A Customer Wants a Certificate of Insurance
The contract can ask for more than a certificate shows. We read each clause against your policy, so you know what is missing before you sign.
What to Send Before You Sign
A customer wants a certificate of insurance before you start. The contract also asks for an additional insured, a waiver of subrogation and a hold harmless clause. The start date is close.
- The contract.
- Send it before you sign.
- The clauses.
- Mark each line that asks for insurance, additional insured status, a waiver of subrogation or a hold harmless clause.
- The dates.
- Send your policy dates and any certificate you already have.
We read each clause against your policy and tell you what is missing.
What a Certificate Shows and What It Does Not
- A certificate informs.
- A certificate of insurance is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights on the certificate holder.
- It is not the policy.
- It does not amend, extend or alter the coverage of the policies listed, and it is not a policy.
- Additional insured.
- A certificate does not make the holder an additional insured. The policy must have additional insured provisions or be endorsed for that.
- Waiver of subrogation.
- Subrogation is an insurer’s legal right, on behalf of the insured, to bring a suit against a third party. A contract that asks for a waiver of subrogation asks the insurer to give up that right against the named party, and the policy may need an endorsement for it.
- Hold harmless.
- A hold harmless clause is a contract line in which one party takes on the liability of another. Read the clause to see which party that is.
- An older certificate.
- A certificate shows policies and dates as of the day it was issued. The standard certificate form says that if a listed policy is cancelled before its expiration date, notice is delivered in accordance with the policy provisions.
If a subcontractor sends you a certificate, ask for a current certificate and the policy dates, and we read them against your contract.
State Facts
In Connecticut, certificates of insurance
- Connecticut law treats a certificate as evidence of insurance.
- It is not a policy, a binder or an endorsement, and it may not warrant that the policy complies with a contract’s insurance requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a certificate of insurance change my policy?
No. A certificate does not amend, extend or alter the coverage of the policies listed, and it is not a policy.
Does a certificate make my customer an additional insured?
No. The policy must have additional insured provisions or be endorsed for that.
What is a hold harmless clause asking of me?
A hold harmless clause is a contract line in which one party takes on the liability of another. Read the clause to see which party that is, and send us the contract before you sign so we can read each clause against your policy.
A subcontractor gave me a certificate. Is it current on the day of a claim?
A certificate shows policies and dates as of the day it was issued. Ask for a current certificate and the policy dates, and we read them against your contract.
I am already a client and need a certificate. Who do I call?
See the Client Center or our contact page.
Send the Contract Before You Sign.
Request a quote and attach it, and we will tell you what is missing.
