Every general contractor, landlord and larger client asks for one. Most people hand it over without knowing what it says.
Commercial · Updated September 2026
A certificate of insurance, usually shortened to COI and almost always issued on an ACORD form, is a one-page snapshot of the policies a business carries on the day it was issued. It lists the insurance company, the policy numbers, the effective and expiration dates, and the limits for each line of coverage.
That is all it is: evidence. The form itself says so, in the fine print most people skip. It confers no rights, amends nothing, and does not extend coverage to the person holding it. If the policy is cancelled the next morning, the certificate in the client's filing cabinet is worth nothing.
Certificate holder. The party who asked for proof. Being listed here means you were sent a copy. It does not mean you are insured.
Each occurrence and general aggregate. The per-claim limit and the total available across the whole policy term. A contractor with a one million per occurrence limit and a two million aggregate who has already used up the aggregate on earlier claims has less protection left than the form suggests.
Additional insured checkbox. This is the one that matters. Checked, it indicates an endorsement on the policy actually extending coverage to the other party for claims arising from your work.
Description of operations. Free text where the specific job, contract or location is usually named, along with references to the endorsements that apply.
This distinction causes more disputes than anything else on the form. A certificate holder simply receives proof of insurance. An additional insured has been added to the policy by endorsement and can be defended and paid under it when a claim arises from the named party's work.
If your contract requires additional insured status and the certificate only lists the client as a certificate holder, the contract is not satisfied — and the client's own insurer will discover that at claim time rather than at signing.
Accepting a certificate without checking the expiration date. Assuming the limits shown are still available. Not requesting the endorsement itself when additional insured status is contractually required. Collecting a certificate at the start of a multi-year relationship and never asking again after renewal.
On the other side, businesses providing certificates run into trouble by agreeing to contract language that requires coverage they do not carry — waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory wording, or completed operations coverage for a period of years. Read the insurance section of the contract before you sign it, not when the certificate request arrives.
Ask every subcontractor for a certificate before work starts and keep a diary of expiration dates. Request a new one at each renewal. When your contract requires additional insured status, ask for a copy of the endorsement, not just the checkbox. And send your agent the insurance requirements from a contract before you sign, while the terms can still be negotiated.
Questions about your own situation? Call 417.623.8300 or send us your current policy. We are licensed in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Questions about your own policy? Send it over and we will go through it with you.