Guide

Additional insured vs certificate holder: what's the difference?

Your company's name is in the "Certificate Holder" box on a sub's certificate of insurance. Does that mean their policy covers you if someone gets hurt on their job? No. Here's the difference between a certificate holder and an additional insured, in plain English for GC offices and property managers.

What a certificate holder is

The certificate holder is whoever receives a certificate of insurance as evidence of insurance someone else carries. The ACORD 25 says it is "issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder".

Connecticut's Insurance Department (Bulletin S-14, 2010) calls a certificate "a snapshot of the insured's coverages as of the day of issue" and says it "does not have the effect of making the certificate holder an additional insured". It adds that the holder is generally owed no duty to be told if the policy is cancelled. Texas's Department of Insurance says the Certificate Holder box can't be used to "imply or confer any new or additional rights" beyond the policy or an executed endorsement.

So the certificate is proof the sub had coverage on the day it was issued. It doesn't let you claim under their policy.

What an additional insured is

An additional insured is a person or organization that isn't automatically an insured under a policy but is added at the named insured's request, for example because a contract with a project owner or customer requires it. Connecticut's bulletin says that to get that protection, the certificate holder "would need to be named an 'Additional Insured' by endorsement or by being named an insured under the terms of the underlying policy", and that in some cases there may be a cost.

It's commonly paired with an indemnity clause in your contract, to back up the sub's promise to indemnify (cover) you. If that clause turns out to be unenforceable, you may still be able to claim directly as an additional insured.

The coverage has limits of its own, and some forms are very restrictive. The commonly used ISO form CG 20 10 (04 13 edition), for example, covers the additional insured only for injury or damage "caused, in whole or in part, by" the sub's acts or omissions, or those of people acting for the sub, while doing its ongoing work for you. Coverage "will not be broader" than your contract requires, and the limit is the lesser of what the contract requires and the policy limit. So your contract's insurance clause matters too.

Why the "ADDL INSD" box isn't enough

The ACORD 25 coverage table has two narrow columns, ADDL INSD (additional insured) and SUBR WVD (subrogation waived). An X there is easy to read as "you're covered". The form warns otherwise: "If the certificate holder is an ADDITIONAL INSURED, the policy(ies) must be endorsed" and "a statement on this certificate does not confer rights to the certificate holder in lieu of such endorsement(s)."

Texas's FAQ for agents says to check the box if the policy includes an endorsement naming the certificate holder as an additional insured. The box points to an endorsement; it isn't one. The FAQ also notes that Texas's certificate law doesn't stop an agent or insurer from giving you a copy of the endorsements. Ask for the endorsement itself. See how to read an ACORD 25 for the rest of the form, and ACORD 25 vs ACORD 28 for how property evidence names a mortgagee or loss payee instead.

Endorsement forms you'll see

The forms below are standard ISO (Insurance Services Office) forms. Some insurers use their own wording, which can differ, so read the endorsement, not just its number. The four digits after the form number are the edition, such as 04 13 or 12 19.

• CG 20 10, Additional Insured – Owners, Lessees or Contractors – Scheduled Person or Organization. Covers ongoing operations. Editions after 11 85 don't cover injury or damage that happens after the work is done.
• CG 20 37, Additional Insured – Owners, Lessees or Contractors – Completed Operations. Covers injury or damage from the sub's finished work (the "products-completed operations hazard"). It applies only to parties named in its schedule.
• CG 20 33 and CG 20 38: automatic versions of the ongoing-operations form, triggered by a written construction contract. CG 20 33 covers only the party that signed the contract with the sub. CG 20 38 also covers others that contract requires the sub to add, such as the owner. Neither covers completed operations; the automatic completed-operations forms are CG 20 39 and CG 20 40.
• CG 20 01, Primary and Noncontributory: the sub's insurance is primary and won't seek contribution from other insurance available to you, but only if you're a named insured on that other insurance and the sub agreed in writing to it.

Completed operations matter because what counts is when the injury or damage happens, not when the work was done. If your contract requires completed-operations coverage for a period after the job, the sub's renewal policies need it too, so keep collecting their certificates.

Blanket vs scheduled additional insured

A scheduled endorsement, such as CG 20 10 or CG 20 37, lists you by name in its schedule. A blanket (or "automatic") endorsement grants insured status to anyone the sub is required by contract to add, sometimes only for certain types of contracts or parties.

With a blanket form, your signed contract does the work: the automatic ISO forms need a written contract or agreement to apply. So keep the signed subcontract on file and make sure it actually requires additional insured status. And don't expect your name on the certificate: in Texas, a certificate can't name you as additional insured when the policy has only a blanket endorsement, though it can say the policy has one. Ask for a copy of the blanket endorsement.

What to ask a sub for

1. A current ACORD 25 with your exact legal name and address in the Certificate Holder box.
2. A copy of every endorsement your contract requires, with form number and edition: additional insured for ongoing operations (e.g. CG 20 10 or CG 20 38) and completed operations (e.g. CG 20 37 or CG 20 40), plus any waiver of subrogation or primary and noncontributory endorsement.

If something doesn't line up, call the producer (agent) listed on the certificate.

Waiver of subrogation, briefly

After paying a claim, an insurer generally has the right to recover its payment from whoever is liable for the loss. A waiver of subrogation is the insurer agreeing not to do that against a named party, such as you. On the ACORD 25 it's the SUBR WVD column, and the form says certain policies may require an endorsement. Standard examples are ISO's CG 24 04 for general liability and NCCI's WC 00 03 13 for workers' comp, which applies only where the sub works under a written contract that requires it. More in waiver of subrogation, explained.

Checklist

• ☐ Your contract says what you need: additional insured (ongoing and completed operations), waiver of subrogation, primary and noncontributory.
• ☐ Your exact name is in the Certificate Holder box (and you know that's all it is).
• ☐ You hold the endorsements themselves, not just an X in ADDL INSD or SUBR WVD.
• ☐ Scheduled form: your name is in the schedule. Blanket form: the signed contract requiring it is on file.
• ☐ The policy numbers on the endorsements match the certificate.
• ☐ Expiry dates are tracked, including renewals after the job if you need completed-operations coverage.

This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Your contract, and your own insurance agent or lawyer, decide what you need and whether a sub's endorsements meet it.

Sources

All fetched November 5, 2026.

• NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, sample ACORD 25 (2014/01) with ISO CG 20 10 04 13 attached: General Liability Insurance Sample (PDF).
• Connecticut Insurance Department: Bulletin S-14, Use of Certificates of Insurance (November 9, 2010).
• Texas Department of Insurance: Certificates of insurance FAQ.
• IRMI glossary: certificate holder, additional insured, additional insured endorsement, blanket additional insured endorsement, waiver of subrogation.
• City of Sierra Madre, CA: Acceptable additional insured endorsements (PDF) (form comparison and CG 20 10/20 33/20 37/20 38/20 39/20 40 text) and Sample insurance for construction contracts (PDF) (CG 20 01, CG 24 04 and WC 00 03 13 text).
• Port Authority of NY & NJ: CG 20 37 10 01 (PDF); Independent Insurance Agents of Texas: CG 20 37 12 19 (PDF).
• Insurance Journal: Facts About the Progressively Narrowing Coverage of Contractors and Additional Insured Endorsements (January 2009).

ACORD is a registered mark of ACORD Corporation, and ISO forms are copyright Insurance Services Office, Inc. GreenlightSubs is not affiliated with either. GreenlightSubs tracks documents and reminds vendors; it doesn't verify coverage or endorsements with insurers.