An SR-22 isn't a kind of insurance. It's a form your insurer files with the state to prove you carry at least the minimum liability coverage, usually after a DUI, a suspension or a stretch of driving uninsured, and our SR-22 explainer covers how the requirement works. This post answers the two questions that come next: which companies will file it, and what it costs where you live.
The short version: big carriers file SR-22s, but not every company will take an SR-22 driver, and the cheapest one changes from state to state. The SR-22 averages our state guides publish run from $81 a month for liability in Indiana to about $198 in Texas, and in five of the seven SR-22 states where a guide names the cheapest carrier for filers, it's State Farm.
Which companies file SR-22s
Any insurer licensed in the state that ordered the filing can file it, but not every insurer offers the service. Progressive's own advice is to tell a company you need an SR-22 before you get a quote, because many don't write it. The two biggest direct writers handle it differently:
| GEICO | Progressive | |
|---|---|---|
| How it files | Electronically, or by mail where required | Electronically in most states as soon as the policy is bought; by mail in certain states |
| Filing fee | One-time, charged again only if the policy lapses; not in the quote, disclosed at purchase | About $25, built into the cost of each policy term while the SR-22 is required |
| Two drivers on the policy need one | Two fees | Not stated |
| Filing for another state | Needs an insurer licensed in the state that ordered it | Files anywhere in the U.S. |
| No car | Non-owner SR-22 policy | Non-owner policy with the filing |
| If the policy lapses | GEICO has to notify the state | The insurer notifies the DMV, which suspends the license |
Sources: GEICO's and Progressive's SR-22 pages, updated August 31 and April 9, 2026.
The fee difference matters over a three-year filing: GEICO describes a one-time charge, Progressive a charge every policy term. Neither one is the real cost. That's the premium after whatever violation triggered the filing, and in our guides' data the cheapest SR-22 carrier is usually a household name rather than a specialist. If the standard companies turn you down, nonstandard carriers such as The General, Bristol West, Dairyland and Direct Auto write this business; our non-owner insurance post covers who says yes after a recent suspension.
What an SR-22 costs in our states
Here's what our state guides publish for drivers who need the filing:
| State | Average with the filing | Cheapest carrier for filers |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $118/mo, liability | — |
| Arkansas | About 58% above a clean record | State Farm, about $52 |
| California | About $171/mo; non-owner about $47 | — |
| Colorado | $111/mo, liability | State Farm, $61 |
| Connecticut | $180/mo | State Farm, $91 |
| Illinois | $148/mo | — |
| Indiana | $81/mo liability, $161 full | — |
| Michigan | $151/mo liability, $264 full | — |
| Missouri | $109/mo liability, $213 full | — |
| Nevada | $193/mo, liability | Country Financial, $60 |
| Ohio | About $120/mo | — |
| South Carolina | About $180/mo, liability | USAA $82*, Auto-Owners $88 |
| Tennessee | — | State Farm |
| Texas | About $198/mo | — |
| Washington | — | State Farm, $71 |
Source: each linked state guide, which carries Insurify rate data current as of that guide's date. — means the guide doesn't publish the figure. *USAA is available only to military members, veterans, and their families.
Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana also use the SR-22; their guides don't price it. Two states swap in a stricter form after a DUI, and one uses its own:
| State | Which form, when | What our guide reports |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | SR-22 for lesser violations; FR-44 after a DUI, at 100/300/50 for three years | FR-44 policies about $167/mo, liability |
| Virginia | SR-22 after an unpaid judgment or driving uninsured; FR-44 after a DUI-related conviction, at double the minimum limits | FR-44 from about $67/mo at Auto-Owners and $69 at State Farm |
| Maryland | No SR-22; the FR-19 after a cancellation or nonrenewal | About $232/mo, liability; Allstate cheapest at about $140 |
Three things stand out. The spread inside a state beats the spread between states: Nevada's SR-22 drivers average $193 a month for liability, but Country Financial's average is $60. The cheapest filer is usually a company you've heard of: State Farm in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Tennessee and Washington, Country Financial in Nevada, Auto-Owners in South Carolina for anyone who can't buy from USAA. And the paper is cheap: Progressive puts the filing at about $25, and our South Carolina guide puts it at about $25 there too. That spread is the reason to compare quotes with the filing included rather than stay with whoever filed first.
