How to fill a supplemental from an ACORD with Claude, step by step
- Put both forms in one folder. Save the completed ACORD (an ACORD 125 in the demo) and the carrier's blank supplemental (an AmTrust contractor supplemental) in the same folder on your computer.
- Connect the folder to the Claude desktop app. In Claude, click Project or Folder in the bottom left, choose add a folder, and select that folder. Dragging the files in also works, but a connected folder is faster and keeps the results saved next to the originals.
- Install the free ACORD to Supplemental skill. Download the free skill from this page and install it in Claude. It then shows up when you type a slash and the word supplemental.
- Run the skill. Pick the skill and let it find the ACORD and the supplemental in the folder. Claude identifies each form, inventories the labels on every field, and builds a temporary profile of the client from the ACORD.
- Answer the leftover questions. Claude reports how many fields it filled and how many are still open, then lists the open questions by number. Reply by number, for example state of operation, contractor license number, and years of experience. Or tell Claude you do not know and want a pre-filled form to send to the insured.
- Review the PDF and the review sheet. Open the pre-filled PDF and the Word review sheet. The sheet shows what came from the ACORD, what came from your answers, what to double check, and what was left blank for the insured.
Why supplementals eat so much time
A carrier supplemental asks for the same facts the ACORD already holds: the applicant's name, address, phone, states of operation, license number, and years in business. The questions are worded differently on every form, so the data gets typed in again by hand. It is not hard work, but it is slow, and it comes at the exact moment you are trying to get a submission out the door.
Claude is good at the one skill this job needs, which is working out that two differently worded questions are asking for the same thing.
Set up a folder so Claude can work fast
In the demo, the ACORD 125 is for Pacific Ridge Builders, a sample company made up for the video, and the supplemental is an AmTrust contractors supplemental. Both PDFs sit in one folder that is connected to the Claude desktop app.
You can drag documents into Claude, but a connected folder is the better habit. Click Project or Folder in the bottom left, choose add a folder, and select it. Claude can then read the forms directly, and every file it creates lands in that same folder.
What the skill does with the two forms
Type a slash, then the word supplemental, and pick the ACORD to Supplemental skill. It searches the folder, finds the ACORD and the supplemental, and starts a progress checklist: identify the two forms, inventory them, and build the client profile.
Inventory means Claude reads the label on every field of both PDFs. On the ACORD the field is called name under applicant information. On the supplemental it is called name of applicant. Claude works out that these are the same question, then builds a temporary profile of the client from the ACORD and feeds it onto the supplemental.
In the demo that first pass filled 21 fields and left 60 open. That is fine. The goal is a head start, not a finished application.
Answer by number, or hand the rest to the insured
Claude then lists the questions it could not answer from the ACORD, such as what states the insured operates in, what states it is licensed in, and the contractor license number. You reply by number. In the demo, question one was California and Nevada, then the license number, then 12 years of experience.
You do not have to answer them all. If you do not know the rest, tell Claude to fill what it has and give you a pre-filled supplemental. Then you can send it to the insured sort of pre-filled, which shows the insured you already put effort in, and let them complete it or call them to finish it together.
What you get back
After the second pass, the demo supplemental had 25 fields filled, with everything else left blank for the insured. Claude also produced a Word document that works as a log: what came from the ACORD, what came from your answers, things to check, what is open for the insured, and what was left blank.
The PDF stays fillable, so the insured can type in payroll, receipts, and subcontractor costs. Both files are saved in the folder you connected at the start. Always review the PDF before it goes to a carrier. You are the one submitting it.