The ACORD 25 is the standardized Certificate of Liability Insurance form developed by ACORD (the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development). It's the most common certificate form for small business and is what virtually every carrier issues by default for liability coverage.

Certificate of insurance (COI): what it is and how to get one

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

A certificate holder is the party receiving proof of insurance — they have no rights under the policy. An additional insured is a party covered under the policy via an endorsement — they have actual rights to file claims, receive defense, and receive payment. Listing a party as certificate holder does not extend coverage to them; an additional-insured endorsement is required for that.

A certificate of insurance — referred to as a COI, a certificate of liability insurance, or by its standard form name ACORD 25 — is a one-page document that summarizes the key terms of a business's insurance policy. It serves as proof to a landlord, client, general contractor, vendor partner, or other party that the business has the coverage required by their contract.¹²

A few things a COI is not: it is not the policy itself, it does not change coverage, it does not by itself create rights for the party receiving it, and it does not extend protection to anyone — those rights flow from the underlying policy and from any endorsements added to it.³ The COI is informational; the actual coverage is governed by the policy.

For most small businesses, a COI becomes relevant the first time a commercial lease is signed or the first significant client contract is executed. Both routinely require proof of insurance with specific limits, often with the landlord or client named as additional insured and with delivery of the certificate before work begins or before lease occupancy. Getting the request right — the wording, the endorsements, the recipient — matters because incorrect or non-compliant certificates regularly get rejected, holding up contracts and project starts.⁴

This guide walks through what a COI is, what's on one, how to get one in 2026, what additional-insured and waiver-of-subrogation endorsements are and when contracts require them, and what to do when a COI gets rejected. Every claim is tied to a published source.

What a COI proves and what it doesn't

A COI summarizes the existence and key terms of insurance coverage for a single business at a single point in time. The standard ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance form lists:¹⁵

The insured (the business covered by the policy)
The producer (the agent or broker who issued the policy)
The insurer(s) (the carrier or carriers underwriting each line)
Each line of coverage (general liability, commercial auto, workers' compensation, professional liability, umbrella, etc.)
Policy numbers and effective/expiration dates for each line
Coverage limits for each line (per-occurrence, aggregate, products-and-completed-operations, etc.)
Whether specific endorsements are in place (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory)
The certificate holder (the party receiving the proof of insurance)

What a COI explicitly does not do:³⁶

It does not constitute a policy or amend coverage. The policy forms and endorsements control what's covered, not the certificate.
It does not by itself confer additional-insured status. Listing a party as certificate holder is informational only — to actually extend coverage to that party, the policy must have an additional-insured endorsement specifically naming or describing them.
It does not guarantee notice of cancellation. Standard ACORD certificate language says cancellation notice is delivered per policy provisions; if a contract requires specific advance notice rights, that typically must be addressed via endorsement, not via the COI alone.
It is a snapshot, not a guarantee. A certificate accurately reflects coverage at the moment it's issued. If a policy is later modified, canceled, or non-renewed, the certificate becomes stale.

The practical implication: certificate holders should treat a COI as the starting point for verification, not the endpoint. For high-value engagements, requesting copies of the actual additional-insured endorsement (typically ACORD 35, 36, or carrier-specific equivalents) is the right verification step — not relying on the COI alone.

What ACORD is and why it matters

ACORD — the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development — is a non-profit standards body formed in the 1970s to standardize insurance industry forms.⁷ Before ACORD, every insurance carrier used its own proprietary forms, which created confusion for brokers, businesses, and parties trying to verify coverage. ACORD 25 (Certificate of Liability Insurance) became the universal certificate format and is now the form virtually every carrier issues for liability proof.⁸

Other ACORD forms relevant to small business:⁷⁸

ACORD 25 — Certificate of Liability Insurance (most common; covers GL, commercial auto, professional liability, workers' comp on a single form)
ACORD 28 — Evidence of Commercial Property Insurance (used for property coverage proof, often required by landlords)
ACORD 27 — Evidence of Property Insurance (residential or smaller-property variant)
ACORD 24 — Certificate of Property Insurance (less common; more limited than ACORD 28)
ACORD 101 — Additional Remarks (supplementary documentation when the standard form lacks space)

ACORD forms are not legally mandated by federal law, but they've become the de facto industry standard.⁷ Most contracts that reference COI requirements specifically expect ACORD 25; most carriers issue ACORD 25 by default. Refusing to provide an ACORD certificate is unusual and often signals an insurance compliance issue.

