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The Subcontractor COI Verification Checklist

What to actually check before you let a sub on the job — and the 5 gaps that land a sub's claim on your policy.

Most GCs "check" a Certificate of Insurance by glancing at the expiration date and filing it. That's not verification — it's how an expired or hollow policy slips through and becomes your problem. Here's the checklist a risk manager actually runs.

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Part 1 — Coverages & limits

Does the policy actually meet your contract?

  • General Liability — Each Occurrence ≥ $1,000,000; General Aggregate ≥ $2,000,000 (use $2M/occ for high-risk trades).
  • Products/Completed Operations Aggregate ≥ $2,000,000 — the claims that surface after the job is done.
  • Workers' Compensation — present and statutory. No WC cert = no work, even if your state exempts small crews.
  • Commercial Auto — Combined Single Limit ≥ $1,000,000, including hired & non-owned.
  • Umbrella / Excess ≥ $2,000,000 when the contract is over $1M (more on federal/large commercial).

Part 2 — Dates & validity

Is it even a real, current certificate?

  • Every required policy is active today and through your project's end date (not expiring mid-job).
  • The certificate is signed by an authorized representative. An unsigned ACORD 25 is not valid.
  • The Certificate Holder is your correct legal entity and address (not a stale copy from another GC).
  • Cancellation notice language is present (typically 30 days / 10 for non-payment).

Part 3 — The endorsements (where 90% get it wrong)

The boxes and the "Description of Operations" text are claims, not proof.

  • Additional Insured — Ongoing Operations (form CG 20 10) names you. Verify the actual endorsement page, not just the checkbox.
  • Additional Insured — Completed Operations (form CG 20 37). Most contracts require this too — CG 20 10 alone leaves you exposed for post-project defect claims.
  • Primary & Non-Contributory wording present (the sub's policy pays first, not yours).
  • Waiver of Subrogation in your favor — on GL and Workers' Comp.
  • If a COI only claims an endorsement with no form attached → request the actual endorsement form. The box alone isn't coverage.

The 5 gaps that burn GCs

  1. "Additional insured" box ticked, but no CG 20 10/37 endorsement actually on the policy. The box is free to check; the coverage isn't.
  2. CG 20 10 without CG 20 37 — covered during the job, naked for completed-operations claims after.
  3. A policy that expires mid-project and nobody re-collects it.
  4. "Exempt" Workers' Comp subs whose worker gets hurt — and the claim rolls up to your policy.
  5. No Waiver of Subrogation — the sub's insurer turns around and comes after you.

Want this done for you?

CoverProof reads every certificate, checks it against your requirements automatically, flags these exact gaps, and chases renewals for you. Join the early-access list: