# How to Make Changes to Your Policy (Endorsements)
Life changes, and your insurance has to keep up. You bought a new truck, finished the basement, added your teenager to the auto policy, or hired your first employee. Each of those is a reason to update your coverage. The formal name for a mid-term change to an active policy is an endorsement (sometimes called a *rider* or *amendment*). This guide explains what endorsements are, when you need one, and exactly how to make changes through BNW Services / InsureToday24 here in Missouri and Kansas.
What an Endorsement Actually Is
An endorsement is a written change to your existing policy that takes effect *during* the policy term, instead of waiting for renewal. It becomes part of your legal contract with the carrier. Endorsements can:
- Add coverage — a new vehicle, a new driver, a scheduled jewelry or tool rider, higher liability limits.
- Remove coverage — drop a sold car, take a teen driver off after they move out.
- Change details — your mailing address, your lienholder or mortgagee, your business name.
- Adjust limits or deductibles — raise your dwelling limit after a remodel, change your deductible to manage premium.
Because an endorsement changes the risk the carrier is covering, it can also change your premium — up or down. The carrier will tell us the new figure, and we'll pass it to you in plain language before anything is locked in.
Common Reasons MO & KS Households and Businesses Need a Change
Auto. New or replacement vehicle, added or removed driver, a move to a new ZIP code, a lienholder change after refinancing, or adjusting coverage on a car you've paid off.
Home, renters, and landlord. A remodel or addition, a new roof, adding a detached structure, updating your mortgage company, scheduling high-value items (rings, firearms, instruments, equipment), or correcting the dwelling replacement-cost figure.
Life and annuity. Changing a beneficiary, updating contact information, or adding a rider where the contract allows it.
Business. Adding a vehicle to a commercial auto policy, increasing general-liability limits for a new contract, adding an *additional insured* or *waiver of subrogation* a customer requires, updating payroll on workers' comp, or changing your business address.
How to Request a Change — Step by Step
You don't have to figure out the paperwork. As an independent agency, we sit between you and the carriers we represent, so you make one request and we handle the carrier side.
1. Tell us what changed. Call (573) 594-5148 and Lucy, our AI receptionist, can take the details any time of day. You can also start a request from insuretoday24.com.
2. Have a few facts ready. For a vehicle: the year, make, model, and VIN, plus the lienholder if it's financed. For a home change: a description of the work, photos if you have them, and any contractor invoice. For business changes: the certificate-holder name and the exact wording your customer is asking for.
3. We confirm the cost. We submit the request to your carrier, get the revised premium and effective date, and walk you through it before you commit.
4. You approve. Some carriers can bind the change quickly; others need a signed form or a brief underwriting review. We'll tell you which applies.
5. You get it in writing. Once the carrier issues the endorsement, you'll receive updated documents showing the change is official. Keep them with your policy.
Timing Matters — Don't Wait
Coverage generally applies from the effective date and time of the endorsement forward, not backward. If you buy a car on Saturday and don't tell anyone until Wednesday, you may have a gap. Tell us *before* or *as soon as* the change happens. Many states give you a short automatic window of coverage on a newly acquired vehicle, but the rules and time limits vary by policy — so confirm with us rather than assume.
A Few Honest Notes
- Not every change is automatic. Some additions trigger underwriting. The carrier decides whether to accept the change, and at what price.
- Premium can go up or down. Removing a car or driver often lowers it; adding coverage usually raises it. We'll always show you the number first.
- Renters and life quoted online. If your coverage was placed through one of our embedded apps — ePremium for renters or BackNine for life and annuity — the change may route through that carrier's process. We'll point you the right way.
- Square is for payments. When a change adds premium and a payment is due, our site processes card payments through Square checkout.
When in doubt, just ask. A two-minute call now is cheaper than a denied claim later.
References
1. National Association of Insurance Commissioners — https://www.naic.org
2. Insurance Information Institute — https://www.iii.org
3. Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance — https://insurance.mo.gov
4. Kansas Insurance Department — https://insurance.kansas.gov
5. Federal Trade Commission (consumer protection) — https://www.ftc.gov
Related
- Insurance Terms Glossary: Premiums, Deductibles, Riders and More
- Understanding Deductibles, Limits and Coverage
- How to Get a Certificate of Insurance
- How to Reach Us — and What Lucy, Our AI Receptionist, Can Do
- Why Use an Independent Insurance Agent
Watch
- What is an insurance endorsement or rider — search: "what is an insurance policy endorsement explained"
- Adding a car or driver to your auto policy mid-term — search: "how to add a vehicle to your auto insurance policy"