When a small business needs a COI

The most common scenarios that trigger COI requests:⁴⁹

Signing a commercial lease. Most commercial landlords require a COI showing general liability coverage (typically $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate) with the landlord named as additional insured before lease occupancy begins. Many also require ACORD 28 evidence of property insurance for tenant contents.

Onboarding with a major client. Enterprise clients, government agencies, hospitals, universities, and similar institutional buyers routinely require COIs as a condition of vendor onboarding. Coverage requirements vary — $1M/$2M GL is most common, but enterprise contracts frequently specify $2M/$4M, $5M/$5M, or higher.

Construction subcontractor agreements. General contractors require subs to maintain GL, workers' compensation, and (in most cases) commercial auto coverage with the GC named as additional insured and a waiver of subrogation in place. Subcontractor COIs are typically tracked centrally by the GC's risk management team and re-verified at every renewal.

Equipment rental or leasing. Rental companies require COIs proving GL and (often) commercial auto coverage before releasing equipment to a business renter. Some require the rental company named as additional insured or loss payee.

Event venue agreements. Venues hosting trade shows, weddings, performances, or commercial events typically require event-day COIs from vendors operating at the venue. These often have specific liquor liability or per-event coverage requirements.

State licensing. Several state professional and contractor licensing boards require COIs as part of licensing applications. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, for example, accepts the ACORD 25 form as evidence of GL coverage for licensing purposes.¹⁰

Professional services contracts. Consulting, agency, advisory, and IT services contracts frequently require professional liability coverage in addition to GL — often documented on a single ACORD 25 listing both lines.

The pattern: COI requests cluster at the onboarding moment of a new commercial relationship. Lease signing, first day of a contract, project kickoff. Having the certificate ready before that moment — not scrambling for it the day work is supposed to start — is what separates buyers who handle this smoothly from buyers who delay project starts because of preventable insurance paperwork.

How to get a COI: step by step

Step 1: Have an active insurance policy

A COI is issued from an existing policy. There's no path to a COI without first buying coverage. For most small businesses, this means at minimum general liability insurance, and often a BOP, workers' compensation, commercial auto, and any specialty lines the business needs.

If you're at the point of needing a COI but don't yet have coverage, our find coverage flow routes by industry, employee count, and required coverage to the carriers in our coverage set with the strongest fit.

Step 2: Identify the certificate requirements

Before requesting a COI, gather the specific requirements from the contract or party requesting it:⁴

Certificate holder name and address. This must match exactly. Even minor typos can fail compliance review at large institutional clients. Get the legal entity name, full address, and any required attention-line.
Required coverage lines. GL alone, or GL + workers' comp + commercial auto, or all of the above plus professional liability?
Required limits. $1M/$2M GL is most common; some contracts specify higher.
Required endorsements. Additional insured? Waiver of subrogation? Primary and non-contributory? On which lines?
Project description or contract reference. Some contracts require the COI to reference a specific project name or contract number in the description box.
Delivery method. Some clients require the COI emailed directly from the issuing agent or broker (not forwarded by the insured business) to reduce fraud risk.

Reading the contract's insurance clause carefully — and getting clarification from the requesting party for any ambiguity — is the right step before issuing the request to your carrier.

Step 3: Request the COI from your carrier or broker

Most direct-to-carrier digital insurance providers issue COIs through self-service portals immediately after the policy binds:¹¹¹²¹³

NEXT Insurance: Self-service COI generation in customer portal, available immediately after binding.
Hiscox: Customer portal generates and delivers COIs in minutes.
biBerk: Free COI generation and delivery through online customer portal anytime, with no charge.¹¹
The Hartford: My Account online portal processes most certificate requests instantly.¹²
Insureon (broker-aggregator): Most certificates issued within hours of policy purchase.⁹
Progressive Commercial: Customer portal handles COI requests; insurer can deliver directly to the certificate holder.¹³

For policies placed through a traditional independent agent, request the COI via your agent's office. Standard turnaround for a basic COI is same-day; certificates requiring custom endorsements or non-standard wording can take 24–72 hours pending underwriter approval.⁴

Cost: Most carriers issue basic COIs at no charge.¹⁴ Some agents charge nominal fees ($25–$50) for high-volume or rush requests. Endorsements that require underwriter approval (additional insured, waiver of subrogation on some lines, primary and non-contributory) may carry small additional premium.

