How to read an ACORD 25 certificate of insurance, section by section

3. Insured

The insured is the sub's business: the name and address the policies are written to. It's worth checking that this matches the business you're actually paying. A certificate for "ABC Holdings LLC" may not speak for "ABC Framing Inc." unless that business is also listed.

4. Insurers A to F

Each insurance company on the certificate gets a letter (A, B, C…), and each coverage line below points to one. This tells you which company writes which policy, which can be useful if you ever need to ask about a specific one.

5. Coverages: usually the part that matters most

This table is where most of the detail lives. Each row is a type of insurance, and the columns generally show:

• INSR LTR: which insurer (A–F) writes it
• ADDL INSD / SUBR WVD: whether additional insured status or a waiver of subrogation is indicated for that line (more in our additional insured overview)
• Policy number
• Policy effective and expiration dates, for that line
• Limits: the dollar amounts

Common rows include:

Dates are easy to overlook. Each line has its own dates, and general liability and workers' comp often end on different days, so tracking each line separately may be more reliable than tracking "the certificate."

6. Description of operations / locations / vehicles

A free-text box agents may use for project names, job addresses, additional insured wording and other notes. It's worth reading, keeping in mind the "information only" notice: wording here describes the policies rather than creating coverage.

7. Certificate holder

That's usually you: the company the certificate was issued to.

8. Cancellation and signature

The bottom section covers notice if a policy is cancelled before it expires, and carries the authorized representative's signature. Relying on receiving a cancellation notice may not be enough on its own; many contractors track expiration dates themselves.

A quick review some GCs use

When a certificate comes in, you might check:

1. The insured matches the business you're paying.
2. Each coverage line you've asked for is listed, especially workers' comp (or there's an exemption document instead; see Florida workers' comp exemptions for one state's version).
3. The dates on each line cover the work and the dates you expect to pay.
4. The limits line up with your contract. Your agent can help with this.
5. Your company is the certificate holder.
6. The issue date is reasonably recent.

Filing it next to the sub's payments may also help, since at a workers' comp audit the two are often compared.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ACORD 25?

It's the standard Certificate of Liability Insurance form used across the US insurance industry to summarize a business's liability policies on one page.

What's the most important part of an ACORD 25?

For many GCs, it's the coverages table: which types of insurance are listed, the policy dates for each line, and the limits.

What does "ADDL INSD" mean on a certificate?

It's the additional insured column. A "Y" indicates the agent is showing additional insured status for that coverage line; that status itself comes from the policy, usually through an endorsement.

Does an ACORD 25 prove coverage?

The form states it's issued for information only and doesn't change the policies it describes. Questions about whether a policy is in force are for the agent or carrier.

Why does each coverage line have its own dates?

Each line is often a separate policy, and policies can start and end on different days, so general liability and workers' comp may expire at different times.

Letting software do the reading

CertiSub reads each certificate a sub uploads and drafts every coverage line, with its insurer, policy number, dates and limits, for you to confirm. Nothing is recorded until you do. After that, it tracks each line's expiration and sends renewal reminders ahead of time. More in our certificates of insurance guide.