The Sworn Proof of Loss Form in Florida: What It Is, the 60-Day Deadline, and How to Fill It Out

Short answer

The proof of loss is a sworn statement of what you are claiming. It is a policy condition, it has a deadline, and it does not have to be perfect to be valid.

A Sworn Statement in Proof of Loss is a notarized form in which the policyholder states the date and cause of loss, the property's value, the amount being claimed, who has an interest in the property, and that the statement is true. Most Florida property policies make it a condition of coverage that you submit one within 60 days of the carrier's request. Flood policies written through the National Flood Insurance Program require one within 60 days of the loss itself unless FEMA extends the deadline.

It is not your estimate, and it is not the end of your claim. The amounts can be supported by an estimate attached to it, and they can be supplemented later. The point is to get it in, sworn, on time, with numbers you can defend.

What is on the form

• Policy number, carrier, agent, and the policy period.
• Date and time of loss, and the cause. For Isaias: October 9, 2026, hurricane windstorm. If you also have flood damage, that goes on a separate flood proof of loss to the flood carrier.
• Occupancy and whether anything about the property's use changed since the policy was issued.
• Title and interest: who owns the property and whether anyone else has an interest, which means the mortgage company goes here.
• Other insurance covering the same property.
• Total insurance, actual cash value of the property at the time of loss, whole loss and damage, less deductible, and amount claimed. These are the blanks that cause the anxiety; see below.
• A signature block, sworn before a notary.

How to fill in the dollar amounts without hurting your claim

The form asks for the amount you are claiming. Write the number your documentation supports today, attach the estimate that supports it, and label it. A proof of loss can be partial, and most carriers' forms and most Florida courts recognize a proof of loss that states amounts to the extent known and reserves the right to supplement. Common language: amounts stated are based on the attached estimate dated such and such and are subject to supplement as the scope of damage is determined. That sentence protects you.

Do not write the carrier's number because it is the only number you have. If the carrier's estimate is the only estimate at the sixty-day mark, you can submit the proof of loss for that amount with the reservation language, and supplement when your own estimate is done. Do not leave the amount blank and do not guess a round number you cannot back up. A sworn statement of an amount you cannot support is the kind of thing that gets read back to you at an examination under oath.

The actual cash value and whole loss blanks follow the same rule: the value of the building from an appraisal, a replacement cost estimate, or the insured value on the declarations page, labeled as to its source. Precision is not required. A good-faith basis is.

The deadline, and what happens if you miss it

Most Florida homeowners and commercial policies require the sworn proof of loss within 60 days of the carrier's written request. Some policies run the sixty days from the date of loss, and the National Flood Insurance Program always does, so read the policy condition and the carrier's letter. Calendar the date the day the request arrives.

Missing it is not automatically fatal, but it is a real problem. The proof of loss is a condition the policyholder has to satisfy, and a carrier can use a late or missing proof of loss to delay, to deny, or to argue later that you failed to cooperate. Florida courts have treated the question of whether the carrier was actually prejudiced by the lateness as central, and carriers that accepted and adjusted a claim without the form have had a hard time denying for its absence later. Do not rely on that. If you are going to be late, send the form with what you have and a cover letter explaining what is still coming.

If the carrier requests a proof of loss and you have hired a public adjuster or attorney, they prepare it with you. Signing it is still yours; it is your sworn statement.

The proof of loss and the rest of the carrier's paper

• The recorded statement. The carrier may ask for a recorded interview early in the claim. It is separate from the proof of loss and it is not sworn, but it is kept.
• The examination under oath. A formal sworn interview the policy allows the carrier to require. The proof of loss you signed is the first exhibit. This is where unsupported numbers come back around.
• The document request. Receipts, photos, contractor invoices, the mortgage statement, tax returns on a business income claim. Reasonable requests have to be answered; the policy requires cooperation. Unreasonable ones get a written objection, not silence.
• The carrier's deadlines. Under section 627.70131, once you submit a proof of loss the carrier has to begin its investigation within 7 days and inspect, if it inspects, within 30 days. The 60-day pay-or-deny clock runs from notice of the claim. Your proof of loss starts clocks on their side too.
• The supplemental claim. Florida gives eighteen months from the date of loss to submit a supplemental claim under section 627.70132. The supplement may come with a request for a supplemental proof of loss; the same rules apply.

Flood proof of loss: a different animal

If your Isaias damage includes surge or rising water and you carry a National Flood Insurance Program policy, the proof of loss rules are stricter. The Standard Flood Insurance Policy requires a signed and sworn proof of loss within 60 days of the date of loss, and FEMA has the authority to extend that deadline after a major event and usually does. The flood adjuster typically prepares a proof of loss for the amount of their estimate and asks you to sign it. You can sign it as a partial and submit your own supplemental proof of loss for the difference, with documentation, inside the deadline. Missing the flood proof of loss deadline has cost policyholders their entire flood claims in federal court, so treat it as a hard stop.

Commonly Asked Questions

Related

• Hurricane Isaias damage claims: what to do now →
• Florida claim notice deadlines →
• Wind vs. flood damage after a hurricane →
• Hurricane roof damage claims in Florida →
• What to do about an underpaid or denied claim →
• The examination under oath in a Florida claim →

About the Author

James Coyne

Florida Licensed Public Adjuster, License W482618. Founder of Coyne Commercial Group, Firm License G350978, Sanford, Florida. Represents commercial property owners, condominium and HOA associations, and homeowners on insurance claims statewide.

Sources

• ISO Homeowners 3 Special Form (HO 00 03), Section I Conditions: Duties After Loss, proof of loss within 60 days of request
• ISO Commercial Property Conditions (CP 00 90) and Building and Personal Property Coverage Form (CP 00 10): Duties in the Event of Loss
• FEMA Standard Flood Insurance Policy, Dwelling Form, Article VII(J): proof of loss within 60 days after the loss
• Fla. Stat. § 627.70131 : insurer deadlines after receipt of a proof of loss
• Fla. Stat. § 627.70132 : notice of claim and supplemental claim deadlines
• Fla. Stat. § 626.854 : public adjuster duties

This page is for general information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Confirm any deadline or obligation against your policy, your association’s governing documents, and current Florida law.