How Do You Read a Certificate of Insurance (ACORD 25)?

By Wyatt Cooper · Published October 22, 2026 · 7 min read

Key takeaways

The ACORD 25 is information only: it summarizes the sub's liability policies but does not change them, so it is checked against the subcontract and backed by endorsements.
Read it top to bottom: who issued it, who is insured, which insurers, then one row per policy with its number, dates, additional-insured and subrogation marks, and limits.
The insured's legal name, every policy's expiration date and every limit are the three things most often wrong.
A mark in the additional-insured column or a sentence in the description box is not coverage; ask for the endorsement it refers to.

To read an ACORD 25, start with the producer (the agent who issued it) and the insured (the sub's legal name), then the insurers listed with their NAIC numbers. Each coverage row gives the insurer's letter, the type of insurance, whether additional insured and waiver of subrogation apply, the policy number, its effective and expiration dates, and its limits. Check each against the subcontract's insurance exhibit, then read the description box, the certificate holder and the cancellation wording.

What the ACORD 25 is

The ACORD 25, Certificate of Liability Insurance, is the standard certificate of insurance for liability coverage, a one-page summary of a business's liability policies; ACORD publishes it and agents fill it in. The current edition is dated 2025/12, and New York's Department of Financial Services lists it among its approved certificates (the form itself). This guide describes its boxes in plain words; it doesn't reproduce the form.

Before reading any box, remember what the form is. ACORD says a certificate "is NOT an insurance policy" and that "only an endorsement, rider, or amendment to the policy can effect changes in coverage" (ACORD FAQ). The form's own heading says it is issued for information only, and that a certificate holder who is an additional insured needs the policy to provide for it or be endorsed.

The certificate, box by box

The boxes of an ACORD 25, top to bottom, and what to check in each against the subcontract
Box	What it shows	What to check
Date	The day the certificate was issued	That it is recent; it is not a policy date
Producer and contact	The agent or broker who issued it	Who to call to confirm it or ask for the endorsements
Insured	The policyholder's name and address	The exact legal name on the subcontract, not a trade name alone
Insurers affording coverage, A to F	Each insurer with its NAIC number	Which insurer stands behind each policy
Certificate and revision numbers	The certificate's own identifiers	That a revised certificate replaces the earlier one in your file
Insurer letter (INSR LTR)	Which insurer, A to F, writes that policy	That every coverage row has one
Type of insurance	General liability, auto, umbrella or excess, workers' comp and employer's liability, and others	Every coverage the exhibit requires has a row
Additional insured (ADDL INSD) and subrogation waived (SUBR WVD)	A mark per policy	A mark points to an endorsement; ask for the endorsement copy
Policy number and effective and expiration dates	Per policy	Every expiration date is after today and is on your renewal calendar
Limits	Per policy: each occurrence, aggregates, auto per accident, umbrella, employer's liability	Each limit against the exhibit, one by one
Description of operations, locations, vehicles	Free text, with ACORD 101 attached if more space is needed	The project named, and any additional-insured wording, which must match an endorsement
Certificate holder	Who the certificate was issued to	Your legal name; being holder doesn't make you an insured
Cancellation	Notice of cancellation is given according to the policy	Don't count on being told of a cancellation unless an endorsement provides for it
Authorized representative	The agent's signature	Present

Reading the coverage rows

General liability: the form shows whether the policy is occurrence or claims-made, and whether the general aggregate applies per policy, per project or per location. Many exhibits ask for per-project; check the box.
General liability limits come as several numbers: each occurrence, damage to rented premises, medical expense, personal and advertising injury, general aggregate, and products-completed operations aggregate. Compare each one the exhibit names.
Auto: the form shows which autos are covered (any auto, owned, scheduled, hired, non-owned) and the limit, usually as a combined single limit per accident.
Umbrella or excess: occurrence or claims-made, each occurrence and aggregate, and any retention. The row doesn't say which policies it sits over; ask the agent if your exhibit lets the umbrella count toward primary limits.
Workers' compensation and employer's liability: the statutory box, the three employer's liability limits, and a yes or no for any proprietor, partner or officer excluded.

