HowyGuardHow do I prepare for my cyber insurance renewal questionnaire?
Start from last year's answers. Re-check every yes against how your business is set up today, fix any gaps before the renewal date, and keep dated proof for each control, such as a screenshot or a log. That way the renewal form you sign is true on the day you sign it, not just last year.
Where do you find last year's answers?
If you bought through a broker, ask them for a copy of the application you signed last time. Many forms tell you to keep a copy of the completed application for your records, so check your files too. It's the clearest way to see exactly what you told the insurer.
For each item on a typical form, keep the checklist open alongside.
What might have changed since last year?
More than you'd think, even in a small office. A year is long enough for a new laptop, a new staff member with a new email account, someone leaving whose account was never closed, or a new piece of software someone signed up for. Any of those can turn last year's true yes into this year's not quite.
Old software is easy to miss, and many forms ask whether you run any end of support software. Windows 10 stopped getting regular security updates in October 2025. If a computer at your business still runs it, that answer has probably changed. What to do about Windows 10 computers covers it.
How do you re-check each yes?
Go down last year's form one question at a time and check the setting itself, not your memory of it. Where someone else looks after a system, ask them. That asking is part of the reasonable inquiry you confirm when you sign.
If you get to a question you can't answer either way, how to check the answer to a question goes through where to look.
What does proof look like?
Proof is something with a date on it that shows the item was in place when you checked. Most forms don't ask you to attach it, but having it means you can show any answer is true if you're asked, and next year's renewal starts from a folder instead of from scratch. How to save proof has a table of what to keep for each item.
Keep it all in one folder named for the renewal year. A screenshot without a date tells nobody when it was true, so write the date on the file name if the screen doesn't show it.
What to do next
- Put the renewal date in your calendar now, with a reminder far enough ahead to fix what you find.
- Start this year's proof folder now, so you're not hunting for screenshots the week the form arrives.
- Some fixes, like a backup service for Microsoft 365, usually need a tech, so start with those.
Common questions
What if one of last year's answers was wrong?
Tell your broker, and fix the setup if you can. What happens if you answer the application wrong explains why it's worth raising early.
Will the renewal form be the same as last year's?
Not necessarily. Insurers update their forms, so read the new one in full instead of copying last year's answers across.
Do I need proof for questions I answered no to?
No. Proof backs up a yes. For a no, it's more useful to note what you're doing about it and when.