Learn more about certificates of insurance
- What is a certificate of insurance used for?
- What’s included in a certificate of insurance?
- Why get a certificate of insurance with NEXT?
- How much do certificates of insurance cost?
- Can I add an additional insured to my COI?
What is a certificate of insurance used for?
A certificate of insurance (COI) is proof of insurance to help you grow your business.
Certificates of insurance, also called general liability insurance certificates, show clients, landlords, business partners and others the details of your small business insurance.
A COI can help you:
- Bid on jobs.
- Get a professional license or register your business.
- Sign a lease with a commercial landlord.
- Satisfy contract requirements to land a job.
- Create new business partnerships.
- Build trust with clients and prospects.
In many cases, before you can set foot on a client’s property to do your job, they’ll ask you to have a COI with updated insurance information.
What’s included in a certificate of insurance?
A COI typically includes information about your insurance policy and coverage at a glance, including:
- The certificate holder’s name, policy number and company name.
- The insurance company’s name and contact information.
- The type of insurance you have, such as general liability or workers’ compensation.
- Insurance coverage start date and policy expiration date.
- The amount of coverage you have, your deductible and policy coverage limits.
- Additional named insureds and additional insureds.
- Special conditions and description of operations language (if required), including:
- Waiver of subrogation
- Primary and noncontributory
- Ongoing operations (Form CG2010)
- Completed operations (Form CG2037)
- Job/service location
- Job/service you provide
- Coverage follower
Most COIs are from a company called ACORD, and a certificate of insurance is sometimes referred to as an ACORD certificate of liability.
You can download this from your NEXT account or quickly share our live COI.
Why get a certificate of insurance with NEXT?
COIs used to take time and money. A small business owner would call or email their insurance agent, request a COI, then wait weeks for delivery — potentially missing work while they wait. Or spend hundreds, if not thousands, on COIs for every bid. Human error filling out forms was high, and time spent on COIs was time lost.
NEXT lets you generate, share and modify a COI yourself in minutes online or on the app.
Only NEXT has:
Live COIs
When you share a digital COI with a client or prospect, they can make change requests that automatically notify you. You’re in control to approve or deny their requests.
If you approve their changes, an updated COI is created and sent. If you deny their request, they’re notified that the change request was not approved.
COI analyzer technology
Get unlimited COIs at no additional cost with your NEXT insurance policy. NEXT’s proprietary, custom-built COI analyzer can create a certificate of insurance based on a sample certificate in minutes. Just upload a sample certificate, and we’ll use it to generate a custom COI.
Self-service after hours
Create custom COIs on your own and on your schedule, including additional insureds and special languages. Don’t wait for Monday morning. Make as many COIs as you need on your own, 24/7.
How much do certificates of insurance cost?
NEXT policyholders get unlimited access to customized COIs 24/7 at no additional cost. Just log in to your account or mobile app.
Can I add an additional insured to my COI?
Clients, landlords or business partners may ask you to provide a certificate of insurance with them listed as an additional insured. As additional insureds, they can also make a claim on your policy up to the policy limits.
If a covered event takes place while you’re on the job, such as property damage or bodily injury, your business insurance can help you.