Certificate of Insurance (COI) Request Template

A certificate of insurance is the document everyone asks for and almost nobody reads properly. It's a one-page summary — the ACORD 25 form — showing that a policy exists, what kinds of coverage it includes, the limits, and the dates it runs.

Two things are worth knowing before you either request one or send one.

A certificate is not a contract and it does not grant coverage. It says, in its own fine print, that it confers no rights on the holder and does not amend the policy. It is evidence, not protection. If you need actual rights under someone else's policy, you need an endorsement, not a certificate.

A certificate is a snapshot. It's accurate on the day it's issued. A policy cancelled the following week produces no automatic notification unless the certificate holder is set up to receive one.

Below: what to check, how to ask for one properly, and three copy-paste templates.

What a COI actually shows

Section of the ACORD 25	What to check
Insured	The name must match the entity on your contract exactly. "Smith Construction" and "Smith Construction Inc." are different legal entities and this is the most common defect.
Insurer(s)	Which carriers, and their A.M. Best rating letters. A non-admitted carrier isn't disqualifying, but you should know.
Policy numbers and effective/expiration dates	Must cover your entire project or contract term, including any warranty tail.
General liability limits	Each occurrence, general aggregate, products/completed operations aggregate, personal & advertising injury. Check whether the aggregate applies per project.
Auto liability	Any auto / owned / hired / non-owned. If they drive to your site, this matters.
Umbrella / excess	Limits and whether it sits over GL, auto, and employers liability.
Workers' compensation	Statutory limits, plus employer's liability limits. If it says "exempt" for a contractor, understand what that means for you.
Description of Operations	Where additional insured status, waiver of subrogation, and primary/non-contributory wording appear — and where a certificate is most often silently non-compliant.
Certificate holder	Should be you, named exactly as in your contract, at your correct address.
Cancellation	Modern ACORD wording says notice will be delivered "in accordance with the policy provisions" — which is often no notice to you at all. Being named as certificate holder is what improves your odds.

The three things to ask for beyond the certificate

1. Additional insured status, by endorsement. This is the one that gives you actual rights under their policy. Ask for a copy of the endorsement — commonly CG 20 10 for ongoing operations and CG 20 37 for completed operations. A contractor whose certificate says "additional insured" but who can't produce the endorsement may not actually have it.

2. Primary and non-contributory wording. Means their policy responds first and yours doesn't contribute. Without it, your own carrier can end up sharing a loss you had nothing to do with.

3. Waiver of subrogation. Prevents their insurer from turning around and pursuing you after paying a claim.

Those three, plus the certificate, are the standard package a properly insured business produces without complaint.

TEMPLATE 1 — Requesting a COI from a vendor or contractor

Subject: Certificate of Insurance required before work begins — [Project / PO number]

Hi [Name],

Before we schedule work on [project / address / start date], we need a current certificate of insurance on file.

Please have your insurance agent send an ACORD 25 certificate directly to [your email], showing:

- Certificate holder: [Your full legal entity name], [address]

- General liability: minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate, including products and completed operations

- Automobile liability: minimum $1,000,000 combined single limit, any auto / hired and non-owned

- Workers' compensation: statutory, with employer's liability at $1,000,000 — or your CSLB exemption on file if you have no employees

- Umbrella/excess: $[amount], if required by our agreement

- Additional insured: [Your entity] named as additional insured on the general liability policy for ongoing and completed operations (CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or equivalent), on a primary and non-contributory basis

- Waiver of subrogation in favour of [Your entity] on general liability and workers' compensation

- Policy dates covering the full term of the work

Please also attach copies of the additional insured endorsement(s).

Your agent can normally issue this the same day and at no charge. Work can't be scheduled until it's on file.

Thanks,

[Name] · [Title] · [Company] · [Phone]

TEMPLATE 2 — Requesting a COI from your own agent (you're the insured)

Subject: COI request — [Client / Project name]

Hi [Agent],

Please issue a certificate of insurance with the following:

- Certificate holder: [exact name and address as given by the client]

- Additional insured: [exact name], for ongoing and completed operations, primary and non-contributory

- Waiver of subrogation: [exact name], on GL and workers' comp

- Description of operations: [project name, address, contract or PO number]

- Send to: [client contact email], copy to me

- Needed by: [date]

I've attached the insurance requirements section of the contract so the wording matches exactly.

Thanks,

[Name]

TEMPLATE 3 — Renewal / expiring certificate follow-up

Subject: Certificate of insurance expiring [date] — [Vendor name]

Hi [Name],

Our records show your certificate of insurance expires on [date]. Under our agreement we need continuous coverage on file for the duration of the work.

Please ask your agent to send an updated ACORD 25 to [email] before [date], with the same additional insured and waiver of subrogation wording as the current certificate.

If anything about your coverage has changed — carrier, limits, or classification — let us know so we can review it.

Thanks,

[Name]

Five COI mistakes that cost real money

1. Accepting a certificate the vendor typed themselves. Certificates come from a licensed agent or broker. One that arrives as an edited PDF from the vendor's own email is worth checking with the agent directly.

2. Not matching the entity name. Middle initials, "Inc.", "LLC", and DBA names all matter.

3. Assuming certificate holder = additional insured. They are unrelated. One receives a copy; the other has rights under the policy.

4. Not tracking expiration dates. A certificate proves nothing about tomorrow. Keep a simple tracker with an alert 30 days out.

5. Not checking the aggregate. A $2,000,000 general aggregate shared across every job that vendor is running all year can be exhausted by someone else's claim before yours is filed. Ask for a per-project aggregate on significant work.

If you're a homeowner rather than a business, the same logic applies in simpler form — see verifying a contractor's insurance.

FAQs

How much does a certificate of insurance cost?

Normally nothing. Issuing a COI is a standard service from your agent or broker at no charge. Some additional insured endorsements carry a premium, and a project-specific policy or higher limits will cost more — but the certificate itself is free.

How long does it take to get a certificate of insurance?

Usually the same day, often within an hour, if the policy is in force and the wording is standard.

What is an ACORD 25?

The standard industry form used for a certificate of liability insurance.

Does a certificate of insurance give me coverage?

No. It's evidence that a policy exists. Rights under someone else's policy require an additional insured endorsement.

What's the difference between a certificate holder and an additional insured?

A certificate holder receives a copy of the certificate. An additional insured has actual rights under the policy by endorsement.

Need a certificate today? TSM clients get them same-day.

And if someone has just sent you one, send it to us — we'll read it against your contract and tell you what's missing before you sign anything.

Modesto (209) 524-6366 · Redding (530) 221-3031 · Talk to a TSM advisor