Commercial Insurance

What is a Certificate of Insurance Form and How to Read One?

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Key Points
  • A Certificate of Insurance (COI) serves as proof of coverage, summarizing policy types, limit amounts, effective dates, and additional insured endorsements—helping businesses and clients verify that required insurance is in place without reviewing full policies.
  • When reviewing a COI, focus on key sections: confirm policy dates (to avoid coverage gaps), check limits match contract requirements, verify additional insured and waiver of subrogation clauses, and note any exclusions or pending cancellation notices.

When hiring a company, you want to know that it is not going to increase your legal liability. And similarly, when someone hires your company, you want to be able to show that you won’t increase their liability. However, while most business owners are honest, sadly some are not. This is why asking for or being willing to provide a Certificate of Insurance, or COI, is important.

A Certificate of Insurance (COI) form, sometimes referred to as an ACORD certificate of liability insurance form, is a document that shows proof of insurance and includes your insurance policies, coverage limits, and policy effective dates. This gives proof of adequate insurance coverage and is good business practice to ask for to ensure coverages are accurate to what you’ve been told.

What Parts Make Up a Certificate of Insurance Form?

While there is not a standard format for a certificate of insurance form, ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development), provides a form that most insurers and agents use. This form includes the following:

How to Read a Certificate of Insurance

If you request a Certificate of Insurance from an individual or company, you want to verify it’s accurate and valid. Here’s what to look for:

When is a Certificate of Insurance Necessary?

Certificates of Insurance are broadly used in the business world whenever parties are concerned with liability, which most companies should be. Here are a few examples of when a COI is needed:

As you can see, knowing the basics about certificate of insurance forms is an important part of doing business. This will help protect you and your business from the unexpected. If you have questions about Certificate of Insurance (COI) forms or would like to inquire about insurance for you or your business, please contact us today!

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Jeffrey Mohr, CPCU, ARM

Jeff Mohr is the President and Owner of Lewis Mohr Insurance Agency. He began his career in 1982 after earning a degree in Management and Finance from LSU, followed by a Master’s in Insurance Management (MSIM) from Boston University. With over 40 years of experience, Jeff holds the CPCU and ARM designations and is a past president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Louisiana. He has been recognized with the Lou Daniel Award for outstanding service to the insurance industry and remains active in civic and community organizations. Jeff leads the agency with a deep commitment to trusted service, ethical standards, and generational growth.
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