How to Request a Certificate of Insurance from a Subcontractor
Most certificates come back wrong because the request was vague. "Please send us your COI" gets you whatever the agent sent the last general contractor. Here's what a complete request includes, who to send it to, and three email templates you can copy for new, corrected and renewal certificates.
To request a certificate of insurance from a subcontractor, send a written request at contract award to the sub and their insurance agent. It should list your exact legal name for the certificate holder box, the coverages and limits your subcontract requires, the endorsements you need (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory, notice of cancellation), the project reference, and a deadline before mobilization. Ask for the endorsement pages, not just checked boxes.
1. When to Request a Certificate
A certificate request isn't a one-time onboarding step. You'll send one at four points in a subcontractor relationship:
At award
Before the subcontract is signed or immediately after. Requirements that force a policy change (a new endorsement, a higher limit) need lead time.
Before mobilization
Enforce "no certificate, no site access". It's the last point where you have full leverage.
Before each renewal
30 or more days before the expiration date on file. Most lapses happen at renewal, not mid-term.
When scope changes
New project, new owner to name as additional insured, or a scope that needs higher limits or an umbrella.
2. What to Include in a COI Request
Your request should read like a spec sheet. Every line below maps to a box or endorsement on the ACORD 25, so the agent can fill it in without a follow-up call. Pull the limits from your subcontract. If you haven't set them yet, our subcontractor insurance requirements by trade guide has typical ranges.
| Item | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate holder | Your exact legal entity name and mailing address, e.g. "ABC Builders LLC, 100 Main St, Austin, TX 78701" | A DBA or shorthand name is the #1 reason certificates get re-issued. |
| Additional insured | Who must be named (you, the owner, others the prime contract requires), for ongoing AND completed operations, e.g. ISO CG 20 10 + CG 20 37 or equivalent | Completed-operations coverage protects you after the sub leaves the job. |
| Coverages & limits | The exact minimums from your subcontract for General Liability, Auto, Workers' Comp / Employer's Liability and Umbrella | Agents can't guess. They'll send whatever the policy already shows. |
| Waiver of subrogation | Which lines it's required on (commonly GL, Auto and WC) | Stops the sub's carrier from suing you to recover a claim it paid. |
| Primary & non-contributory | "Coverage for the additional insureds is primary and non-contributory" | Makes the sub's policy pay before yours. |
| Notice of cancellation | 30 days' written notice of cancellation to the certificate holder, by endorsement | The ACORD 25 box alone doesn't create a notice obligation. |
| Project reference | Project name, address and job number for the Description of Operations box | Ties the certificate (and any project-specific endorsement) to your job. |
| Deadline | A date before mobilization, and where to send it | No certificate, no site access. Say it up front. |
If the difference between the additional insured and waiver of subrogation lines is fuzzy, see primary and non-contributory vs. waiver of subrogation, and for why notice of cancellation needs an endorsement, see what a notice of cancellation is.
3. Copy-Paste COI Request Email Templates
Replace everything in [brackets]. Keep the endorsement list even if the sub says "my agent knows what you need", because the written list is what you'll point to when a certificate comes back incomplete.
Template 1: Initial COI request
Send at award, to the sub and their insurance agent.
Subject: Certificate of insurance required: [Project Name] / [Subcontractor Name] Hi [Name], Before [Subcontractor Name] can mobilize on [Project Name] ([Project Address]), we need a current certificate of insurance plus endorsements that meet the requirements below. Please forward this to your insurance agent, or reply with their email and we'll send it directly. Certificate holder: [Your Company Legal Name] [Street Address, City, State ZIP] Additional insured (ongoing AND completed operations, e.g. CG 20 10 + CG 20 37 or equivalent): [Your Company Legal Name], [Owner Name], and their officers and employees Minimum coverage: - General Liability: $[1,000,000] each occurrence / $[2,000,000] aggregate - Auto Liability: $[1,000,000] combined single limit - Workers' Comp: statutory; Employer's Liability $[1,000,000] - Umbrella/Excess: $[X] (if required) Required endorsements (please attach the endorsement pages): - Additional insured (GL, and Auto if required) - Waiver of subrogation (GL, Auto, WC) - Primary and non-contributory (GL) - 30-day notice of cancellation to the certificate holder Description of operations: [Project Name], [Job #], [Project Address] Please send by [Date]. Work can't start until we have a compliant certificate on file. Thank you, [Your Name] | [Title] | [Phone]
Template 2: Deficiency / correction request
Send to the agent when a certificate comes back wrong. Be specific.
