Reinsurance ceded is an insurance industry term that refers to the portion of risk that a primary insurer passes to another insurer. That other insurer is often a specialist in reinsurance. This practice allows the primary insurer to limit the overall risk exposure that it takes on with its clients.

The primary insurer is referred to as the ceding company while the reinsurance company is called the accepting company. The accepting company receives a premium, paid by the ceding company, in exchange for taking on the risk.