Non-owner SR-22: the cheaper route without a car
If you don't own a car, you don't need a policy on one to satisfy the filing. A non-owner policy covers your liability in cars you borrow or rent, and the insurer attaches the SR-22 to it; GEICO and Progressive both sell it. California is the only one of our guides that prices it: a non-owner SR-22 runs about $47 a month there, against about $171 for an SR-22 policy on a car, roughly a quarter of the price. Virginia's DMV calls this an operator's policy and requires it even when you own no vehicle. Our non-owner insurance post covers who qualifies, who can't buy one and what it costs by state.
The form itself
- Your insurer files it, not you. GEICO and Progressive file electronically, or by mail where a state requires paper, and Virginia's DMV asks insurers to file SR-22 and FR-44 certificates electronically.
- It certifies the minimum, not more. An SR-22 proves you carry at least your state's minimum liability limits. Florida's and Virginia's FR-44 asks for more: 100/300/50 in Florida, double the minimums in Virginia. Our SR-22 vs. FR-44 explainer covers the difference.
- It names what it covers. An owner's certificate covers the cars you own, and in Virginia every vehicle you own has to be listed on it; an operator's certificate covers you in cars you don't own.
- It lasts about three years, and the clock doesn't forgive gaps. Progressive says most states require three years, as our guides do for Arizona, California, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina and Washington; Texas typically requires two. Virginia's runs three years from the end of the suspension or the date a judgment is satisfied. If the policy is canceled, the insurer has to tell the state and your license goes back into suspension.
- It doesn't come off by itself. Progressive's guidance is that the SR-22 isn't removed automatically; call your insurer when the period ends.
- Moving doesn't cancel it. If another state ordered the filing, you need an insurer licensed in that state, even after you leave.
The 11 of our states that don't use it
The list most references give has eight states that don't use the SR-22: Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and West Virginia don't use it for their own drivers either, which makes 11 of the 31 states we cover:
| State | What happens instead |
|---|---|
| Delaware | Proof of insurance; an FR-19 certification answers a DMV audit and doesn't stay on file |
| Kentucky | No SR-22 requirement of its own |
| Maryland | The FR-19, after a cancellation or nonrenewal, with no fixed three-year term |
| Massachusetts | No requirement of its own; filings only for drivers who owe one to another state |
| New Jersey | No SR-22; a driver in a reportable crash files an SR-1 report with an SR-21 proof-of-insurance section |
| New Mexico | Proof of minimum coverage and the reinstatement fee |
| New York | No SR-22; another state's filing needs an insurer licensed there |
| North Carolina | Its own financial-responsibility system; out-of-state filings average $82/mo, liability |
| Oklahoma | Proof of current insurance and the state's reinstatement fees |
| Pennsylvania | No certificate to keep on file |
| West Virginia | Points and suspensions; out-of-state filings from about $48 at State Farm |
Not using the SR-22 doesn't make a violation cheap. Our Pennsylvania guide puts the average high-risk driver at $152 a month, and a filing another state ordered still follows you across the line.
How to shop with an SR-22
- Start with your current insurer. If it files SR-22s in the state that ordered yours, it's usually the fastest route.
- Say you need the filing before you quote. Many insurers don't offer it, and a quote without it isn't the price you'll pay.
- Quote the carriers our guide names for your state, plus one nonstandard carrier in case the standard ones decline.
- Ask how the fee works: once (GEICO, unless the policy lapses) or every term (Progressive), and per driver if two of you need it.
- No car? Ask for a non-owner policy with the filing.
- Never let it lapse, and calendar the end date. When the period ends, ask your insurer to remove the SR-22, then compare quotes the same week.
State-by-state costs, cheapest carriers, filing periods and rules per our linked state guides, which carry Insurify rate data current as of each guide's date. GEICO's filing method, one-time and per-driver fee, out-of-state rule, non-owner option and lapse notice per GEICO's SR-22 page (updated August 31, 2026). Progressive's filing method, the roughly $25 fee (citing U.S. News & World Report) billed each policy term, nationwide filing, the non-owner option, the three-year norm and the removal rule per Progressive's SR-22 page (updated April 9, 2026). Virginia's SR-22 and FR-44 triggers, three-year term, electronic filing, operator's and owner's policies and vehicle-listing rule per the Virginia DMV's reinstatement guide (DMV 292, July 2026). Delaware's FR-19 per ValuePenguin's Delaware penalties page (updated June 30, 2026). New Jersey's non-use and SR-1/SR-21 rule per Insurify's New Jersey SR-22 page (updated October 21, 2026). Oklahoma's reinstatement requirements per the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety's compulsory-insurance notice. The eight-state list per the sources in our SR-22 explainer. Actual quotes vary by driver profile. This article is general information, not legal advice.