Certificates of insurance, issued same day.

What is a certificate of insurance?

A certificate of insurance — usually just called a COI — is a one-page document that proves your business carries insurance. The standard version nearly everyone uses is the ACORD 25 form, and it summarizes the essentials at a glance: who's insured, which insurance companies issued the policies, what types of coverage are in force, the coverage limits, and the policy effective and expiration dates.

Here's the key thing to understand: a COI is proof of insurance, not insurance itself. It doesn't add coverage, change your policy, or create a contract. It simply lets someone else — a general contractor, a landlord, a client — verify that your coverage is real and active before they let you on the job, hand you keys, or sign your contract.

Who asks for a COI (and why)

If you're in business long enough, someone will ask for a certificate. The usual suspects:

• General contractors. Before a subcontractor sets foot on site, GCs require proof of general liability and workers' compensation. No certificate, no gate pass — it's that simple on most commercial jobs.
• Landlords and property managers. Commercial leases almost always require tenants to carry liability coverage and prove it with a COI, often naming the landlord on the certificate.
• Event venues. Renting a hall, booth space, or a fairground booth? Venues routinely ask vendors and exhibitors for certificates before the event.
• Clients and customers. Larger companies vet their vendors. Before they issue a purchase order or sign a service agreement, procurement wants a COI on file.
• Licensing boards and municipalities. Some trades have to file proof of insurance to hold a license or pull permits.

They're not asking to be difficult. If your business causes an injury or damages property, they want to know there's an insurance policy behind you — not just a handshake.

What's actually on a certificate

An ACORD 25 packs a lot into one page. The parts people ask about most:

• Coverage types and limits. Each policy you carry — general liability, workers' comp, commercial auto, umbrella — gets a line showing the dollar limits. For example, general liability commonly shows $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. The party requesting your COI will usually specify minimum limits in the contract, so it pays to check before you sign.
• Certificate holder. The person or company the certificate is issued to — the GC, landlord, or client asking for proof. Their name and address appear in the bottom-left box.
• Additional insured. This is more than a name on a page. When a party is added as an additional insured, your liability policy extends certain protection to them for claims arising out of your work. If your ladder falls and injures someone on a job site, the GC named as additional insured can look to your policy too. Contracts request this constantly, and it requires an actual endorsement on the policy — not just a checkbox on the certificate. We handle that part for you.
• Waiver of subrogation. Normally, if your insurance company pays a claim, it can turn around and sue whoever it believes caused the loss to recover its money — that's subrogation. A waiver of subrogation means your insurer agrees not to pursue the specific party named in the waiver. GCs ask for it so a workers' comp claim on your crew can't boomerang into a lawsuit against them. Like additional insured status, it's a policy endorsement, and we set it up when your contract calls for it.
• Policy dates. Effective and expiration dates for each coverage. Certificate holders watch these — expect a renewal certificate request every year.

Why speed matters more than anything

Nobody requests a COI for fun. A certificate request almost always means money is waiting on paperwork: a crew that can't start Monday, a lease that won't get signed, a purchase order sitting in someone's inbox. Every day the certificate doesn't show up is a day the job doesn't start — and on some job sites, a sub without a COI on file gets sent home while everyone else works.

That's why we treat certificates as urgent, always. When you request a COI from us during business hours, we issue it the same day — usually within the hour. We email it straight to you, and if you'd like, directly to the certificate holder too, so nothing sits in a queue.

How to get a COI from us

1. Already insured with us? Request certificates in the client portal or call us at (859) 407-4888. Tell us who needs it and what the contract requires — we do the rest.
2. Have the details ready. The certificate holder's exact legal name and address, plus any special wording the contract demands (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory). A photo of the contract's insurance section works perfectly.
3. We issue and send it. Same day, usually within the hour during business hours — to your inbox and the certificate holder's.

Don't have coverage yet? You can still make today's deadline.

This is the situation we built this site for: a GC says "send me your COI," and you don't have a policy at all. Here's the play:

1. Quote online now. Answer a few plain-English questions about your business — it takes about two minutes.
2. Buy your policy today. Most small businesses can buy online on the spot, with coverage from A-rated national carriers effective as soon as today.
3. Get your COI the same day. Once the policy is issued, we generate your certificate and send it wherever it needs to go — usually within the hour.

Start to finish, plenty of business owners go from "no insurance" to "certificate delivered" in a single afternoon. If your business needs an expert's touch instead of instant online quoting, call us — a licensed agent will work your quote right away and can often still get you covered and certified the same business day.

Already insured with us? Request certificates in the client portal or call us.