The form also warns that the limits shown may have been reduced by paid claims. A certificate shows the policy's limits, not what is left of them this year. For setting the limits in the first place, see how much insurance a subcontractor needs.

Some states regulate what a certificate may say. Texas requires certificate forms to be filed with its Department of Insurance, and its FAQ says a certificate may not name a holder as additional insured when the policy has only a blanket endorsement, though it can say a blanket endorsement exists. If a description box promises coverage in words that read like your subcontract, ask for the endorsement.

A worked example: one certificate, three findings

COI review: Beacon Drywall Inc., Harbor Point Offices

Insured: "Beacon Drywall": the subcontract is with Beacon Drywall Inc. Ask for the legal name. Finding 1
Insurers: A: general liability and auto; B: workers' comp; C: umbrella, each with an NAIC number
General liability: Occurrence form; aggregate applies per policy. The exhibit asks for per project. Finding 2
General liability limits: Each occurrence and aggregates meet the exhibit
Additional insured column: Marked for general liability and umbrella; endorsement copies not attached. Finding 3
Workers' comp: Statutory; employer's liability limits meet the exhibit; no officers excluded
Expiration dates: Auto and general liability June 30; workers' comp April 1, five weeks out: renewal calendared
Certificate holder: The GC's legal name and address
Result: Sent back: correct the insured name, provide a per-project aggregate endorsement, attach the additional-insured endorsements

A fictional GC's review of a fictional sub's ACORD 25 against its subcontract exhibit.

None of the three findings would show up if the certificate were filed without reading it, and each matters later: the wrong name invites a coverage question, a per-policy aggregate is shared with every other job the sub has, and an additional-insured mark without its endorsement may be no coverage at all. The additional insured guide covers the third.

How it works in Conflo

In Conflo's Compliance tool, a sub uploads each certificate (general liability, auto, workers' comp or umbrella) with its expiration date, carrier and policy number, and can attach several files, such as the endorsements. The GC's review asks it to check limits, dates and additional insureds, then approve the certificate or send it back with a note saying what to fix, which the sub sees on the document.

Conflo doesn't read the certificate for you: the review is a person checking it against the subcontract. Once approved, the expiration date drives the document's status, which turns to expiring 30 days ahead. See how to track subcontractor COIs for the log around it.

The bottom line

Read the ACORD 25 against the subcontract, box by box: legal name, insurers, one row per policy with dates and every limit, then the additional-insured marks, the description box and the holder.

Most certificates that get sent back fail on the insured's name, a per-policy aggregate or a missing endorsement. Ask for all three before the sub mobilizes.

See how Compliance works in Conflo

Sources

ACORD 25, Certificate of Liability Insurance (2025/12) — New York State Department of Financial Services. Read October 22, 2026.
Approved Certificates of Insurance — New York State Department of Financial Services. Read October 22, 2026.
Certificates of Insurance: Frequently Asked Questions — ACORD. Read October 22, 2026.
Certificates of Insurance Frequently Asked Questions — Texas Department of Insurance. Read October 22, 2026.

Questions

What does ADDL INSD mean on a certificate of insurance?

Additional insured. A mark in that column says the policy has additional-insured wording; it doesn't add anyone by itself. Ask for the endorsement it refers to.

What does SUBR WVD mean on an ACORD 25?

Subrogation waived: the policy has a waiver of subrogation, which stops the insurer from suing others to recover what it paid. As with additional insured, the endorsement is what counts.

Is the date at the top of the certificate the expiration date?

No. It is the date the certificate was issued. Each policy row has its own effective and expiration dates.

Does a certificate holder get notice if the policy is canceled?

Only as the policy provides. The ACORD 25 says notice of cancellation is delivered according to the policy provisions, and ACORD notes a liability policy typically obliges the insurer to notify only the first named insured unless it is endorsed to notify others.

What is the ACORD 101?

The Additional Remarks Schedule, attached when the description box on the ACORD 25 runs out of space.