A client asked for a certificate. Start here.
Certificates of insurance and additional insured requests are a daily part of contracting, and they hold up jobs when they are wrong. A certificate proves a policy existed; the endorsement behind it is what actually transfers risk. Here is how it works and how to get yours handled fast.
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What a certificate proves, and what it does not
A certificate summarizes your coverage on the day it is issued. It is useful evidence, but it is not a contract and it grants the holder no rights. Your policy can change the next day, and the certificate will not say so. Most importantly, being listed as the certificate holder does not make a client an additional insured. That distinction is where contractors get caught.
Where additional insured really comes from
When a contract requires the client to be covered under your policy, that protection comes from an additional insured endorsement on your policy, often on a completed-operations basis for construction, plus sometimes a waiver of subrogation and primary and noncontributory wording. The certificate may reference these, but the endorsements are what do the work. Always confirm the endorsement exists, not just the certificate.
How to request one
Tell us who needs the certificate, the exact wording or contract requirement, and the deadline. Standard certificates can often be issued quickly. Special wording, additional insured, or waiver requests may require an endorsement, carrier approval, or a policy change, so send the contract or requirement and we will confirm what is possible before the job is held up.
Common questions.
Does a certificate of insurance give my client coverage?
What is the difference between a certificate holder and an additional insured?
How fast can I get a certificate?
What if the contract asks for wording my policy does not have?
Does your policy actually carry the wording you are promising?
Agreeing to certificate and additional insured terms your policy does not deliver is a common and costly trap. We check before you sign.
Get the certificate right the first time.
Send us the requirement and the deadline and we will handle the certificate and confirm the endorsements behind it.