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EDIFACT message guide · Insurance

IPPOAD Insurance policy administration

The UN/EDIFACT message insurers, intermediaries, clients and third parties use to administer a policy from initial placing onward.

Sent by
Insurer, intermediary, client or third party
Received by
Insurer, intermediary, client or third party
Standard
UN/EDIFACT · Batch message
X12 equivalent
No direct equivalent

What is the EDIFACT IPPOAD message?

IPPOAD is the UN/EDIFACT insurance policy administration message. The directory defines it as a message exchanged between insurers, insurance intermediaries, clients and third parties for policy administration, covering the administration of a policy from initial placing through its life.

Administration events include quotations, new business, changes, renewals and cancellations. A general administration message lets intermediaries and insurers keep policy records in step across many lines of business. It is designed to work across lines of business, unlike product-specific messages such as IPPOMO for motor policies, so one integration can cover many products.

How the EDIFACT IPPOAD message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT IPPOAD Insurance policy administration message. Insurer, intermediary, client or third party sends it to insurer, intermediary, client or third party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by INSPRE. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and body and segment groups: the required SG3 loop with ICD (Insurance cover description) and IDE (Identity). 7 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT IPPOAD message worksInsurance policy administration: who sends it, where it fits and what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeIPPOADSENDERInsurer, intermediary,client or third partyRECEIVERInsurer, intermediary,client or third partyCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYINSPREInsurance premium2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDsUNB … UNZMessage IPPOADUNH … UNTSTART OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG3 · repeats up to 999ICDInsurance cover descriptionIDEIdentity+ 7 conditional groups, starting with:PNACODRODEVESEQPYTBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditional groups are listed by the trigger segment that starts them; a group is sent only when its data applies.Conditional segments outside groups are not drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in the UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for IPPOAD. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.
How the EDIFACT IPPOAD message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT IPPOAD Insurance policy administration message. Insurer, intermediary, client or third party sends it to insurer, intermediary, client or third party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by INSPRE. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and body and segment groups: the required SG3 loop with ICD (Insurance cover description) and IDE (Identity). 7 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT IPPOADmessage worksInsurance policy administration: who sends it,where it fits and what the directory marksmandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeIPPOADSENDERInsurer,intermediary,client or thirdpartyRECEIVERInsurer,intermediary,client or thirdpartyCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYINSPREInsurance premium2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDs(UNB … UNZ)Message IPPOAD (UNH … UNT)START OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG3 · repeats upto 999ICDInsurance cover descriptionIDEIdentity+ 7 conditional groups, starting with:PNACODRODEVESEQPYTBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditionalgroups are listed by the trigger segment thatstarts them; a group is sent only when its dataapplies. Conditional segments outside groups arenot drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in theUN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for IPPOAD.Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends IPPOAD, to whom, and which messages usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what the directory D.21A itself requires: the envelopes around IPPOAD and the segments and segment groups it marks mandatory. Conditional groups are listed by their trigger segment rather than drawn in full. This is the directory's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: a message implementation guide, such as an industry subset or a partner’s own guide, usually makes some conditional groups mandatory, restricts the codes and may use an older directory.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Placing new policies with insurers
  • Notifying mid-term changes
  • Processing renewals and cancellations

Where it fits in the message flow

This message IPPOAD Insurance policy administration
Usually followed by INSPRE Insurance premium

Structure

Mandatory segments in IPPOAD (directory D.21A)

In UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A, the IPPOAD message has 216 segment positions arranged in 20 segment groups. These are the segments and segment groups marked mandatory at message level, in order; a mandatory group is shown with the segment that starts it. Segments inside conditional groups are needed only when the group is used. This is the directory’s requirement, not your trading partner’s: each partner’s message implementation guide names the directory it uses, often an older one such as D.96A or D.01B where the structure can differ, makes some conditional segments mandatory and restricts the codes.

  • UNH
  • BGM
  • SG3 (ICD)
  • UNT

Practical example

IPPOAD in practice

A broker places a commercial property policy for a client. It sends the insurer an IPPOAD with the risk details, the requested cover and the effective date. The insurer accepts and returns the policy details, and later renewals and changes are exchanged the same way.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for IPPOAD

  • Use agreed codes for lines of business and cover types.
  • Keep policy references consistent across all events.
  • Track each event through to confirmation.
  • Follow market standards where they exist.

How ECOM helps

Automate IPPOAD with ECOM

Industry

Financial Services

Secure file transfer and B2B integration for banks and financial institutions.

Solution

B2B Integration

Connect every customer, supplier, carrier and bank across EDI, API, file and portal channels.

Solution

EDI Integration

Exchange X12 and EDIFACT documents with partners and integrate them directly with your ERP.

Compare X12 and EDIFACT, or see answers to general questions in the EDI FAQ.

Related messages

Related insurance messages

All 18 insurance messages

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