Step 4: Verify the COI before delivery

Before the COI goes to the certificate holder, verify:¹⁵

Insured name matches the legal entity on the policy (not a DBA or individual name unless that matches the policy).
Certificate holder name and address are exactly correct. Typos here are the most common rejection cause.
Effective and expiration dates cover the project period or lease term.
Coverage limits meet or exceed the contract minimums.
Endorsements are listed correctly. If "Additional Insured" is required, the description should reference the specific endorsement form (e.g., "Additional Insured per CG 20 10 04 13" for the standard ISO additional-insured form).
Producer (agent/broker) signature is present at the bottom — only licensed agents, brokers, or authorized carrier representatives can sign valid ACORD certificates.

Step 5: Deliver the COI per the recipient's preferred method

Some certificate holders require email delivery directly from the issuing agent or broker (anti-fraud measure); others accept the insured forwarding the COI themselves. Confirm the preferred method before delivery to avoid having to re-issue.

After delivery, save copies in your business records — annual renewals will require updated COIs to all certificate holders whose contracts are still active.

Additional insured: what it is and when contracts require it

Additional insured is the most common COI-related contract requirement, and the one most often misunderstood. An additional-insured endorsement extends some of the named insured's policy coverage to a specified third party — typically a landlord, general contractor, client, or vendor partner.⁴¹⁵

Why parties require additional-insured status:

Direct claim protection. If a third party is sued because of something the named insured did, additional-insured status lets the third party file a claim directly under the named insured's policy rather than depending on indemnification claims and reimbursement.
Defense coverage. Additional insureds typically receive defense coverage under the named insured's policy, which can be substantial — defense costs alone can run six figures on commercial liability claims.
Consistency. Many enterprise risk management programs standardize on requiring additional-insured status from every vendor as a condition of engagement.

Critical distinction: being listed as the certificate holder does not automatically make a party an additional insured.⁴ These are two different things:

Certificate holder: The party receiving proof of insurance. Has no rights under the policy. Is purely informational.
Additional insured: A party covered under the policy via an endorsement. Has actual rights to file claims, receive defense, and receive payment under the policy.

A COI listing a landlord as certificate holder, with no additional-insured endorsement, gives the landlord exactly zero rights under the policy. Landlords and clients requiring additional-insured status need both: certificate holder status (for documentation) and an additional-insured endorsement (for actual coverage).

For high-value engagements, the right verification is to request the actual additional-insured endorsement form (typically ACORD 35 or carrier-specific equivalents) — not just rely on the COI's checkbox.¹⁵

Waiver of subrogation: when contracts require it

A waiver of subrogation is an endorsement under which the insurance carrier agrees to waive its right to pursue a third party for reimbursement after paying a claim.⁴

Standard subrogation example: a contractor's negligence damages a client's property. The client's property insurer pays the claim, then subrogates — pursues the contractor (or contractor's GL insurer) to recover the payment. A waiver of subrogation prevents this recovery.

Why parties require it:

General contractors often require waiver of subrogation from subcontractors (on GL, workers' comp, and sometimes auto) to prevent the sub's insurer from pursuing the GC after a claim.
Commercial landlords sometimes require waiver of subrogation on property and liability coverage to prevent tenant-side insurer claims against the landlord.
Enterprise clients sometimes require waiver of subrogation in vendor agreements to prevent post-claim disputes.

Waivers of subrogation typically require an underwriter-approved endorsement — they're not automatic checkbox additions to a COI. Pricing varies by carrier; some lines (workers' comp in many states) have specific regulatory frameworks governing when and how waivers can be issued.

Primary and non-contributory: what it means

Primary and non-contributory is endorsement language that affects how multiple policies coordinate when both could potentially respond to a claim:⁴

Primary means the named insured's policy responds first, before any other policy that might cover the same claim.
Non-contributory means the named insured's policy doesn't seek contribution from any other policy that might also respond.

Together, "primary and non-contributory" wording ensures that the named insured's policy is the sole or first-responding coverage for a claim. This is most often required by:

General contractors in subcontractor agreements (the sub's GL is primary, not the GC's).
Lessors and landlords in commercial lease agreements.
Enterprise clients with their own substantial coverage who want to ensure vendor coverage responds first.

Like additional-insured and waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory wording typically requires a specific policy endorsement, not just a COI annotation.

Why COIs get rejected and how to avoid it

The most common COI rejection causes:⁴¹⁵

1. Wrong certificate holder name or address. Even minor typos fail compliance reviews at large institutional certificate holders. The fix: copy the legal entity name and address verbatim from the contract; verify with the requesting party before issuance.

