What’s the Difference Between FR-44 and SR-22?
FR-44 is required after a DUI and demands 100/300/50 limits; SR-22 is for lesser violations at lower limits. The FR-44's bodily-injury limits are double an SR-22's. Both are certificates your insurer files with the state.
The core difference is coverage and cause. An FR-44 is required after a DUI conviction and demands 100/300/50 liability limits. An SR-22 is required for lesser violations and certifies lower limits. The FR-44’s bodily-injury limits are double an SR-22’s. Both are certificates your insurer files with the state to prove financial responsibility.
What’s the difference between FR-44 and SR-22?
Both are certificates of financial responsibility that your insurer files electronically with the state, proving you carry the required liability coverage. What separates them is the violation behind each one and how much coverage each demands.
An SR-22 is the general-purpose filing for lesser violations, and it certifies lower liability limits. An FR-44 is the DUI-specific filing, and it requires the higher 100/300/50 limits. In fact, the FR-44’s bodily-injury limits are exactly double what an SR-22 requires, which is the single sharpest way to describe the gap between them.
So they are not two names for the same thing. They are two tiers, matched to two levels of seriousness. Our full comparison lives at FR-44 vs SR-22.
| FR-44 | SR-22 | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggered by | A DUI conviction | Lesser violations |
| Liability limits | 100/300/50 | Lower limits |
| Bodily-injury coverage | Double the SR-22 | Standard for the filing |
| Who files it | Your insurer, electronically | Your insurer, electronically |
| Filed with | The FLHSMV | The FLHSMV |
| Typical cost | Higher, due to the limits and DUI | Lower |
What do FR-44 and SR-22 have in common?
More than the differences suggest. Both are filings, not insurance policies in themselves. Each is a certificate the insurer sends to the state on top of a policy, confirming that you carry the liability coverage your case requires.
Both are also handled the same way procedurally. Your insurer files them electronically with the FLHSMV, both must be kept continuously in force, and for both a lapse in the underlying policy is reported to the state. The mechanics of buying, filing, and maintaining them look nearly identical; what differs is the coverage amount and the reason you need one.
That shared machinery is why people confuse them. From the outside they behave alike: a policy, a certificate, a state that watches for continuity. The distinction lives in the details, the limits and the triggering violation, rather than in how the filing itself works.
Which one will you have?
That is decided by your violation, not by choice. If your case involves a DUI conviction, you will generally need the FR-44 and its 100/300/50 limits. If it involves a lesser violation, an SR-22 at lower limits usually applies.
You also do not carry both at once. A driver keeps a single filing at a time, and when a DUI is involved, the FR-44 supersedes an SR-22, because the higher-limit filing absorbs the lower one. If you are trying to work out which applies to you, our guide to FR-44 or SR-22 after a DUI walks through it.
The takeaway is that the two filings are a matched pair with different weights. The FR-44 is the heavier one, reserved for DUIs, with double the bodily-injury coverage. The SR-22 is the lighter one, for lesser violations. Knowing which you have starts with knowing which violation is on your record.
Why does an FR-44 usually cost more than an SR-22?
For two reasons that stack. The FR-44 requires the higher 100/300/50 limits, and it follows a DUI, which insurers treat as higher risk than the lesser violations behind an SR-22. More required coverage on a higher-risk policy is why an FR-44 generally costs more than a comparable SR-22.
The limits alone account for a large part of the gap. Moving from the SR-22’s lower liability up to 100/300/50, with double the bodily-injury coverage, means the insurer is on the hook for far more in a serious crash. That added exposure is priced into the premium before the reason for the filing is even considered, so the coverage floor by itself pushes an FR-44 above an SR-22.
The triggering violation adds the second layer. A DUI is rated as a more serious event than the offenses that call for an SR-22, so the base rate on the policy behind an FR-44 is elevated on its own. Combine a higher rate with higher limits and the two effects compound, which is why the difference can feel larger than either factor would suggest alone.
One thing that does not drive the gap is the filing itself, which is a small administrative step the insurer handles electronically for either certificate. The cost lives in the policy, not the paperwork. That also means the biggest lever on an FR-44 premium is the carrier you choose, since high-risk insurers price a DUI quite differently from one another.
Because the cost lives in the policy rather than the certificate, the same logic that makes an FR-44 more expensive also points to where you can push back. You cannot lower the required limits or erase the DUI, but you can decide which insurer prices them. Two high-risk carriers can quote the same driver very differently, so the spread between them is often wider than any single feature of the filing. That is why comparing carriers matters more on an FR-44 than on almost any standard policy: the requirement sets a high floor, and the carrier decides how far above that floor you actually land.
You carry one filing, not two
FR-44 and SR-22 are not stacked together. If a DUI applies, the FR-44 takes the place of an SR-22, because Florida drivers keep a single certificate of financial responsibility on file at a time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between FR-44 and SR-22?
The FR-44 is required after a DUI and demands 100/300/50 liability limits, while the SR-22 is for lesser violations at lower limits. The FR-44's bodily-injury limits are double an SR-22's.
Are FR-44 and SR-22 both insurance policies?
No. Both are certificates of financial responsibility that your insurer files with the state on top of a policy. They prove you carry the required coverage; they are not the coverage itself.
Can I have both an FR-44 and an SR-22?
No. A driver keeps one filing at a time. When a DUI is involved, the FR-44 supersedes an SR-22, because the higher-limit filing absorbs the lower-limit one.
Which filing costs more, FR-44 or SR-22?
An FR-44 generally costs more. It requires higher 100/300/50 limits and follows a DUI, which insurers price as higher risk, so a comparable FR-44 policy usually costs more than an SR-22 policy.
Informational only. Not legal, financial, or insurance advice. FR-44 and SR-22 requirements are set by Florida (FLHSMV) and the courts and can change; verify your specific requirement with the FLHSMV. Pricing shown is illustrative, not a quote. FR44 Insurance of Florida is an independent insurance agency and not a government entity.