Glossary / Insurance, bonding and licensing
Certificate of insurance
Also called: COI, Proof of insurance
A one-page summary issued by your insurer showing what cover you hold, for how much, and until when. It is evidence, not the policy — the policy wording is what actually pays a claim — and it is the document a customer or a general contractor means when they ask you to send your insurance. Keep a current one to hand, because an expired certificate is the usual reason a start date slips.
Related terms
- General liability insuranceCover for damage or injury you cause to someone else or their property while working — the dropped tool through the skylight, the flood in the flat downstairs.
- Additional insuredA request to have your customer, or the contractor who hired you, added to your liability policy so that your cover also answers a claim brought against them arising out of your work.
- SubcontractorAnother business you hire to do part of a job you are responsible for — the electrician on your renovation, the crane on your tree removal.
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