Certificate of Insurance, Same Day
Need a certificate of insurance today? That is a normal Tuesday here.
A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page summary of your policies that proves to someone else in Connecticut, usually a general contractor, a landlord, a town or a client, that you carry the coverage they require. Contractors need them constantly. Most agencies treat them as an afterthought and take days. The Beam Agency issues them the same day, usually within hours, for contractors and businesses in Farmington, Bristol, New Britain, Plainville, Southington and across Hartford County, because we know the job does not start until the GC has it.
For existing clients: how to request one
Email brandon@thebeamagency.com or use the form below with:
- The certificate holder’s exact legal name and mailing address
- The project or job address, if it is different
- Any specific wording they require: additional insured, primary and non-contributory, waiver of subrogation, per-project aggregate, and the limits they are asking for
- When you need it, and where to send it (most GCs want it emailed directly to their office)
If the contract has an insurance section, send that too. It tells us exactly what they will accept.
What GCs and property owners usually ask for
Additional insured
Names the GC or owner on your general liability policy so your policy responds if they are sued because of your work. This requires an endorsement on the policy, not just a line on the certificate, and it should include both ongoing and completed operations if the contract asks for it.
Primary and non-contributory
Says your policy pays first and does not ask the GC’s policy to share the loss. Common in commercial construction contracts.
Waiver of subrogation
Your carrier agrees not to pursue the GC to recover what it paid on a claim. Often required on both GL and workers’ comp.
Specific limits
Typically $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate on general liability, $1 million on auto, and $500,000 or $1 million on employer’s liability under workers’ comp. Larger projects ask for $5 million or more, usually met with an umbrella.
If your policy does not already carry the endorsement being requested, a certificate cannot create it. We will tell you the same day whether the wording is on your policy, and if not, what it takes to add it. That is the part most people do not learn until the GC’s compliance department bounces the certificate.
Not a client yet?
If you are a Connecticut contractor or business without a policy and someone is asking for a COI, the fastest path is a general liability quote. For a sole proprietor in a lower-risk trade we can often quote and bind the same day and issue the certificate immediately after. Contractor insurance in Connecticut.
Certificate questions
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
For existing clients with the requested wording already on the policy, usually within a few hours on a business day. If an endorsement needs to be added first, it depends on the carrier, but we start it the same day.
Does a certificate of insurance cost anything?
No. Certificates are free for clients. Adding an endorsement such as additional insured or waiver of subrogation may carry a small premium charge from the carrier.
Can I get a certificate without a policy?
No. A certificate only summarizes coverage that exists. If someone offers you a certificate without a policy behind it, that is fraud. Get a policy; it is faster than you think.
The GC says my certificate was rejected. What now?
Send us the rejection. Usually it is a wording mismatch, a missing endorsement, or a limit lower than the contract requires. We will fix what can be fixed on our end the same day and tell you plainly if the contract is asking for something your current policy cannot provide.
Independent agent, direct line
Talk to Brandon directly
One agent, multiple carriers, and a policy read line by line before you sign it.