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Life & Annuity Data Standards

ACORD L&A Standards

Life & Annuity Standards are available in a fully indexed and searchable format. The main release components are:

  • Help File: reference document for primary source of information for the Standard
  • Object Reference Model: high-level object hierarchy representing the Standard Implementation Model
  • Schema Files: used to validate an XML document 

Below are the most recent ACORD Life & Annuity Standards releases.

XML Standards Specifications & Documentation

EDI Standards Specifications & Documentation

The ACORD L&A Program DTCC EDI Public Specification files provide a traditional EDI (flat file) format for communicating common life insurance information including application, asset pricing, commissions, financial activity, inforce activity, licensing, appointment, positions, and valuations. These formats are the core of the Deposit Trust Clearing Corporation (DTCC) Insurance Processing Services (IPS) offerings.

XML Transaction Specifications

ACORD Utilities (Schema Tools)

ACORD has developed utilities that can be used against the schema (.xsd) files to help with implementation. If you have any questions about using the tools, please submit a service request on the ACORD Service Desk.

L&A Implementation Guides & Supplements

The following guides and supplements have been developed to provide best practices for supporting interoperability between trading partners. These typically document transaction sequences needed to support an entire business process, with implementation details specific to product types, communities, or other subsets of the full L&A Standard.

L&A Standards & Forms Fact Sheets

These user-friendly, one-page Fact Sheets offer enhanced clarification to support implementations, and serve as a useful reference for any business or technical resource. Each Fact Sheet provides a high-level business overview for a specific transaction or form. 

L&A XML Standards Online Help

ACORD members with access to the L&A XML Standards may access an online version of the L&A XML Business Message Specification Help File on our site. You may utilize this instead of maintaining the Help File (.chm) on your local drive.

Access Online Help Files


Contact Member Services

Contact_Email

To learn more about standards and membership.

Standards Training Materials

Training_Materials

Are free to download for all ACORD members.

Get Involved

Contribute_To_Development

In our Standards Project Groups and other community activities.