How To Fill Out Acord 25

ACORD 25 is the Certificate of Liability Insurance. It is the most widely used form in commercial insurance documentation, issued hundreds of millions of times annually to satisfy contract requirements. Getting it wrong is common - and the consequences range from a rejected contract to an E&O claim when a coverage misrepresentation surfaces at loss time.

This guide walks through every section of ACORD 25 (2016/01 edition) in order, explains what goes in each field, and identifies the most common error at each step.

Key Takeaways

• The ACORD 25 disclaimer on the form states explicitly that the certificate "does not affirmatively or negatively amend, extend or alter the coverage afforded by the policies." The certificate is evidence, not coverage.
• Only check the Additional Insured checkbox if the corresponding policy endorsement exists. Checking it without an endorsement is a misrepresentation.
• Only check the Waiver of Subrogation checkbox if the corresponding WOS endorsement exists on the policy. The checkbox alone does not create a waiver.
• The Description of Operations field is the most important and most often wrong. It should describe the specific project, relationship, or contract that triggered the certificate - not a generic "certificate holder is named as additional insured."
• The Named Insured field must exactly match the named insured on the policy. A mismatch creates coverage ambiguity.
• The cancellation notice language on ACORD 25 is a best-efforts obligation ("endeavor to"), not a binding commitment. Contracts requiring guaranteed notice need a separate policy endorsement.

The ACORD 25 Form: An Overview

ACORD 25 (2016/01 edition) is published by ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development). The 2016 edition replaced the 2014/01 edition. The form has seven major sections:

1. Header (producer and date information)
2. Insured section
3. Insurer section
4. Coverage sections (GL, auto, umbrella, workers' comp, additional coverages)
5. Description of Operations
6. Certificate Holder section
7. Cancellation and signature section

Work through these in order. Do not skip sections or fill them out of sequence.

Section 1: Header

Date Issued

Enter the date the certificate is being issued, not the policy effective date. Format: MM/DD/YYYY.

Common error: Entering the policy effective date instead of the current issue date. A certificate dated six months before it was actually issued creates credibility problems when the date is questioned at a claim.

Producer Name and Address

Enter the issuing agency's full legal name, mailing address, phone, and fax. This is the agency issuing the certificate, not the carrier.

Common error: Using an abbreviated agency name that does not match the agency's E&O policy. If the agency name on the certificate does not match the agency's licensed name in the state, it can complicate E&O coverage analysis.

Producer Contact Information

Enter the name, phone, and email of the individual producer or CSR issuing the certificate. This identifies who is responsible for the document.

Section 2: Insured

Named Insured

Enter the named insured's full legal name exactly as it appears on the policy declarations page. If the named insured on the policy is "ABC Contractors, LLC," the certificate must read "ABC Contractors, LLC" - not "ABC Contractors" or "ABC Construction."

Common error: Abbreviating or informally shortening the named insured's name. A certificate naming "ABC Contractors" when the policy covers "ABC Contractors, LLC" creates a gap that a claimant or adverse party can exploit to argue the policy does not apply.

Insured Mailing Address

Enter the named insured's mailing address as it appears on the policy. Use the business address, not a personal address.

Common error: Using an outdated address. If the insured has moved since the policy was issued and the certificate address does not match, update the policy before issuing the certificate.

Section 3: Insurers Affording Coverage

Insurer Letter and Legal Name

ACORD 25 has five insurer slots (A through E). Enter the full legal name of each carrier - the name as it appears on the carrier's NAIC registration, not a trade name. "The Travelers Indemnity Company" is a legal name. "Travelers" is not sufficient for purposes of policy identification.

Common error: Using a marketing name instead of the legal entity name. Carriers often operate under several legal entities (The Travelers Indemnity Company, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, etc.) and the legal name matters for carrier verification.

NAIC Code

Enter the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) code for each insurer. NAIC codes are five-digit numbers that uniquely identify each licensed carrier. The Travelers Indemnity Company is NAIC 25658. Hartford Fire Insurance Company is NAIC 19682.

Common error: Leaving the NAIC field blank. Some certificate holders require NAIC codes to verify the carrier is admitted in the state and meets financial requirements. Blank NAIC fields force follow-up.

