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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026

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The NAIC Complaint Index: what it measures and how to read it

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) says "a complaint index measures how many complaints your state insurance department receives relative to the size of the company."[1] It is a size-adjusted comparison, not a raw count. It is calculated for the insurance company, not for the agent who sold you the policy. This page sets out what the NAIC says, how state regulators that publish their own indexes define the numbers, and how to look a company up.

In short:
  • What it measures: complaints relative to the size of the company.[1]
  • How state regulators that publish an index read it: Kansas and Indiana describe 1.00 as a company whose share of complaints equals its share of the business; Colorado calculates the index as share of complaints divided by share of premium and calls an index above 1.0 'higher than average.' Above 1.00 means a larger share of complaints than of business, and 0.00 means no complaints.[3][4][5]
  • Where the NAIC data comes from: the NAIC "compiles closed, confirmed complaint information about insurance carriers from state insurance departments," searchable by state, company and insurance type "for the past three years."[2]
  • How to use it: the NAIC says "you should not use just one factor" and to compare "the complaints, financials, and direct premiums written of several companies."[2]

How to read an NAIC Complaint Index score

Correction (30 September 2026): an earlier version of this page, and of the Library, homepage and "How we check" pages that summarised it, said the NAIC calculates the index by dividing a complaint ratio by the industry median and that a score of 1.0 represents the industry median. We have not found that definition in the NAIC's own published material, so we have removed it and now state only what the NAIC itself says the index measures. The carrier-versus-agent point on this page is unchanged.

The NAIC's consumer guide says: "A complaint index measures how many complaints your state insurance department receives relative to the size of the company." The same guide notes that "many state insurance departments post complaint indexes on their websites."[1] The NAIC also says a company's complaint index "can vary not only due to fluctuations in the company's complaints or premiums but also due to fluctuations in the complaints or premiums of the U.S. market for the type of insurance being sold by the companies."[2]

How state regulators that publish an index define it

We have not found a formula in the NAIC's own consumer material. Some state insurance departments that publish their own complaint indexes do give one. These are the states' definitions for their own reports, not the NAIC's:

State regulatorHow it describes the indexWhat 1.00 means
Kansas Insurance Department (2024 report)"A company's share of complaints in relation to its market share or share of business written in Kansas," calculated "within each calendar year period."[3]"The insurer's share of all complaints received is equal to its share of all the business written in Kansas." 2.00 means "twice as large"; 0.00 means "no complaints were received."[3]
Colorado Division of Insurance (2024 homeowners report)"Calculated by dividing an company's share of complaints by its share of premium on a line-specific basis."[4]"An index higher than 1.0 indicates that a company's complaint counts are higher than average," and lower than 1.0 means lower than average.[4]
Indiana Department of InsuranceUses "the amount of each company's premium and the number of closed complaints against the insurer during a calendar year."[5]"The insurer's share of all complaints received is equal to its share of all the business written in Indiana"; 0.50 is half as large, 2.00 twice as large.[5]

Each state counts its own complaints for its own market, so a company's index in one state is not its index in another. Kansas says its index differs from the NAIC complaint report because the NAIC report "only captures confirmed complaints."[3] Colorado cautions consumers "against relying only on the Complaint Ratio and/or the Complaint Index when evaluating companies," and says "premium benefits, financial condition, and level of service should all be considered."[4] We do not publish a reading of any particular company's score.

What "closed, confirmed" complaints are

The NAIC's reports are built from "closed, confirmed complaint information" that state insurance departments submit.[2][6] Kansas quotes this definition of a confirmed complaint: "A complaint in which the state department of insurance determines: 1. The insurer, licensee, producer, or other regulated entity committed any violation of: a. An applicable state insurance law or regulation; b. A federal requirement that the state department of insurance has the authority to enforce; or c. The term/condition of an insurance policy or certificate; or 2. The complaint and entity's response, considered together, indicate that the entity was in error."[3]

One NAIC report "shows the types of coverage with the most closed, confirmed complaints by number and percentage."[6] Counts of closed, confirmed complaints and a size-adjusted index are different measures, so keep them apart when you compare companies.

It's a carrier-level number, not an agent-level one

The complaint index is calculated for the insurance company, the carrier underwriting the policy, not for the individual agent or broker who sold it.[1][2] Kansas, for example, says it lists "individual insurance companies only, not groups of insurance companies," and that your policy or ID card shows the exact company name.[3]

Our standard keeps the carrier and the agent apart: we report a carrier's complaint index only as background on the products an agent sells, and check the agent's own license status, appointment, disciplinary history and marketing practices separately.

How to look up a company's complaints

The NAIC says to "visit the Consumer Insurance Search page," where you "can look up information by state, company, and insurance type for the past three years."[2] Kansas's 2024 report gives these steps for the NAIC's complaint reports:[3]

  1. Go to the NAIC Consumer Information Source (content.naic.org/cis_consumer_information.htm).
  2. Enter the company's NAIC company code and press enter.
  3. Once the company is shown, select "Click for Report Options."
  4. Select "Go to Complaint Code Report."
  5. Choose a report by type of coverage, reason for complaint, or disposition (final outcome).
  6. Choose the state under "I want to see complaints for:".[3]

Our step-by-step guide to the NAIC Consumer Insurance Search covers the tool in more detail. If your state insurance department publishes its own index, that page will explain how that state calculates it.

Where a company-level number stops

A carrier index cannot tell you whether the person selling a policy is licensed, appointed or has a public disciplinary finding. Those are separate checks: see how to check an agent's license, how to verify an appointment, how to search a state DOI's disciplinary record, and what can get a producer's license suspended or revoked. For claims-handling rules, see unfair claims settlement practices.

Questions people ask

Is a complaint index of 1.0 average?

In the Kansas and Indiana reports, 1.00 means a company's share of complaints equals its share of the business written in that state.[3][5] Colorado describes an index above 1.0 as "higher than average."[4] Check the definition used by whichever report you are reading.

Is a lower complaint index always better?

The NAIC says not to use "just one factor" and to compare complaints, financials and direct premiums written.[2] Colorado cautions against relying only on the index.[4]

Where do I file a complaint?

With your state department of insurance. The NAIC says to start at content.naic.org/consumer.htm and select your state.[2] See also how to file an insurance complaint with your state.

References

  1. [1] National Association of Insurance Commissioners, A Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance, read 21 October 2026 — content.naic.org/sites/default/files/publication-aut-pp-consumer-auto.pdf
  2. [2] National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "How to File a Complaint and Research Complaints Against Insurance Carriers" (1 September 2022), read 21 October 2026 — content.naic.org/article/how-file-complaint-and-research-complaints-against-insurance-carriers
  3. [3] Kansas Insurance Department, Complaint Index Report 2024, read 21 October 2026 — insurance.ks.gov/documents/department/publications/complaint-index-report-2024.pdf
  4. [4] Colorado Division of Insurance, Complaint Ratio and Complaint Index report, 2024, homeowners/farmowners, read 21 October 2026 — dora.state.co.us — complaint ratio and index report
  5. [5] Indiana Department of Insurance, Complaint Information, read 21 October 2026 — in.gov/idoi/companyentity-financial-compliance/complaint-information
  6. [6] National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Closed Confirmed Consumer Complaints by Coverage Type (Consumer Information Source), read 21 October 2026 — content.naic.org/cis_agg_type.htm

What you can do next

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