Acord 25 form: a field-by-field guide

What the Acord 25 is for

The Acord 25 exists to do one job: prove that an insurance policy is in force, without revealing the policy itself. A general contractor needs to verify a subcontractor has coverage. A property manager needs to verify a vendor has coverage. The Acord 25 is the standardized format that lets a carrier or broker issue that proof in a way the buyer can read, file, and audit.

The form is maintained by Acord, an industry standards body. Versions evolve (the current version most carriers issue is dated 2016/03 or later). The structure is stable enough that a risk manager can read any carrier's Acord 25 and find the same fields in the same places.

Field-by-field

Header — Date issued

Top-right of the form. The date the certificate was issued, not the date the policy is in force. A cert can be issued months before its effective date or after a renewal; what matters is the policy effective and expiration dates further down.

Producer (top-left)

The insurance agency or broker that issued the certificate. Includes name, address, phone, and often a contact person. If you ever need to verify the policy directly, this is who you call.

Insured (top-right)

The policyholder — typically the vendor sending you the cert. Verify the legal entity name matches the contract. Watch for DBAs, parent-company names, or related entities that aren't actually on your contract.

Insurers affording coverage (middle, columns A–F)

Up to six different carriers can be listed (one per line of coverage). Each carrier has a NAIC code (5 digits). The NAIC code lets you look up the carrier's AM Best rating and confirm it's a real, admitted insurer. Many contracts require A- or better.

Coverages section (the main grid)

This is the core. One row per type of coverage:

• Commercial General Liability (CGL)— usually the most-checked line. Includes per-occurrence limit, general aggregate, products / completed-ops aggregate, personal & advertising injury, fire damage, medical expense.
• Automobile Liability— combined single limit (CSL) or split limits. Watch for "any auto" vs "owned only" vs "hired and non-owned" distinctions.
• Umbrella / Excess Liability— sits on top of primary policies. Note whether it's "follow form" or has different terms.
• Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability— required almost everywhere there are employees. Statutory limits for WC; specific dollar limits for employers' liability (typically $1M / $1M / $1M).
• Other— Professional Liability (E&O), Pollution Liability, Inland Marine, etc., depending on the scope.

Each row has policy number, effective date, expiration date, and limits. The expiration date is what drives the renewal tracking workflow.

Description of Operations / Locations / Vehicles

The free-text box. This is where the most-confused content lives:

• Additional insured language and endorsement references (CG 20 10, CG 20 37, etc.).
• Waiver of subrogation language.
• Primary and non-contributory language.
• Project name, contract reference, or location identifier.
• Any conditional language ("where required by written contract").

We have dedicated guides on additional insured, waiver of subrogation, and primary and non-contributory because each of those is a multi-paragraph topic in itself. The short version: don't accept vague language. Specific endorsement numbers and named-party references are what hold up.

Certificate Holder (bottom-left)

You — the party requiring the cert. Must match your firm's legal name and address exactly. See our note on the difference between a certificate holder and an additional insured — they are not the same thing.

Cancellation language (bottom-left, above the signature)

The Acord 25 includes standard cancellation-notice language. In modern versions of the form, the language is generally informational — the actual cancellation notification rights come from the underlying policy and any endorsements specifically requiring notice. Don't rely on the form alone for notice rights.

Authorized Representative (bottom-right)

Signed by the broker or producer. A signature is required for the cert to be valid. Forged signatures are a common fraud-detection signal.

What to verify on every Acord 25 — the practical checklist

1. Insured (vendor) entity name matches your contract.
2. Coverage types your contract requires are present (GL, Auto, WC, Umbrella, etc.).
3. Limits meet or exceed your contract minimums on each line.
4. Policy expiration dates cover the duration of the work.
5. Carrier NAIC codes resolve to real, admitted carriers with acceptable AM Best ratings.
6. Description of Operations box names you as additional insured on GL with explicit endorsement references (CG 20 10, CG 20 37).
7. Waiver of subrogation language is present on the policies your contract requires (typically GL and WC).
8. Primary and non-contributory language is present where required.
9. Certificate Holder (you) name and address are correct.
10. Authorized Representative signature is present.

Done by hand: 10–15 minutes per Acord 25. Done with COIverify: ~30 seconds per cert with a structured verdict and named exceptions.

Frequently asked questions