Alarm Certificate for Home Insurance: How to Get One

What is an alarm certificate?

An alarm certificate (also called a monitoring certificate or certificate of alarm monitoring) is a document from your monitoring provider stating that your address has an active, professionally monitored system. Insurers use it as proof before applying a protective device discount. SimpliSafe's version, for example, shows the current date, the date monitoring was activated, and which hazards are monitored (burglary, panic, fire, water and freeze).

The certificate does not guarantee a discount. ADT, SimpliSafe and Ring all tell customers to check with their insurer first, and the size of any discount is the insurer's decision. Whether a discount exists at all is covered in does home security lower insurance, and what individual insurers publish is in home insurance security discounts by insurer.

How do I get an alarm certificate from my provider?

Each provider below documents the steps on its own support pages, checked October 2026:

Two provider details worth knowing. Ring says the certificate becomes void if you unenroll from Professional Monitoring or cancel the Ring plan, and you may lose the discount. ADT says that if your insurer wants a billing statement instead, you can download monthly statements from MyADT once the account has been active for at least 30 days.

How do I send it to my insurer and get the discount applied?

1. Ask the insurer what it accepts first. ADT's own instructions start with calling your insurer to ask whether it offers a discount and what it requires. Some insurers want the certificate, some a billing statement.
2. Download the certificate after every device is registered. SimpliSafe notes that if a hazard box (fire, water) is not checked, a newly added sensor may not have registered yet; putting the system in Test Mode and testing that device, then downloading a fresh copy, fixes it. A fire box matters because Progressive notes that monitored smoke detectors may make you eligible for a fire alarm credit; see monitored smoke and CO detectors.
3. Email it to your agent or upload it to your insurer's portal. Ring, ADT+ and SimpliSafe all produce a PDF or email you can forward.
4. Ask about backdating. SimpliSafe says some agents backdate the discount to the monitoring activation date shown on the certificate, so it is worth asking.
5. Resend after changes. If you move, switch providers, or change plans, the old certificate may no longer match your policy. Ring states outright that canceling monitoring voids its certificate.

Some insurers ask whether the monitoring center is UL-listed. Your provider's certificate or support team can tell you; the background is in what a UL-listed central station is.

Can I get a certificate without professional monitoring?

Usually not from the provider. ADT+ says you must be professionally monitored to download one. SimpliSafe limits its certificate to customers on professional monitoring plans, and Ring requires Professional Monitoring or a Smoke and CO monitoring plan.

Insurers vary on whether unmonitored devices earn anything. Allstate says theft prevention devices like deadbolts and alarms may lower premiums, especially if alarms are monitored. Delaware's insurance department says you can usually get at least 5% for a smoke detector, burglar alarm or deadbolts, and that some companies may cut premiums by as much as 15% or 20% for a sprinkler system plus a fire and burglar alarm that reports to a monitoring station. If you are deciding whether to add monitoring partly for the insurance credit, compare the credit your insurer quotes with real monitoring prices. Our quote tool collects quotes from professional monitoring providers through a short questionnaire.