Certificate of Insurance (COI) Tracking for Contractors

If you hire independent contractors in the US, you probably ask each one for a certificate of insurance (COI) before they start. Getting the PDF is the easy part. Knowing what it proves, what it doesn't, and whether it is still current six months later is where most businesses come unstuck.

This post covers what a COI is, what to ask for, what to check on one, and how to set WorkZerk up to catch a lapse before it matters.

What a certificate of insurance is

A COI is a one-page summary of a contractor's insurance, issued by their agent or broker. For liability insurance it is almost always the ACORD 25, the standard "Certificate of Liability Insurance" form published by ACORD, the insurance industry's forms body.

The important thing to understand is that a COI is evidence, not the policy. The ACORD 25 says so at the top: it is issued "as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder", and it "does not affirmatively or negatively amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policies below".

State regulators say the same. The Connecticut Insurance Department describes certificates as serving "only as evidence of insurance in lieu of an actual copy of an insurance policy", a snapshot of coverage on the day it was issued (Bulletin S-14). Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance says certificates "simply summarize the coverage and terms of the policy" and cannot expand it (2008 bulletin). New York's Department of Financial Services has said plainly that a certificate "is not a contract" (OGC opinion 10-11-16).

So if the certificate and the policy disagree, the policy is what counts.

Which coverages to ask for

What you ask for should come from your contract and your own insurer or broker. These are the usual ones, with limits taken from published university vendor requirements as examples only.

Coverage	What it is for	Example minimum
General liability	Injury or property damage caused by the contractor's work	$1,000,000 each occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate (University of Wisconsin System, University of Oregon)
Workers' compensation	The contractor's own employees injured on the job	Statutory limits, plus employer's liability of $500,000 (Oregon) or $1,000,000 (CSUN)
Commercial auto	Vehicles the contractor uses for the work	$1,000,000 combined single limit (Wisconsin)
Umbrella or excess	Extra limits above the policies underneath	Depends on the job. Wisconsin lets a vendor reach its limits by combining general liability with an umbrella
Professional liability	Claims that the contractor's advice or design work caused a loss	$2,000,000 per claim, $4,000,000 aggregate, where it applies (CSUN)

Requirements vary. CSUN asks for $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate on general liability, double the figures above, and both CSUN and Oregon ask $5,000,000 of auto cover from bus and shuttle operators. Treat the table as a starting point for a conversation with your broker, not a rule.

Additional insured: the certificate alone doesn't do it

Many contracts require the contractor to add you as an additional insured on their general liability (and often auto) policy, so their policy defends you if a claim from their work lands on you.

Seeing your name on the COI does not make you one. Connecticut's bulletin says a certificate "does not have the effect of making the certificate holder an additional insured under the underlying policy". To get that protection you have to be named by endorsement, or fall within the policy's own definition of an insured (Bulletin S-14). CSUN puts it more bluntly: "Certificate of Insurance alone are not sufficient; actual endorsements must be provided" (vendor requirements).

So when your contract requires additional insured status, ask for a copy of the endorsement as well as the certificate. Some policies use a blanket endorsement that covers anyone the contractor has agreed in writing to add. That is common and fine, but it is still the endorsement wording you need to see.

Being the certificate holder is a different thing again. It means the certificate was made out to you. It gives you no coverage.

Waiver of subrogation

When an insurer pays a claim, it can usually step into its customer's shoes and sue whoever caused the loss. That right is subrogation. A waiver of subrogation is the insurer agreeing not to pursue you.

Contracts often ask for it on general liability, auto and workers' compensation. Northwestern University, for instance, requires contractors and their insurers to waive subrogation "by endorsements". The ACORD 25 has a "SUBR WVD" column for each policy, but like additional insured status, the waiver has to exist in the policy or an endorsement. A tick on the certificate is a claim that it does, not the waiver itself.

Workers' comp and the uninsured contractor

This is the one that catches people out. In some states, if you hire a contractor who has employees and no workers' compensation, and one of those employees is hurt on your job, the claim can come back to you.

Florida is a clear example. When a contractor sublets part of its contract work, the contractor "shall be liable for, and shall secure, the payment of compensation" to the subcontractor's employees, "except to employees of a subcontractor who has secured such payment". The same section says a contractor "shall require a subcontractor to provide evidence of workers' compensation insurance" (Fla. Stat. 440.10). Courts call this making the contractor a "statutory employer".

The rules differ a lot from state to state: who counts as a statutory employer, which kinds of work are covered, and whether holding a valid certificate protects you. Check your own state's workers' compensation agency or a lawyer before you rely on any of it.

