What the certificate is — and isn't
An ACORD 25 is a one-page snapshot issued by a vendor's insurance agent. It says which policies existed on the day it was printed, with what limits, and who the certificate holder is. The fine print at the top is blunt about the rest: the certificate confers no rights on the holder and does not amend the policy. If you need to be an additional insured, the policy itself has to say so through an endorsement.
That is why reading it carefully matters. The certificate is evidence, not a contract. Your job is to confirm the evidence matches what your subcontract requires.
Top section: producer, insured, insurers
PRODUCER is the agency that issued the certificate. Their phone and email are who you call to verify a certificate or request an updated one. INSURED is the vendor. Check that the legal name matches the entity you contracted with; a certificate for “J. Smith” does not cover “J. Smith Roofing LLC”.
INSURER A, B, C… lists the carriers. Each coverage row below references one of these letters. A carrier you have never heard of is worth a quick look on your state insurance department's site; non-admitted or unrated carriers are a red flag on larger jobs.
The coverage table
Each row is one policy. Left to right: the insurer letter, the type of insurance, two small columns labeled ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD, the policy number, effective and expiration dates, and the limits.
Commercial General Liability is the row most contracts care about. Typical GC requirements are $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, with products/completed operations aggregate also at $2,000,000. Look for “OCCUR” rather than “CLAIMS-MADE” — occurrence forms cover incidents that happen during the policy period regardless of when the claim is filed. Check whether the aggregate applies per project or per policy; a per-policy aggregate can be exhausted by a claim on someone else's job.
Automobile Liability usually carries a combined single limit of $1,000,000. “Any auto” is the broadest; “scheduled autos” only covers listed vehicles, and “hired and non-owned” covers rentals and employees' cars used for work.
Umbrella / Excess sits on top of GL, auto and employer's liability. Many owners require $2,000,000–$5,000,000 for roofing, structural, crane and other high-hazard trades.
Workers' Compensation shows “per statute” plus Employer's Liability limits, commonly $500,000 or $1,000,000 each accident. The “ANY PROPRIETOR/PARTNER/EXECUTIVE OFFICER EXCLUDED?” line matters: if an owner-operator excludes themselves and gets hurt on your site, the claim can land on you.
ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD — the two columns people skip
ADDL INSD (additional insured) marked Y on the GL row means the vendor's policy has been endorsed to cover you for claims arising from their work. SUBR WVD (waiver of subrogation) marked Y means their carrier agrees not to sue you to recover what it paid. Both are normally required by subcontracts and both are routinely missing on certificates that otherwise look perfect.
If the boxes are blank, check the description of operations — agents often write the endorsement there instead. If it is not in either place, ask for a corrected certificate before the sub starts.
Description of operations
This box should name your project and state that the certificate holder is additional insured on a primary and non-contributory basis, that waiver of subrogation applies, and cite the endorsement forms (for example CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 for ongoing and completed operations). “Primary and non-contributory” is the phrase that stops the sub's carrier from arguing your policy should pay first.
Certificate holder and cancellation
CERTIFICATE HOLDER must be your exact legal entity and address. The cancellation box on modern ACORD 25s only promises notice “in accordance with the policy provisions” — which usually means notice goes to the insured, not to you. Do not count on being told when a policy is cancelled; that is why expiry tracking exists.
The five places problems hide
First, an aggregate lower than the contract requires while the occurrence limit looks fine. Second, a workers' comp line that expired months before the GL line, because policies renew on different dates. Third, additional-insured boxes left blank. Fourth, a description of operations that names a different project or none at all. Fifth, an insured name that does not match the contracting entity. Each of these is caught in seconds if you check every certificate against a written requirement — and missed for years if you only glance at the limits.