InsureNow, LLC

02/23/2026

URGENT UPDATE!!!
(To Any Business serving Alcohol) Published 02/23/2026

After much confusion & questions about the training for all employees who serve alcohol…please read below correspondence from the SCDOR-ABL team lead.

Q & A with SCDOR-ABL Dept:
Q- I have many insureds (restaurant owners) asking if this course is required even for restaurants that serve less than 20% alcohol. This notice says it is required by 03/01/2026...so only a week left to comply if so!? Can someone please let me know if this is required for all restaurants, or just bars with a certain alcohol %...and what the deadline is so that I can let my insureds know as soon as possible.
A- The requirement for the server training does not go by the % of alcohol served rather by the type of license and hours worked. If they hold an on-premises license and the employee works at least 10 hours a week then they are required to do the training.

Q- Is the deadline really 03/01/2026? That is what I have been hearing and that means there is hardly any time for most of my insured's employees to complete this training...as most of my insureds have 10-20+ employees per location and most have multiple locations.
A- That is correct, however the information that this was coming has been out since late summer and the 3-2-26 deadline is an extension to the 1-1-26 deadline.

Q- Is a training certificate for every employee required to be submitted to the SCDOR? Or is this something that the owner must keep on file?
A- The course provided is required to submit all info for those who passed the course to us within 10 days. Each person who takes the course will receive a certificate number that they will then input in our website to gain access to their approved certificate. Each employee must have theirs on them while working and the business must keep records on file for them. The certificates are not the property of the business but of the employee. Should the employee leave and work elsewhere their certificate goes with them

Q- So to be clear...this would be regulated if an incident were to happen, then the employer or employee would have to prove that they had the certificate? How is this regulated by the employer to SCDOR? Does the employer who is required to prove Liquor Liability insurance for their license for the business have to prove that ALL employees that currently work for them and serve alcohol, must send in each employees certificate before 03/02/2026 or they will not be able to serve alcohol?

For instance...1 single location has 15 employees that serve alcohol...how is the SCDOR-ABL keeping up with all of these employees per location and if they have their certificate?

A- SLED enforcement will regulate this; they can come into a location for an inspection at any time and ask to see the certificates from each employee and the employer. If unable to provide them they will write a violation that will result in a fine for the first offense and then possible suspension and revocation of the license for additional offenses

Your clients can use this as a mitigating factor that may help reduce the amount of coverage they are required to hold but each of your clients will need to go to our website to apply for those and any others they may qualify for.

I HOPE THIS HELPS ANSWER QUESTIONS TO ANY OF MY INSUREDS/CLIENTS/FRIENDS THAT NEEDED THIS INFORMATION!

If any further questions please email [email protected]

12/30/2024

Dec 30th. Power has been out since 11am.
We are very sorry for any delayed responses. 

09/30/2024

https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

This is the gov't site to file for disaster assistance. The sooner you file the better. The sooner you file with your insurer and/or FEMA the better. Obviously there will be a long line after this...

You can find more information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) page and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

09/27/2024

After the Storm: If you have damage please call or go directly to your insurance companies website to file a claim. All insurers allow you to file online or call. This will help you receive a claim # as soon as possible and be in line for help. Unfortunately due to the amount of damage and claims it may take some time, so the sooner you file the better.
Agents will do their best to help however most are in the same boat as you, and may not have power and may have a long wait. However the insurance companies have offices all over the nation that were not affected and may be able to help much quicker.

01/09/2024

SC Tree Techs is the Midlands #1 reliable professional tree company! Call us for any of your tree removal needs. Also available for emergencies and downed trees. 📱 803-404-8777

09/07/2023

PSA for Everyone! Very long, however very necessary:

The insurance marketplace is tightening up and it's happening fast. It’s happening especially fast for home and auto insurance companies. This is regardless of what state you are in, however California, Florida, Louisiana and Texas are being hit especially hard. Carriers are pulling a full hard stop on issuing any new policies across the country, and carriers that have NOT put a moratorium on binding new coverage, are actually just leaving the market or they are selling to other carriers/merging. They simply can't operate profitably in this inflationary market. *EVERY DAY* we are hearing about a pause on new business, or a carrier putting a full stop on writing new policies. Some carriers are requiring *full premium payment* up front for new business or requiring a 20 to 30 day hold on new applications. Carriers may shift underwriting guidelines, so they *only* want preferred business… no claims within 5 years (not 3 anymore), home and auto bundles, etc. Some carriers will NOT reinstate coverage if it lapses, no matter the reason.
The market is disrupted and it WILL affect you. If it hasn’t yet, it will. I have personally seen premiums double and triple what they were the year before.

