Your Guide to SR22 Insurance in Illinois for 2020
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The Secretary of State’s office may have required you to obtain SR22 insurance in Illinois if your driver’s license has been suspended or revoked. In this Guide to SR22 Insurance in Illinois, we’ll tackle some of the biggest questions regarding SR22. We’ll answer frequently asked questions and explain what SR22 insurance actually is, how long you need it and how much it costs per month.
What is SR22 Insurance?
A common misconception of SR22 is that it is a type of insurance policy – and it’s not. SR22 is not insurance coverage. SR22 is simply a type of notification process that is added to your current or new insurance policy.
In the perspective of an insurance company or agency, SR22 filing is a check mark next to your name on your insurance policy. Unfortunately, drivers who request SR22 filing are often generalized as “high risk” or may come with a problematic MVR, or motor vehicle record.
What SR22 Filing Does
Under a traditional liability insurance policy, you, and you alone, may receive policy lapse notices via mail or email. With SR22 filing added to your insurance policy, it essentially adds the State of Illinois as a cc.
This means that the State of Illinois is notified when your policy cancels for any reason, including non-payment of premiums, or if the policy is not renewed.
In a nutshell, SR22 notifies the State of Illinois that you have ACTIVE liability insurance coverage, but also lets them know when liability insurance coverage becomes INACTIVE.
What happens if you don’t buy SR22? Or just let your SR22 lapse?
The penalty for certain driving offenses, including driving without insurance, is a court ordered SR22. So what happens if you don’t buy SR22?
Failure to comply with state mandated SR22 gets your driver’s license suspended. But what if a driver misses an insurance payment and allows their SR22 filing to lapse?
Allowing your SR22 to lapse for any reason also comes with driver’s license suspension.
The state is serious when it comes to SR22 filing in Illinois.
Why You Probably Need SR22 Insurance in Illinois
How do you know whether or not you need SR22 insurance in Illinois? SR22 should only be purchased by a driver only when ordered by the State of Illinois.
This is typically verbally requested by a traffic judge at a court hearing. But, the state does do a good job sending over a letter with a deadline to avoid license suspension.
Reasons Why You Were Ordered to Obtain SR22
SR22 is usually required for a driver to carry when found guilty of certain driving convictions. The most common reason why an Illinois driver would need to buy SR22 is driving without insurance. But a few other reasons include:
- 3 or more traffic violations
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Driving while intoxicated
- Operating a car with no insurance
- Being involved in an accident with no insurance
- Suspended Illinois driver’s license
- How to find out if you need SR22 in Illinois?
Often times, drivers in Illinois are confused on whether or not they need SR22. Traffic judges throw out confusing words and terms in court and it is not uncommon for letters from the state to be misplaced or lost in the mail either.
Another constant question drivers in Illinois have is “How do I know when my SR22 is up?”
Check your SR22 status
If you haven’t received a letter from the state or don’t remember what your traffic judge told you a couple months back, don’t distress. There are a few ways to check your SR22 status in Illinois.
Visit a Illinois Secretary of State Facility
There’s many facilities an Illinois driver can visit, but not all of them can help when it comes to SR22 inquires. Here’s a couple popular local ones:
7358 W. 87th St. – Bridgeview, IL
339 E. Indian Trail – Aurora, IL
1111 Blatt – Bradley, IL
Call the Illinois Secretary of State
The DMV is known for extremely long lines and wait times. The can check on the status of your driver’s license by contacting the Illinois Secretary of State driver Services Department by calling (217) 782-3720. Be sure to select option one for the Safety and Financial Responsibility Section and follow the prompts to enter your Illinois driver’s license and social security number.
Need SR22 Insurance But Don’t Own a Car
So just to clarify, SR22 is not an insurance policy. SR22 filing is an “add-on” to your car insurance policy. But what if you don’t own a car?
There’s a solution for that.
Non Owner SR22 Insurance
Non owner insurance is an insurance policy that provides liability coverage to a driver. Non owner insurance does not provide medical payments or physical damage coverage.
Non-owners insurance was designed by insurance companies for the following types of drivers in Illinois:
- Your driver’s license has been suspended and you’re required to obtain SR22
- You occasionally drive non-owned vehicles
- You are in between vehicles and need insurance to keep preferred status
It is extremely important to note that car insurance is mandatory in Illinois. This means that regardless of status, all vehicles registered in Illinois MUST be insured. A non owners insurance policy does not provide liability coverage on a vehicle.
In any event, a non-owners insurance policy can be obtained by an individual that does not own a vehicle but needs SR22.
SR22 Insurance Requirements in Illinois
Liability insurance in the minimum mandated amounts are necessary for SR22 filing to be accepted by the State of Illinois. The following are coverage requirements for SR22 in the entire state of Illinois:
- $25,000 bodily injury per person
- $50,000 bodily injury per accident
- $20,000 property damage
How long do you need SR22 in Illinois
The simple answer to this is 3 years (36 months) of consecutive SR22 filing is required.
How Much Does SR22 Insurance Cost
There is not a standard one size fits all solution when purchasing insurance, especially when it comes to SR22.
Typically, insurance companies determine insurance rates by a number of statistics and mathematical calculations. But, there are a few particular factors insurance companies look at when they calculate how much a driver will pay for SR22 insurance. A few of these factors include:
- Where you live
- Your motor vehicle record
- Your age, sex and marital status
- SR22 Insurance Cost Analysis
SR22 Insurance Cost Analysis
Our agents did a little research and have developed an SR22 Insurance Cost Analysis. This rate analysis uses a fictional Illinois driver we called Henry.
- Sex: Male
- Marital Status: Married
- License Status: Active with no violations
- Henry doesn’t own a vehicle and needs non owners SR22 for driving without insurance.
Here are Henry’s SR22 insurance in Illinois monthly costs based on his age and location:
| ILLINOIS CITY | AGE: 20 – 29 | AGE: 30 – 39 | AGE: 40 – 49 | AGE: 50 – 59 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, Illinois | $20 | $19 | $18 | $19 |
| Chicago, Illinois | $21 | $20 | $19 | $20 |
| Elgin, Illinois | $21 | $20 | $19 | $20 |
| Joliet, Illinois | $21 | $20 | $19 | $20 |
| Rockford, Illinois | $22 | $21 | $20 | $21 |
By reviewing this data, we’ve concluded that Illinois residents ages 40-49 pay the least for SR22 insurance in Illinois. Illinois residents who are younger or older can expect to pay just a dollar or two more per month.
Keep in mind, insurance rates are zip code specific so your SR22 insurance rates are affected by your location.
Also important to mention again, the above chart illustrates non owner SR22 insurance rates only. All vehicles on the road must be insured at state mandated minimum liability limits. Speak to your agent for more information.
What to Do After Buying SR22?
Unless you contact us, it may take a while for you to find affordable SR22 in Illinois. But once you do, insurance companies in Illinois now electronically file an SR22 certificate directly to the state of Illinois. Proof of insurance and a financial responsibility certificate is usually provided to you same day by your insurance agent.
If your driver’s license has been cancelled and needs to be reinstated, a reinstatement fee of $70.00 may apply. This may be made online with cyberdriveillinois.com, or in person at an Illinois DMV.
Affordable SR22 Insurance in Illinois.
Insured ASAP is a leading provider of SR22 in Naperville, Rockford, Springfield, Elgin, Peoria, Champaign, Waukegan, Joliet, Aurora, Chicago and throughout Illinois. Non-owners insurance rates with SR22 filing are as low as $15 per month. With two ways to quote, it has never been easier.
- Quote by Phone (800) 641-7488
- Click to Quote Online
