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Certificates of Insurance: Getting the Paperwork Right So You Get Paid
The endorsements and wording that general contractors demand on a COI, and the mistakes that hold up your payment.
What a COI Actually Does
A certificate of insurance is proof that your coverage exists, issued to a general contractor, owner, or agency who requires it before you work or get paid. The certificate itself is simple. What trips contractors up is the specific endorsements the contract demands: additional insured status, waiver of subrogation, and primary and non-contributory wording. Miss one and your invoice sits until it is fixed.
Why It Holds Up Payment
COI requirements are written into your contract, and the party paying you checks them against the certificate you provide. A mismatch, an expired policy, or a missing endorsement is one of the most common reasons a contractor payment gets delayed. Getting the wording right up front is faster than fixing it after the fact.
Articles in Certificates of Insurance
What Is Additional Insured, and Do You Need It?
Why GCs require it and what it actually extends to.
Waiver of Subrogation Explained
What you give up, and why contracts so often demand it.
Primary and Non-Contributory Coverage
The wording that decides whose policy pays first.
Common COI Mistakes That Delay Payment
The avoidable errors that hold up a contractor invoice.
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