Certificate of Insurance Guide
A client or landlord wants a certificate of insurance? Learn what the document shows, how to request one and what to check before you send it on.
What a certificate tells the recipient
A certificate of insurance, often called a COI, summarizes insurance information such as the insured business, insurer, coverage types, policy dates and limits. A client or landlord may ask for one as evidence of insurance.
The certificate is not the policy and does not itself create or expand coverage. Read the policy and applicable endorsements for the actual protection.
Certificate holder and additional insured
The certificate holder receives evidence of insurance. Being listed as the holder does not by itself make that party an additional insured. Additional insured status is set by the policy wording and any endorsement that adds it, as our guide to additional insured endorsements explains. Contracts often pair that request with a waiver of subrogation, which is also added by endorsement rather than by the certificate.
Before you request a certificate
- Get the recipient’s exact legal name and address, plus the job or premises address.
- Keep the written insurance requirements, requested wording and any sample certificate together.
- Note the deadline and whether the recipient also requests copies of endorsements.
- Contact the agent or insurer handling the policy. Ask them to check the request against the coverage before the certificate is issued.
If Mithril1 places your policy, send us the request and we’ll issue the certificate and check it against what the client asked for.
Check the document before sharing it
Check business names, dates, job details and recipient information. If something differs from the contract request, ask the issuer to resolve it. Leave any corrections to the issuer so the document stays accurate.
Requests that come with the job
Contractors, cleaners, caterers and photographers are often asked for a COI before the first day of work. Collecting the recipient’s exact name, the written requirements and the deadline in one place makes each request quick to answer and keeps the job on schedule.
Our contractor checklist and cleaning business checklist both include space for those request details. Keeping a running list of recipients and their wording means repeat clients and recurring venues take only a moment to handle. Note whether each recipient also wants copies of endorsements.
Reading the boxes on a typical certificate
Most certificates follow a familiar layout. The top names the producer, meaning the agency or insurer issuing the document, followed by the business the policy covers and the insurers behind each line. A grid then lists every coverage type with its policy number, effective date, expiration date and limits.
Near the bottom sits a description-of-operations box, where a job address, project name or contract reference usually goes, and the certificate holder’s name and address. Clients often ask for specific wording in that box. A certificate only reflects what the policy already says, so wording that reaches beyond the policy is a conversation about an endorsement, never a typed note on the form.
Renewals, expirations and repeat recipients
A certificate shows policy dates, so one issued in spring stops reflecting your coverage once the policy renews. Landlords, property managers and general contractors track those dates and often ask for a fresh copy right after renewal. Keeping a simple list of everyone holding a current certificate lets updated copies go out as soon as the new term starts.
Long projects that run past your renewal date deserve a note in the job file. When a client asks for an updated certificate halfway through, the request moves quickly if you can point to the original document and the contract section that called for it.
Who asks, and why each request reads differently
A landlord usually wants proof of general liability, and sometimes property coverage, before handing over keys. A general contractor hiring a subcontractor tends to ask about liability, workers’ compensation and commercial auto together. Event venues care about one date and one liability limit. Marketplaces set their own terms, which our Amazon certificate of insurance guide walks through with a sample certificate.
Knowing the reason behind a request tells you which details to gather. A venue focuses on a single evening, while an office-tower property manager cares about a full year of service, and each one shapes what you send to the agent or insurer issuing the document.
A few useful answers
Common questions
What speeds up a reply to a COI request?
Gather the recipient’s legal name, address, written requirements and deadline before you contact the agent or insurer handling the policy. With those in hand, the request is simple to act on.
Can one certificate show more than one policy?
Yes. A single certificate typically lists several coverage lines, such as general liability, commercial auto and workers’ compensation, each with its own policy number, dates and limits.
How long does a certificate stay current?
It reflects the policy dates printed on it. Once a policy renews or changes, send recipients an updated certificate showing the new term.
What is the description of operations box for?
It identifies the job, premises or contract the certificate relates to. Any special wording a client wants there should match what the policy and its endorsements already provide.