2. Wrong insured name. The insured listed must match the legal entity on the policy. If your business operates as "Acme Cleaning LLC" but signs contracts as "Acme Cleaners," the COI insured name should be "Acme Cleaning LLC" — and the contract should be amended to match, not the other way around.

3. Effective dates don't cover the project period. A COI showing coverage expiring before the project ends will fail review. The fix: verify the policy effective and expiration dates cover the full contract or project term; if not, either renew the policy first or include a renewal commitment in the contract.

4. Coverage limits below contract minimums. A contract requiring $2M/$4M GL won't accept a COI showing $1M/$2M. The fix: confirm contract minimums before issuance and increase limits if necessary (typically a 20–40% premium increase to move from $1M/$2M to $2M/$4M, less than proportional to the doubled limit).¹⁶

5. Missing required endorsements. Additional-insured, waiver of subrogation, or primary-and-non-contributory wording missing when the contract requires it. The fix: have the underwriter add the endorsement before COI issuance, not after rejection.

6. Wrong project description or contract reference. Some contracts require the project name or contract number to appear in the COI's description box. Missing this is a common technical rejection.

7. Self-issued or altered COIs. Only licensed agents, brokers, or authorized carrier representatives can issue legitimate ACORD certificates.⁷ Self-made certificates, altered certificates, or certificates issued by unlicensed parties are commonly rejected and may constitute insurance fraud.

The best practice: read the contract's insurance clause carefully, gather all requirements (certificate holder name/address, lines, limits, endorsements, project description, delivery method) before requesting the COI, and have your agent or carrier portal issue the certificate exactly to spec the first time.

How long a COI lasts and when to update it

A COI accurately reflects coverage at the moment it's issued. It expires when the underlying policies expire — for most small business policies, that's annually.⁷ Other renewal cycles exist (six-month workers' comp policies in some states, multi-year construction-specific programs) but annual is standard.

A COI should be updated and re-issued when:¹³

Policies renew. Every annual renewal triggers updated COIs to all certificate holders with active contracts. Most agents and carrier portals automate this.
Coverage limits change. Increasing limits requires re-issuance to certificate holders whose contracts reference the higher limits.
Endorsements are added or modified. New additional insureds, waivers of subrogation, or primary-and-non-contributory wording require updated certificates.
The legal entity changes. Business name changes, mergers, or entity reorganizations require new COIs reflecting the current legal name.
Policies are non-renewed or replaced. Switching carriers requires new COIs from the new carrier; certificate holders should also receive cancellation notice from the old carrier per policy provisions.

Tracking active COIs across multiple certificate holders becomes a meaningful administrative task as a business grows. Many mid-sized small businesses use COI tracking software once they exceed roughly 20 active certificate holders; below that threshold, a simple spreadsheet works.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a certificate of insurance cost?

Most carriers issue basic COIs at no charge.¹⁴ Endorsements that require underwriter approval (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory) may carry small additional premium, typically tens to a few hundred dollars per endorsement depending on the line and exposure. The COI document itself is free in nearly all cases.

How fast can I get a COI?

Most direct-to-carrier digital insurance providers issue basic COIs within minutes through self-service portals.⁹¹¹¹² Custom endorsements requiring underwriter approval can extend turnaround to 24–72 hours. The Hartford reports processing most certificate requests instantly through its My Account online portal;¹² Insureon reports most certificates issued within a couple of hours of policy purchase.⁹

Can I make my own COI?

No. Only licensed insurance agents, brokers, or authorized carrier representatives can issue legitimate ACORD certificates.⁷ Self-made or altered certificates are commonly rejected, can create serious compliance issues, and may constitute insurance fraud. Always request COIs from your carrier or agent.

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

A certificate holder is the party receiving proof of insurance — they have no rights under the policy. An additional insured is a party covered under the policy via an endorsement — they have actual rights to file claims, receive defense, and receive payment.⁴ Listing a party as certificate holder does not extend coverage to them; an additional-insured endorsement is required for that.

What's an ACORD 25?

The ACORD 25 is the standardized Certificate of Liability Insurance form developed by ACORD (the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development).¹ It's the most common certificate form for small business and is what virtually every carrier issues by default for liability coverage.

Do I need a separate COI for each policy?

Usually not. A single ACORD 25 can list multiple liability lines (general liability, commercial auto, workers' compensation, professional liability) on one form, as long as those policies are issued by the same broker or agency.¹⁷ If your policies are placed across different agencies or carriers, you may need a separate COI from each provider — though all required certificates should be presented together to satisfy the requesting party.

What if my COI gets rejected?

