Glossary

Stamping fee

A charge on a surplus lines policy that pays the state or its stamping office to review and record the placement, collected from the buyer with the premium.

Also called: surplus lines stamping fee, surplus lines filing fee, stamping office fee

When coverage is placed with a non-admitted insurer, state law requires the surplus lines broker to file the policy, or an affidavit about it, and to collect certain charges from the insured. The stamping fee is one of them. It pays the state insurance department, or a designated stamping office, to review the filing, check that the insurer is eligible and that a diligent search was made, and record the placement. Stamping offices operate in a number of states, including California, Florida, New York and Texas, each under its own name. In other states the broker files directly with the department.

The fee sits apart from the premium and from the state's surplus lines premium tax. Rates and rules differ by state, and some states charge a percentage of premium while others charge a flat amount, so look up the insured's home state. Under the federal Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (15 U.S.C. 8201), only that home state may require the premium tax, which simplifies multistate placements.

The practical pitfall is comparing quotes without the add-ons. A surplus lines quote should show premium, tax, stamping fee and any broker policy fee as separate lines; add them before comparing with an admitted quote. The guide on surplus lines taxes, stamping fees and diligent search covers the filings, and excess and surplus lines explains the market.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Excess and surplus lines Insurance placed with non-admitted insurers for risks the standard market declines or cannot price, with freer forms and rates but less regulatory protection. Surplus lines broker A specially licensed broker who places coverage with non-admitted insurers after the admitted market has declined, and handles the required filings and taxes. Diligent search The effort a surplus lines broker must make to find coverage from admitted insurers before placing a risk with a non-admitted insurer. Non-admitted insurer An insurer not licensed in your state that may still write coverage there through a surplus lines broker, outside the state's rate and form filing rules. Admitted insurer An insurance company licensed by a state's insurance department to sell policies there, subject to that state's filing rules and guaranty fund protection.

Related guides

Admitted vs non-admitted insurers: what the difference means Admitted insurers are licensed in your state and backed by its guaranty fund. Non-admitted (surplus lines) insurers are not. What that changes for your policy. Excess and surplus lines insurance explained What E&S insurance is, why risks go to non-admitted insurers, what you give up in guaranty fund protection, and how surplus lines taxes and filings work. How commercial insurance brokers get paid Commissions, client fees, contingent and supplemental pay, wholesale splits, and the rules that let you ask what a broker earns on your account. Surplus lines taxes, stamping fees and diligent search How surplus lines premium tax, stamping fees and diligent search work under the NRRA, with 2026 rates for several states and a worked example of the invoice. Wholesale brokers and surplus lines placement: how hard risks get insured How wholesale brokers place hard-to-insure risks with surplus lines insurers: the retail broker role, diligent search, taxes, stamping offices and buyer impact.