What is a certificate of insurance (COI)?

What a COI shows

Most COIs in the United States use the ACORD 25 form. A typical certificate lists:

• The named insured — the vendor whose policies are summarized.
• The producer — the broker or agent who issued the certificate.
• Each policy type, such as general liability, auto, umbrella and workers' compensation.
• Policy numbers, effective dates and expiration dates.
• Limits of insurance, for example $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate.
• A description of operations box, often used to reference additional insured or waiver of subrogation status.
• The certificate holder — the company that asked for the certificate.

What a COI does not do

A certificate is information only. The ACORD 25 says so in its own header: it confers no rights on the certificate holder and does not amend, extend or alter the coverage of the policies listed.

That matters in practice. If the description box says you are an additional insured but the policy has no matching endorsement, the certificate alone usually will not give you coverage. This is why careful teams ask for the endorsement pages as well as the certificate.

Why companies collect COIs

• Risk transfer: if a vendor's work causes injury or damage, the vendor's insurer — not yours — should respond first.
• Contract compliance: subcontracts and service agreements usually set minimum limits and required endorsements.
• Protecting your own premiums: uninsured subcontractors can be charged back to you at your workers' compensation or liability audit.
• Lender and owner requirements: construction loans and property owners often require proof that every vendor is insured.

What to check on every certificate

• The named insured matches the company you contracted with — not a sister company or an individual.
• Every required policy type is present and none has expired.
• Limits meet or exceed the amounts in your contract.
• Required endorsements (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory) are indicated and backed by endorsement pages.
• Your company is listed correctly as the certificate holder.
• The expiration dates are on your calendar, so you request a renewal before coverage lapses.

Keeping COIs current

Collecting a certificate once is the easy part. Policies renew every year, vendors switch carriers and limits change. Most compliance gaps come from certificates that were fine when collected but expired months later without anyone noticing.

Software like myCertGate reads each certificate, compares it to your requirements, tracks every expiration date and can hold vendor payments until a current, compliant certificate is on file.