The Retroactive Date is more commonly referred to as a Prior Acts Date. The date that defines the extent of coverage in time under claims-made liability policies. The prior acts date is usually the same date from which continuous coverage was first obtained by the current or predecessor firm. Claims resulting from occurrence’s prior to the policy’s stated retroactive date are not insured. Policies can contain a Prior Acts Date or be designated as having Full Prior Acts. The first year a firm is covered, their prior acts date will most likely be the date of policy inception. It is critical that coverage is maintained continuously to preserve a firms prior acts date and thus coverage of work performed back to that date. A gap in coverage will jeopardize a firms prior acts date. If a firm changes insurance company, it is important the same prior acts date appears on the new policy. With the exception of some non-admitted companies, most insurance companies will honor a firms prior acts date when switching companies.