Q: What happens if I don’t pay for my SR22 insurance coverage?

A: The same thing that happens when you don’t pay for any other thing in the world, I’m afraid: if you don’t pay for your  car insurance, then you don’t get to have SR22 insurance. It gets canceled, and when it gets canceled depends on your company. Some will allow you a small grace period, but others will swing the axe right away and not only close your policy but put a small X on your credit report which could be hard to remove later.

When your SR22 auto insurance coverage is canceled, your company will file an SR26 form, which is like the opposite of the SR22 form. Whereas the SR22 form says you’re insured, the SR26 form says you aren’t.

When your Department of Motor Vehicles receives the SR26 form, your license will again be suspended, and you’ll have to stop driving until you can get it back again. Unlike making a couple of sacrifices and simply paying your insurance, this route will be much more expensive. You’ll have to get SR22 insurance again to get your license unsuspended–and this time might have to find another, more expensive, company. In addition you’ll have to pay the fees associated with reinstating your license.