By the Drivers Compass editors · Updated October 31, 2026
An SR-22 is not an insurance policy. It is a certificate your insurer files with the state to prove you carry at least the liability limits a court or DMV ordered, and the fee for the filing is small — roughly $15 to $50 in most states during 2024, per Ocho (undated). What costs money is the violation underneath it: sr22insurance.help (2025) attributes the SR-22 surcharge to the DUI, at-fault crash or lapse that triggered the order, not to the form.
Two state rules change the math: the limits the filing must prove, and how long you must keep it on file. Florida and Virginia use an FR-44 requiring double the state minimum liability limits, while the SR-22 used in the other 48 states proves only the minimum (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31).
Cost and Rules by State
Read this next to two documents: your court order or DMV reinstatement notice, which sets the form type and the filing length, and your policy declarations page, which shows the liability limits actually in force. If the declarations page limits are lower than the order requires, the filing does not satisfy the order.
| State | Limits the filing must prove | Published average cost | Filing fee and duration rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | FR-44, not SR-22: bodily injury liability at a stated multiple of Florida's standard minimum (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31) | Insurance.com (undated) publishes a Florida average annual SR-22 cost plus a DUI/DWI first-offense figure per year, per month and for six months, naming UAIC lowest | MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) gives Florida's FR-44 filing period and an average annual filing fee — an annual charge, not one-time |
| Virginia | FR-44: bodily injury liability at double Virginia's standard minimum, per the Virginia DMV (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31) | MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) reports FR-44 filers seeing increases in a higher band than SR-22 filers | MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) gives Virginia's FR-44 period and average annual filing fee separately from Florida's |
| California | SR-22 proving California's state minimum (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31) | Insurance.com (undated) publishes a California average and a DUI first-offense figure per year, per month and for six months, naming GEICO lowest; sr22insurance.help (2025) lists an annual and monthly DUI figure and cheapest carrier | sr22insurance.help (2025) states California's duration in its top-15 table; certificate fee about $15 to $50 (Ocho, undated) |
| Texas | SR-22 proving the Texas minimum (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31) | Insurance.com (undated) publishes a Texas average annual cost, naming Incline Insurance lowest | sr22insurance.help (2025) lists Texas with a shorter duration than most other top-15 states |
| Georgia | SR-22 proving the Georgia minimum (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31) | Rate loading follows the violation, not the form (sr22insurance.help, 2025) | sr22insurance.help (2025) gives Georgia's duration as a range of years; your DMV notice sets which end applies |
| Other 48 SR-22 states | State minimum liability only (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31) | Insurance.com (undated) publishes averages state by state because minimum limits and carrier mix differ | About $15 to $50 (Ocho, undated), charged per filing or per renewal depending on the insurer (sr22insurance.help, 2025) |
Treat each published average as a figure for a described driver profile on a described date. CarInsurance.com (undated) builds its SR-22 average from a 40-year-old with full coverage, one DUI and an SR-22 on a Honda Accord LX, quoted with and without the filing. Change the age, vehicle, zip code, deductible or violation count and the number moves.
Owner SR-22 Policy vs Non-Owner SR-22 Policy
If the order says file, you still choose what to file it against. A non-owner policy attaches liability coverage to you rather than to a car.
| Criterion | Owner SR-22 policy | Non-owner SR-22 policy |
|---|---|---|
| Who it protects | You and permitted drivers of the listed vehicle, plus the vehicle itself if comprehensive and collision appear on your declarations page | You alone, driving cars you do not own and that are not available for your regular use |
| Cost | The General charges a filing fee plus increased premium, and WalletHub (undated) reports its SR-22 insurance averaging a stated percentage more per year than a standard policy | Typically cheaper than a standard owner policy, the gap moving with violation severity (Ocho, undated); sr22insurance.help (2025) puts it in a monthly and annual range well below owner-based SR-22 pricing |
| When required | Whenever the order applies and a vehicle is titled to you, or a lienholder or lessor requires physical damage coverage | When you must satisfy a filing to reinstate a licence but have no vehicle registered to you |
| What triggers payout | A covered loss involving the listed vehicle, including damage to it | Liability only, after a crash in a borrowed or rented car; no coverage for a car you own, because none is scheduled |
Where each is clearly wrong:
- A non-owner policy is wrong if a car is titled in your name or sits in your driveway for regular use. The DMV may accept the filing while the policy excludes the exact vehicle you drive, and a lienholder requiring comprehensive and collision will not be satisfied — check the insurance clause on your loan statement.
