping for coverage regularly. When comparing policies, keep coverage limits and deductibles reasonably similar so you are not comparing a lower premium that provides much less protection.

Also check financial ratings, complaint information, discounts, and the insurer’s claims service — not just the monthly price.

Frequently asked questions

Does every Texas insurance rate increase appear in the TDI database?

The TDI tool covers home and personal auto rate filings submitted by insurance companies. Use the exact insurer name and match the product and insurance type.

If the filing says 10%, will my premium go up exactly 10%?

No. TDI says the Percent Change field is an estimated impact on existing policyholders overall. Individual results can be higher or lower depending on policy-specific factors.

What does “pending” mean?

TDI is still reviewing the filing.

What does “closed” mean?

TDI has completed its review. Check the Closed Type field for more information about the outcome.

What is a SERFF ID?

It is the filing number used in the System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing. You can use it to locate additional filing materials when they are public.

Can a rate filing tell me whether price optimization was used?

Not by itself. Texas prohibits price optimization, but proving an improper pricing practice requires more than comparing your renewal bill with one filing percentage.

Bottom line

Texas consumers now have much better access to the data behind home and auto insurance rate changes. The TDI filing database is especially useful when you treat it as a verification tool rather than a personalized premium calculator.

Match the correct company and product, compare the renewal effective date, read the percent change in context, and save the SERFF ID. Then ask your insurer to explain the factors that changed on your individual policy.