A bond's effective date is the day the bond's coverage starts. In most situations clients request their bond's effective date be the day they submit their initial bond application or payment.

Clients unsure what effective date they need should contact the entity enforcing their particular bond requirements (formally known as the "obligee") before submitting payment for their surety bond.

Some obligees do, however, enforce particular term requirements, such as:

  • effective dates that start on the first day of the month
  • effective dates that run concurrently with the professional business license 
  • effective dates that start when a particular obligation (such as a contract or court assignment) goes into effect

If you purchase a bond with an incorrect effective date or fail to file your bond in a timely manner, the obligee could reject it, which will delay the bond filing process. Sometimes effective dates can be changed after the original bond has been issued, but term change requests are reviewed and approved at the sole discretion of the surety company. Additionally, each surety company has its own terms and conditions for cancellations, refunds, and account credits, which can never be guaranteed.  

Once you know your desired effective date, you can search for your surety bond online 24/7 or call our team at 1 (800) 305-4358 to discuss your bonding needs further. Our representatives are always happy to answer any questions you might have. 

SuretyBonds.com policy does not allow clients to backdate effective dates more than 90 days in the past or post-date effective dates more than 90 days in the future.