- A full owner policy with comprehensive and collision is wrong if you sold the car and are filing only to recover your licence. You would pay physical damage premium on no vehicle, when sr22insurance.help (2025) puts non-owner SR-22 pricing significantly below owner-based pricing.
Insurance.com (undated) names different low-rate carriers by state — UAIC in Florida, GEICO in California, Incline Insurance in Texas — so the carrier ranked lowest for one profile in one state is not lowest everywhere. Confirm in writing that the insurer files SR-22s or FR-44s in your state before you bind; not every company does, and a quote is not a bound premium.
Why the Differences Exist
The form is a financial responsibility certificate, so its content is set by each state's financial responsibility law rather than by insurers. That is why the same DUI produces different paperwork in different states. MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) describes the SR-22 as proving only the state minimum across 48 states, while Florida and Virginia require an FR-44 at double the minimum — Virginia's FR-44 bodily injury requirement is stated as double its standard minimum by the Virginia DMV. Because the minimums themselves differ, "double the minimum" is a different dollar figure in Florida than in Virginia, and the premium follows the limits rather than the certificate.
Duration is the second statutory lever. sr22insurance.help (2025) lists a filing period for each of its top-15 states, with Texas shorter than most and Georgia expressed as a range of years, and MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) compares Florida's and Virginia's FR-44 periods separately. A longer mandated period multiplies both surcharge years and filing fees, which MoneyGeek reports as an average annual amount in the FR-44 states.
The pricing side is actuarial. The certificate costs roughly $15 to $50 (Ocho, undated), paid to the insurer to transmit the filing (sr22insurance.help, 2025). The increase comes from the violation: sr22insurance.help (2025) attributes the average SR-22 surcharge to the underlying offence, and MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) reports FR-44 filers facing increases in a higher band — consistent with FR-44 orders following alcohol-related convictions and carrying higher limits to pay out against.
If the policy lapses mid-filing, the insurer notifies the state that the certificate is no longer in force. The consequences are the ones printed on your DMV notice: the suspension the filing lifted resumes, reinstatement requires a new filing plus a state-set reinstatement fee, and where the clock restarts you serve the period again from the new date. Confirm your end date with the DMV in writing before asking any insurer to stop filing.
Questions
If I move to another state, does my SR-22 move with me?
The filing belongs to the state that ordered it, so you generally keep satisfying that order after registering a car elsewhere. The receiving state may not use the same form: MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) notes the SR-22 is used in 48 states, while Florida and Virginia use the FR-44 at double the standard minimum bodily injury limits. Tell the new insurer which state's order you are under, and ask that state's DMV in writing whether an out-of-state policy satisfies it.
Is the $15 to $50 filing fee charged once or every year?
Ocho (undated) describes it as a one-time fee of roughly $15 to $50 in most states in 2024, but sr22insurance.help (2025) describes an average fee charged per renewal, and MoneyGeek (2026-08-31) gives an average annual filing fee for Florida and Virginia FR-44s. Check your billing statement for a line item at each renewal rather than assuming it appears once.
Why is the published average different in Florida and California?
Insurance.com (undated) publishes separate state averages, including DUI/DWI first-offense figures per year, per month and for six months, because required limits and the carriers competing for that risk differ. Florida orders an FR-44 at a multiple of its standard minimum (MoneyGeek, 2026-08-31), and the named low-rate carriers differ too: UAIC in Florida, GEICO in California. Neither average is a quote for your profile.
Does the SR-22 itself cause the rate increase?
No. sr22insurance.help (2025) attributes the average increase to the underlying violation, and the certificate fee is roughly $15 to $50 (Ocho, undated). WalletHub (undated) reports The General charging a filing fee plus an increased premium, with its SR-22 insurance averaging a stated percentage above a standard policy. Removing the filing at the end of the period does not automatically remove the violation surcharge.