A sole proprietor with no employees may have no workers' comp policy at all. Ask them to tell you that in writing rather than leaving the request blank.

This is general information, not legal or insurance advice.

What to check on a COI

Named insured. It should match the business named in your contract, not a related company or an old trading name (University of Oregon).
Policy dates. The effective and expiration dates for each policy should cover the whole job. Each policy on the certificate can have its own dates.
Limits. Each one should meet what your contract requires. If they rely on an umbrella to get there, the umbrella should be on the certificate too.
Coverage types. Everything your contract asks for should be listed, with a policy number and an insurer against it.
Certificate holder. Your business's correct name and address.
Description of operations. It should describe the work they are doing for you, and it is where additional insured and waiver wording usually goes.
Producer. The agent or broker who issued it, with contact details. If anything looks wrong, or the certificate came from the contractor rather than their broker, call the producer and confirm it.

Why a COI on file goes stale

A COI is accurate on the day it was issued. After that, the policy can be cancelled for non-payment, cancelled by the contractor, or not renewed, and the PDF on file looks exactly the same. In Texas, for example, a business can cancel its own commercial liability policy at any time (Texas Department of Insurance).

Don't count on being told. The current ACORD 25 says only that notice of cancellation "will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions" (NY DFS). Connecticut's bulletin says a certificate holder "is owed no duty to be notified" if the policy is cancelled.

Policies also come up for renewal, and the University of Wisconsin System expects vendors to send a renewal certificate each year. If nobody asks, the renewal certificate usually never arrives.

What WorkZerk does with a COI

Each contractor uploads their certificate from a private link on their phone, with no account or password.
They have to enter the expiry date before they can send it. WorkZerk's AI check reads the expiry date on the document and flags it when it differs from the date they typed.
You approve or reject each certificate, and WorkZerk records who did it and when. Nothing counts until you approve it.
The certificate is saved to the contractor's contact record, so it counts on every portal they are on.
WorkZerk can email the contractor before the certificate expires, and again after, asking for the new one.
The Document compliance report shows who is current, expiring, expired or missing, across everyone.

What it does not do: WorkZerk does not contact the insurer or broker, confirm the policy is in force, read the limits, or check for endorsements. It keeps the copy, the expiry date and the record of who approved it. Checking the certificate against your contract is still your job.

Setting it up in WorkZerk

1. Turn on two-factor authentication

Asking people to upload documents needs two-factor authentication on your account. Set it up under Account, then Two-factor authentication (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab).

2. Add the US contractor pack

Open Requests (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab), click Request packs, open Start from a template and pick the United States. Click Add this pack on Contractor onboarding (United States).

It asks for a Form W-9, a Certificate of insurance (required, with an expiry date), an optional business license and an optional workers' compensation certificate, plus bank details. The insurance asks create Certificate of insurance and Workers' compensation insurance fields that require an expiry date. See starter request packs.

The pack's certificate ask is worded for general liability. If you need more, add your own Upload fields under Fields (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab), such as Commercial auto insurance or Additional insured endorsement, and tick Require an expiry date on anything that lapses.

3. Create a portal

Open Portals (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab) and make one per intake, such as "Spring 2027 subcontractors". On its Requests panel, click Add pack and choose your copy of the pack.

Edit the certificate's description to say exactly what you need. For example: "Your ACORD 25 showing general liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence. Enter the earliest expiration date on the certificate."

That last line matters. A COI often lists several policies with different dates, and WorkZerk tracks one expiry date per document.

4. Add your contractors

Add contractors to the portal and send each one their private link. Or turn on the portal's self-registration link and send that to everyone at once.

5. Review and approve

Uploaded certificates wait under Needs review on Requests (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab). Check each one against the list above. If the contractor typed the wrong date, click Change date and correct it before you approve. Reject anything that falls short and say why. Your reason goes back to them. See reviewing uploads.

6. Switch on the expiry reminders

Open Automations (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab) and switch on Document expiring reminder and Document expired reminder. Both start switched off.

The expiring reminder goes 30 days before the date. Getting a renewal certificate means the contractor has to ask their broker, so you may want to stack a second rule at 60 days. The reminders stop once the new certificate is uploaded. See automations.

7. Check who is covered

Open Requests (opens in WorkZerk in a new tab) and click Document compliance. Tick Only people who aren't compliant for the list to work through, and use Download CSV when a client or auditor asks who is covered. See document compliance.

Getting started

Start a free WorkZerk trial at workzerk.com and add the US contractor pack. For the whole contractor process end to end, see the contractor compliance walkthrough. Questions? Email [email protected].