# How to read a COI against contract requirements, line by line

White paper R-04, COI Journal Resource Center. Most certificate reviews check whether boxes are filled in. A real review checks each box against what the contract asked for. Here is the method, box by box.

Question: How do I read a certificate of insurance to check whether a contractor's coverage meets our contract requirements?

By The editors, COI Journal. November 13, 2026. Docket COIJ-26-0005. Published by Forsured.

## Key findings

- Start from the contract, not the certificate. Write the requirements down per trade, then read the certificate against that list.
- Check every box for three things: present, sufficient and current.
- Since the 2025/12 edition, the ACORD 25 lets brokers show limits at the amount the holder requested, so a certificate may not show the full policy limit.
- The checkboxes for additional insured and waiver of subrogation are claims. Ask for the endorsements that back them.

## Start from the contract

The most common review mistake happens before anyone looks at the certificate. The reviewer checks it against a general idea of what "good coverage" looks like instead of against what this contract, for this trade, on this project actually requires.

So step one is a list. For each trade on each project, write down every requirement from the subcontract's insurance section: each coverage, each limit, each endorsement, how long completed operations must last, who must be named, and any carrier rating. That list is the answer key. The certificate is the test.

For every line, ask three questions:

1. **Present.** Does the certificate show it at all?
2. **Sufficient.** Does it meet the number or wording the contract asks for?
3. **Current.** Is it in force for the whole time the contract needs it?

## The top of the form

**Date.** The date the certificate was issued. Coverage can change after this date without the paper changing. See [notice of cancellation](https://coijournal.com/dictionary/notice-of-cancellation/).

**Producer.** The broker or agent who issued the certificate. This is who you call with questions and endorsement requests.

**Insured.** The company that holds the policies. Check that it is the same legal entity that signed your subcontract. A sister company, a parent, or a similar name is a mismatch.

**Insurers A to F.** The carriers, with NAIC numbers. If your contract requires a minimum carrier rating, check each carrier against it. You can also confirm a carrier is licensed in your state through the NAIC's [Consumer Insurance Search](https://content.naic.org/cis_consumer_information.htm).

## The coverage grid

**Type of insurance.** General liability, auto, umbrella or excess, workers' comp and employer's liability, plus any other lines your contract names. Missing lines fail the "present" test.

**ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD.** Single-letter columns for additional insured and waiver of subrogation. A Y is a statement, not an endorsement. The form itself says that if the holder is an additional insured, the policy must have additional insured provisions or be endorsed, and that a waiver may require an endorsement. Ask for the endorsements. See [additional insured](https://coijournal.com/dictionary/additional-insured/) and [waiver of subrogation](https://coijournal.com/dictionary/waiver-of-subrogation/).

**Policy number and dates.** Check that each policy is in force when the work starts and note when it expires. A policy that ends mid-project needs a renewal certificate before that date.

**Limits.** Compare each limit with the contract. Check per occurrence, general aggregate, products and completed operations aggregate, and the umbrella. If the contract requires a [per project aggregate](https://coijournal.com/dictionary/per-project-aggregate/), look for it and ask for the endorsement.

One recent change matters here. The 2025/12 edition of the ACORD 25 adds a sentence saying limits shown are inclusive of amounts requested by the certificate holder and may not reflect policy limits in excess of those requested, [Big I New York reported](https://www.biginy.org/news/ask-tim-news/acord-changes-limits-wording-on-certificate-of-insurance/). In practice, a certificate may now show the limit your contract asked for rather than the full policy limit. Big I New York and the national Big I still recommend that agencies show policy limits, according to [IIABA](https://www.independentagent.com/vu_resource/input-from-acord-regarding-recent-changes-to-the-acord-25/). Either way, a limit at or above your requirement passes your check. Just don't read it as the policy's ceiling.

## The description box

The "Description of operations / locations / vehicles" box is where brokers note the project, the additional insureds and special wording like "primary and noncontributory." Treat everything here as a pointer. Wording in the box doesn't change the policy. It tells you which endorsements to ask for.

## The bottom of the form

**Certificate holder.** Should be your company, with the correct legal name and address.

**Cancellation.** The form says notice of cancellation will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions. That's not a promise to notify you. Track expiration dates yourself.

## A one-page worksheet

For each requirement on your list, record: requirement, what the certificate shows, present (yes or no), sufficient (yes or no), current until (date), and the endorsement you've received (form number and edition). Any "no," and any endorsement still missing, is a deficiency to send back to the trade and its broker. Our [deficiency workflow](https://coijournal.com/reports/fixing-gaps-brokers-gcs/) covers how to send it so it gets fixed.

## How we wrote this

This is a qualitative method paper built from the layout and text of the ACORD 25 (2025/12) and reporting on that edition by Big I New York and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. General information, not legal or insurance advice.

## Sources

- [ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance (2025/12), as posted by the New York State Department of Financial Services](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/12/acord-25-2025-12-liability.pdf), ACORD / NY DFS
- [ACORD Changes Limits Wording on Certificate of Insurance](https://www.biginy.org/news/ask-tim-news/acord-changes-limits-wording-on-certificate-of-insurance/), Big I New York, March 10, 2026
- [Input from ACORD Regarding Recent Changes to the ACORD 25](https://www.independentagent.com/vu_resource/input-from-acord-regarding-recent-changes-to-the-acord-25/), Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, July 7, 2026