Certificate of insurance

What a certificate shows

A certificate of insurance (COI) is the document landlords, clients and general contractors ask for before you sign a lease or start a job. It typically lists:

• your business as the named insuredNamed insuredThe named insured is the person or business listed on the declarations page as the policyholder, with the main rights and duties under the policy.Read the definition
• each policy you carry, with the insurer, policy number and policy dates
• the limits for each coverage
• the certificate holderCertificate holderA certificate holder is the person or company that receives a certificate of insurance as proof of your coverage, without gaining any coverage under your policy.Read the definition, the party receiving it
• a description box that can note a project, a location or endorsements on the policy

Most liability certificates use the ACORD 25, ACORD’s Certificate of Liability Insurance. ACORD publishes separate forms for property, such as the ACORD 24, 27 and 28. ACORD itself doesn’t issue certificates. Agents, brokers and other licensed users fill them in from the policy.

What a certificate doesn’t do

A certificate is proof, not coverage. ACORD says a certificate is not an insurance policy and does not provide, endorse, amend, extend or alter a policy’s terms. Only an endorsementEndorsementAn endorsement is a written change to an insurance policy that adds, removes or modifies coverage, such as adding an additional insured or a new location.Read the definition to the policy can change coverage, and mentioning a contract on a certificate doesn’t create coverage for it.

That matters when a contract asks you to make someone an additional insuredAdditional insuredAn additional insured is a person or company, such as a landlord or client, added to your liability policy so it can protect them from claims tied to your work.Read the definition. Typing their name into the description box isn’t enough. The endorsement has to be on your policy, and the certificate simply reports it.

With Corgi, a certificate is available the day you buy, and you can download it or send it to a landlord or client from your account. The full guide to certificates of insurance covers what to check before you send one.