How to read a contractor's certificate of insurance

The fields that actually matter

Insured

The legal business name covered by the policy. It should match the business you are hiring — not a parent company, a personal name, or a different DBA.

Insurer / carrier

The company that issued the policy. You can confirm a carrier is licensed in your state through your state's department of insurance.

Policy number and policy period

The effective and expiration dates define the window of coverage. A certificate issued last year tells you nothing about today.

Commercial general liability

Covers third-party bodily injury and property damage. Certificates typically show both a per-occurrence limit and a general aggregate limit for the whole policy period.

Workers' compensation

Covers injuries to the contractor's employees. Requirements vary by state and by employee count; a sole proprietor may be legally exempt.

Commercial auto

Covers vehicles used for the business. Relevant when work involves hauling, towing, or parking equipment at your property.

Certificate holder

Who the certificate was issued to. This is informational; being listed as certificate holder does not give you rights under the policy.

Additional insured

A policy endorsement that extends certain protections to another party. A checkbox on a certificate does not create it — the endorsement itself does.

How to confirm a certificate is real and current

1. Ask for the certificate to be sent directly from the insurance agency named on it, not forwarded as a scan.
2. Check the expiration date against the dates your work is scheduled — including any likely delay.
3. Confirm the insured name matches the entity named on your contract and invoice.
4. Call the agent or carrier listed on the form to confirm the policy is in force. The producer's phone number is on the certificate.
5. If your job warrants it, ask to be added as an additional insured and request a copy of the endorsement, not just an updated checkbox.

Common red flags

• The insured name does not match the business you are hiring.
• The policy period has already ended, or ends before your project would finish.
• No producer contact details, or a contact number that goes to the contractor rather than an agency.
• Refusal to have the agency send the certificate directly.
• Handwritten edits, mismatched fonts, or a form that will not open as a clean PDF.

How Kuldesac uses certificates

Every published Kuldesac business submits a certificate of insurance during verification. Our team reviews the carrier, policy identifier, and expiration date, and the expiration is tracked so a lapse gets flagged. We do not ask to be named as an additional insured, and we do not evaluate whether the limits are right for your particular job — that judgment stays with you.