The cost of claims has risen exponentially in the past 2 years, thus resulting in the carriers having to raise premiums or pull out of some markets. In some states, carriers have applied for rate increases, but have not been able to get them approved, so they simply shut down for new business.

If you have an auto or home insurance policy, your rates have gone up, and if they haven’t, they will. This isn't personal, it’s not based on a claim you may or may have not had, it’s simply the cost of doing business. If you have *not* gotten a rate increase, be prepared for one at your next renewal, if you get renewal terms at all.

➡️The cost to rebuild your home is up dramatically due to the rising cost of materials and labor. Supply chain for materials continues to be an issue. We can all agree that everything has gone up in price. Carriers simply can’t survive paying these higher prices without charging more themselves.

➡️The cost to repair your car is up dramatically due to the rising cost of auto parts and labor to fix your car. In addition, parts in vehicles now include some technology features. Replacing a side mirror or windshield used to be $500 - now it’s more than triple that.

➡️The cost of medical care continues to skyrocket. Bodily injury on auto accidents is off the charts.

➡️Litigation is expensive and settlements are rising at an unprecedented rate.

➡️Both the frequency and severity of auto accidents are WAY up post COVID along with the rising frequency of auto fatalities.

➡️ReInsurance (the insurance your insurance carrier buys to help cushion catastrophic loss) is at or approaching capacity in many markets, and rising rates are unsustainable.

This is a significant issue affecting the property & casualty industry, and pricing correction is anticipated at least through 2024. It won’t be for forever, but it is here now.

There are some things you can do to help get through this current insurance market:

✅ Consider Higher Deductibles. This will help save some money on your policy.
✅ Safe Driving Telematic Programs. Telematics can reward you by giving you a discount for good driving.
✅ Discount Reviews - make sure you're getting everything you're entitled to. Every carrier has different discount opportunities. Make sure you go over those with your agent.
✅ DO NOT let your policy cancel or lapse *for any reason*. Carriers are not reinstating coverage as easily as they once did. If it does cancel, they may require premium in full before reinstating. This is across the board for every line of coverage.
✅ Bundle your Auto and Home for more discounts and more stable pricing. Bundled/Packaged policies most always include better coverage and benefits and the cost savings is usually 10-15% (or more) on each policy. Many business risks can also bundle options.
✅ Consider tenure - jumping companies too often will hurt you in the long run. In addition, some carriers won’t take you as a new client if you have less than two years with a carrier. And more importantly, carriers are getting off of some risks if a claim happens in the new business term or for the number of claims in a 3-5 year window. Tenure matters with a carrier.
✅ Follow the laws so you don’t get any tickets. Those tickets really add rate to your policy and stay on your record 3-5 years, depending on the carrier.
✅ Absorb small claims when you're able, and save coverage for catastrophic losses. Talk with your agent and let them claims counsel you should a loss happen. Stop using your towing or roadside assistance as a maintenance policy. Frequency of claims REALLY matters. A lot.
Lastly, please remember that we are agents for the carriers. We don’t make the rules, we don’t have control over the rates and we don’t make the decision if your policy is cancelled by the carriers. We are here to help educate, make sure you have the best insurance for your situation, manage your account with the carrier, and claims counsel when needed. We are doing our best to manage carrier changes with client needs.

I hope this message explains a little bit of what is going on in the insurance marketplace. Please be nice to your insurance agent - they are also taking the same increases, navigating carrier changes and doing their best to help you through this.

02/08/2023

One is the lack of available workers: labor shortages are impacting the industry. Learn more.

02/06/2023

One is supply chain issues that are triggering shortages of cars and electronic chips. Learn more.

02/02/2023

One is car prices: used car prices are up 26.4% and new car prices are up 9.8% as of October 2021! Learn more.

01/31/2023

One is the cost of lumber and wood products: prices were up 6.2% in 2021 compared to 2020. Learn more.

01/30/2023

Space Heater Safety Tips