Subject: Correction needed: COI for [Subcontractor Name] / [Project Name] Hi [Agent Name], Thanks for the certificate dated [Date]. It doesn't meet the subcontract requirements yet. Could you re-issue it with the following changes? 1. Certificate holder should read: [Exact Legal Name, Address] 2. [Example: General Liability aggregate must be at least $2,000,000; certificate shows $1,000,000] 3. [Example: Please attach the CG 20 37 completed operations additional insured endorsement] 4. [Example: Waiver of subrogation is required on the Workers' Comp policy] Everything else on the certificate looks good. [Subcontractor Name] is scheduled to start on [Date], so a corrected certificate by [Date] would keep them on schedule. Thank you, [Your Name] | [Title] | [Phone]
Template 3: Renewal request
Send 30+ days before the policy expiration date on file.
Subject: Renewal certificate needed: [Subcontractor Name] policies expire [Expiration Date] Hi [Name], Our records show [Subcontractor Name]'s [General Liability / Workers' Comp / Auto] policy expires on [Expiration Date]. To keep [Subcontractor Name] active on [Project Name], please send an updated certificate showing the renewed policy term, with the same certificate holder, additional insured and waiver of subrogation requirements as the current certificate. If the carrier or policy number is changing at renewal, please include the new endorsement pages as well. Please send by [Date, at least 7 days before expiration]. Thank you, [Your Name] | [Title] | [Phone]
4. Send It to the Agent, Not Just the Subcontractor
A subcontractor usually can't change what their certificate says. Only their insurance agent can. Routing the request through the sub adds a relay step and a chance for the request to get summarized into "they want a COI". Sending it to the agent directly (copying the sub) has three advantages:
- Accuracy: the agent sees your exact requirements and can flag anything the policy doesn't cover yet.
- Endorsements: the agent can attach the actual endorsement forms in the same reply.
- Authenticity: a certificate that comes straight from the agency is far harder to alter. See how to spot a fake certificate of insurance.
Ask for the agent's contact in your subcontractor onboarding form so you have it before the first request goes out.
5. Why Certificates Come Back Wrong (and How to Prevent It)
Certificate holder name or address is wrong. Give the exact legal name and address in writing, and never just a company nickname.
Additional insured box checked, no endorsement. Ask for the endorsement pages by name (e.g. CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or equivalent).
Limits below your minimums. State each limit in the request so the agent can tell the sub before they send it that the policy needs to change.
Policy expires during the project. Ask for the renewal certificate 30+ days out and track the new expiration date.
The insured isn't the entity you contracted with. Match the named insured to the legal name on your subcontract.
Before approving what comes back, run it through the ACORD 25 inspection checklist. If you're still logging certificates by hand, the free COI tracking spreadsheet template has columns for every requirement above.
6. Automating COI Requests and Renewals
Templates work for a handful of subs. Past that, the time goes into tracking who replied, what was wrong, and whose policy renews next month. That's the part worth automating. For the broader system, see our guide to tracking certificates of insurance.
SubDoc emails each subcontractor a passwordless upload link, and the sub can forward it to their broker in one click. When the certificate comes back, AI reads the ACORD 25 and checks limits, dates and endorsements against your requirements, so your review starts from a list of what's missing. Your team is alerted before each policy expires, and one click sends the sub a renewal request with the same upload link. It's free for vendors, and free for up to 3 vendors on your side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Send a written request (email is fine) to the subcontractor and, ideally, directly to their insurance agent. Include your exact legal name and address for the certificate holder box, the coverages and limits your subcontract requires, any required endorsements (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory, notice of cancellation), the project name and address, and a deadline before mobilization. Ask for the endorsement pages to be attached, not just checked on the certificate.
From the agent whenever possible. The agency issues the certificate from its own system, so a certificate that arrives directly from the producer is far less likely to be outdated or altered, and the agent can attach the endorsement forms in the same email. Copy the subcontractor so they know the request is in motion.
A standard certificate for coverage that already exists is routine for an agency and often goes out within a business day. It takes longer when your requirements force a policy change, such as adding a specific additional insured endorsement, raising a limit, or adding a waiver of subrogation. That's why requirements should go out at award, not the day before the crew shows up.
Yes, and you should. Put the insurance requirements and the 'no certificate, no mobilization' rule in the subcontract, then enforce it at the gate. Most general contractors also make receipt of a compliant, current certificate a condition of payment.
Reply to the agent with a short deficiency list that names exactly what's wrong and what the corrected certificate must show, for example 'Certificate holder must read ABC Builders LLC, 100 Main St' or 'Please attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement.' Vague replies like 'please fix' produce a second wrong certificate.
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