Identify the specific reason for rejection (typically: wrong holder name, missing endorsement, insufficient limits, mismatched dates) and re-issue with the correction. Most rejections are administrative and resolve within 24–72 hours. If the rejection cause is insufficient coverage limits, you'll need to upgrade the underlying policy before a compliant COI can be issued.

Do I need a COI before signing a commercial lease?

Most commercial landlords require it before lease signing or before occupancy begins. Plan to have GL coverage in place at least two weeks before lease signing to leave time for the COI request, any endorsement underwriting, and potential rejections. Trying to bind GL coverage and request a COI on the day of lease signing is risky.

What if I need a COI for an event happening in the next 24 hours?

Same-day COIs are usually achievable for basic certificates from carriers with self-service portals (NEXT, Hiscox, biBerk, The Hartford). If you need short-term event-specific coverage, Thimble writes hourly and daily GL policies with on-demand COI generation, which is the common solution for event-based or one-off engagements.¹⁸

Does a COI prove my coverage is current?

Only at the moment it's issued. The certificate accurately reflects coverage on the issue date; if the underlying policy is later canceled, modified, or non-renewed, the certificate becomes stale. For high-value engagements, certificate holders should verify coverage status at major project milestones rather than relying on a single point-in-time certificate.

Get insurance and a COI together

If you're at the point of needing a COI for a commercial lease, client contract, or new project, the right starting point is to bind appropriate coverage and request the certificate the same day. Most direct-to-carrier digital insurance providers can have a policy bound and a COI issued within hours. To get matched to carriers writing the lines your contract requires, start with our find coverage flow.

For deeper background on the underlying policies a COI documents, see our policies directory. For specific carrier reviews and our framework for evaluating them, see our carrier directory and methodology.

Citations

Insureon — What is an ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance? https://www.insureon.com/insurance-glossary/certificate-of-liability-insurance ↩ ↩² ↩³
The Hartford — What Is an ACORD Certificate of Insurance? https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/acord-certificate-of-insurance ↩
USA Business Insurance — ACORD 25 Certificate of Insurance: What It Is, Why You Need It, and How to Get One. https://www.businessinsuranceusa.com/blog/insurance/how-to-get-acord-25-certificate-of-insurance/ ↩ ↩²
USA Business Insurance — Step-by-step COI requesting and endorsement guidance. https://www.businessinsuranceusa.com/blog/insurance/how-to-get-acord-25-certificate-of-insurance/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰
Progressive Commercial — ACORD Certificate of Insurance. https://www.progressivecommercial.com/business-resources/acord-certificate-of-insurance/ ↩
TotalCSR — How to Complete the ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability. https://totalcsr.com/insurance-agency-blog/how-to-complete-the-acord-25-certificate-of-liability/ ↩
BCS — Certificate of Insurance (COI) Guide to ACORD Forms. https://www.getbcs.com/blog/coi-guide-to-acord-forms ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
Insureon — Certificate of Insurance: Get a COI for Small Business. https://www.insureon.com/small-business-insurance/certificate-of-liability-insurance ↩ ↩²
Insureon — Most certificates issued within hours of policy purchase. https://www.insureon.com/small-business-insurance/certificate-of-liability-insurance ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — Certificates of Insurance. https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/get-licenses-and-permits/certificates-insurance ↩
biBerk — Get A Certificate Of Insurance (COI) Fast. https://www.biberk.com/certificate-of-insurance ↩ ↩² ↩³
The Hartford — My Account online portal processes most certificate requests instantly. https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/acord-certificate-of-insurance ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Progressive Commercial — Certificate of Insurance (COI). https://www.progressivecommercial.com/business-insurance/certificate-of-insurance/ ↩ ↩² ↩³
BCS — Most insurance carriers provide ACORD certificates free of charge as part of standard policy services. https://www.getbcs.com/blog/coi-guide-to-acord-forms ↩ ↩²
BCS — Common COI errors: missing additional insured endorsements, insufficient coverage limits, incorrect policy dates. https://www.getbcs.com/blog/coi-guide-to-acord-forms ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
Insureon — General Liability Insurance Cost (limit-scaling pricing). https://www.insureon.com/small-business-insurance/general-liability/cost ↩
Insureon — A single ACORD 25 can list multiple liability coverages from the same broker or agency. https://www.insureon.com/small-business-insurance/certificate-of-liability-insurance ↩
Thimble — Hourly and on-demand insurance with same-day COI generation. https://www.thimble.com/general-liability-insurance/cost ↩