ACORD 25 Form | Certificate of Liability Insurance
ACORD 25 is a standardized, one-page Certificate of Liability Insurance that businesses use to prove they carry active liability coverage. ACORD, the organization behind it, isn’t an insurance company, it’s a standards group that created this form so every insurer and business could use the same layout.
When This Form Comes Up
It usually gets requested in a few common situations: signing a commercial lease, starting a subcontracting job, becoming an approved vendor, or renewing a contract that requires proof of coverage each year. It’s descriptive of the coverage in place, not something every business needs on hand unless a contract specifically calls for it.
How to Read the ACORD 25 Form
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1
Producer
The insurance agency issuing the certificate, listed with a contact name, phone, and email.
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2
Insured
The business the policy covers, listed by its legal name and address.
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3
Insurer(s) Affording Coverage
The actual insurance company behind the policy, identified by its NAIC number, an ID code for that company. The form lists up to six insurers, since different coverage types sometimes come from different carriers.
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4
Certificate Number & Revision Number
Reference numbers for this certificate. The revision number goes up each time it’s reissued with updated information.
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5
Coverages
It lists up to four types, though most businesses only fill in one or two.
- Commercial General Liability
- Injury or property damage the business accidentally causes to someone else. Marked Claims-Made or Occurrence.
- Automobile Liability
- Only filled in if the business uses vehicles.
- Umbrella / Excess Liability
- Extra coverage layered on top of the primary limits.
- Workers’ Compensation
- Covers employee injuries. There’s a box for excluding a proprietor, partner, or executive officer, and the form notes this exclusion is mandatory in New Hampshire.
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6
Description of Operations
A free-text area tying the coverage to a specific job. This is also the only place additional insured status or a waiver of subrogation gets written down.
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7
Certificate Holder
The person or business that receives the certificate.
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8
Cancellation
States: "Should any of the above described policies be cancelled before the expiration date thereof, notice will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions." The form names no specific number of days.
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9
Authorized Representative
Signed by the issuing agency, not the insured business.
Certificate Holder vs. Additional Insured
These are not the same thing. Certificate holder just means the agent issued the certificate to that party. Additional insured means someone changed the underlying policy itself to cover them too. The form states this directly: "If the certificate holder is an ADDITIONAL INSURED, the policy(ies) must have ADDITIONAL INSURED provisions or be endorsed." The certificate can reference additional insured status, but it can’t create it on its own, that only happens through an endorsement on the real policy.
Example: A Landscaping Company Providing Proof to a Property Manager
A landscaping company needs to give a property manager proof of insurance before starting a seasonal maintenance contract at an apartment complex. Here’s what the certificate would show:
Does This Change the Insurance Policy?
No. The form states this directly: "This certificate does not affirmatively or negatively amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policies below." It’s a summary of coverage that exists in a separate policy, not a document that creates or changes coverage on its own.
FAQs
Is a certificate of insurance (COI) the same as the standard ACORD certificate?
Yes. It’s the same document, COI is just the shorthand people use for it.
If the limits on the certificate meet what my contract requires, am I fully protected?
Not necessarily. A limit on the certificate reflects the policy as of the day the agent issued it. Someone can modify endorsements, limits can change, and coverage can lapse between the day the agent issues a certificate and the day work begins.
How can I tell if a certificate might be fake?
A few checks help: the certificate should show the current edition, 2016/03, carry the signature of an authorized representative of the issuing agency, and ideally come from the agent directly rather than from a third party.
Is a certificate holder the same as being named additional insured?
No. Certificate holder just means the agent sent the certificate to that party. Additional insured means someone changed the actual policy to protect them too, and that only shows up in the Description of Operations box, not just because the certificate lists them as the holder.
Can a certificate become outdated after it’s issued?
Yes. It reflects coverage as of its issue date. If the policy is later changed, cancelled, or allowed to lapse, the certificate itself doesn’t update to reflect that.
Daniel Whitfield
Daniel writes plain-language guides to ACORD insurance forms, based directly on what each form actually says.
This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ACORD LLC. ACORD® is a registered trademark of ACORD Corporation. This guide is for informational purposes only and is not legal or insurance advice.