Certificates
A certificate is evidence — not coverage.
≈ 2 MIN READ
Certificates of insurance move through commercial life constantly — every contract, every jobsite, every vendor setup asks for one. Because they're everywhere, it's easy to assume the certificate itself does something. It doesn't. Understanding what a COI is (and isn't) protects you on both sides of the exchange.
What a COI actually is
A certificate of insurance is a one-page snapshot stating that, on the date it was issued, the named insured carried the listed policies, limits, and effective dates. That's the whole function: evidence. The standard form says so itself — the certificate confers no rights and doesn't amend, extend, or alter the coverage. If the policy behind it is canceled the day after issuance, the piece of paper doesn't keep anything in force.
The part that actually matters: the endorsement
When a contract requires that you be named as an additional insured, that status is created by an endorsement attached to the other party's policy — not by the words "additional insured" typed in a certificate's description box. A cert can claim AI status that the policy doesn't actually grant. When the stakes are real, ask for the endorsement itself (or blanket AI wording from the policy) along with the certificate.
When you're collecting certificates
From every subcontractor or vendor, before work starts, check four things:
- Dates — the policy periods cover the work you're hiring them for.
- Limits — they meet what your contract requires.
- Coverage lines — GL and workers comp at minimum; auto and umbrella where the work warrants it.
- The wording — additional insured and waiver of subrogation noted, with the endorsements behind them when it matters.
Then keep them. Certificates on file are also what keeps subcontractor costs from being charged into your own exposure at audit time — collecting them is one habit that pays twice.
When you're the one providing them
Need a COI for a contract or jobsite? That's a routine request for us — submit it through the Service page or your account team, tell us exactly what the contract requires, and we'll issue it correctly the first time. The "exactly what the contract requires" part is the difference between a thirty-minute turnaround and three rounds of revisions.
This article is general information, not advice about your specific situation, and not a quote, binder, or contract of insurance.