Insurer Revision Number

This field captures the insurer section revision. Leave blank unless your AMS populates it automatically.

Section 4: Coverage Sections

Commercial General Liability

This is the most detailed coverage section on ACORD 25.

Type of Insurance field (Occurrence vs. Claims-Made): Check the appropriate box. Most standard commercial GL policies are occurrence form. Claims-made policies are used for professional liability, some environmental, and some excess markets. A certificate claiming occurrence when the policy is claims-made is a material misrepresentation.

General Aggregate Limit: Enter the policy general aggregate limit. Standard ISO CGL at $1M per occurrence has a $2M general aggregate. If the policy has a per-project aggregate endorsement (CG 25 03), note that in the Description of Operations field - do not change the aggregate limit field.

Products - Completed Operations Aggregate: Enter the products/completed operations aggregate. Separate from the general aggregate on standard CGL policies.

Personal & Advertising Injury: Enter the per-occurrence limit for Coverage B. On standard $1M CGL policies, this is typically $1M.

Each Occurrence: Enter the per-occurrence limit. This is the maximum the policy pays for any single occurrence.

Damage to Rented Premises: Enter the per-fire limit for fire legal liability (Coverage A, Fire Damage). On standard policies, this is commonly $100,000 or $300,000.

Medical Expense: Enter the no-fault medical payments limit. Standard is $5,000 or $10,000.

Additional Insured checkbox: Check only if a policy endorsement adds the certificate holder or another named party as an additional insured. Do not check this box based on a contract request alone. The endorsement must exist on the policy before the box is checked.

Subrogation Waived checkbox: Check only if a waiver of subrogation endorsement (ISO CG 24 04 or equivalent) exists on the policy covering the relevant party. Do not check this box based on a contract requirement alone.

Common errors on GL section:

• Checking Additional Insured without a policy endorsement
• Entering policy limits as they were at inception when mid-term endorsements have changed them
• Listing the wrong aggregate limit (some policies have separate products and general aggregates that differ)

Automobile Liability

Type of Insurance: Check the applicable box - Any Auto, All Owned Autos, Scheduled Autos, Hired Autos, Non-Owned Autos. Most commercial auto policies cover "Any Auto" or a combination. Match the certificate to the policy's covered autos symbol.

Combined Single Limit: Enter the CSL. Most commercial auto policies for contractors and service businesses run $1M CSL.

Bodily Injury and Property Damage (per person / per accident): If the policy uses split limits instead of CSL, enter those values.

Common error: Checking "Any Auto" when the policy only covers scheduled autos or non-owned autos. Review the policy's covered autos declarations before checking boxes.

Umbrella Liability

Type of Insurance: Distinguish between umbrella and excess. True umbrella policies drop down to fill gaps in underlying coverage. Excess policies only pay above the underlying limits. Most contracts requiring umbrella want true umbrella, but many policies issued are follow-form excess.

Each Occurrence and Aggregate: Enter the umbrella limits. Common commercial umbrella limits are $1M to $10M.

Common error: Combining underlying GL and umbrella limits to represent a single number. If the contract requires $5M per occurrence GL and the insured has $1M GL + $4M umbrella, the certificate must show each policy separately.

Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability

Per Statute checkbox: Check this box for workers' compensation. Workers' comp limits are set by state statute - there is no dollar limit to enter for the WC coverage itself.

Employers' Liability (EL): Enter the three EL limits: EL Each Accident, EL Disease - Policy Limit, EL Disease - Each Employee. Standard limits are $500,000 / $500,000 / $500,000. Higher limits ($1M / $1M / $1M) are common in construction contracts.

Subrogation Waived checkbox: Check only if ISO endorsement WC 00 03 13 (Waiver of Our Right to Recover from Others) is on the policy for the relevant party.

Common error: Entering EL limits in the wrong order or entering the WC statutory limit (which does not exist) in the EL fields.

Additional Coverages

ACORD 25 has space for two additional coverage lines. Use these for professional liability (E&O), cyber liability, inland marine, or other coverages the contract requires documentation of. Enter the policy number, carrier, effective/expiration dates, and applicable limits.

Section 5: Description of Operations

This field is the most important on the form - and the most often wrong.

The Description of Operations should describe the specific reason this certificate is being issued. It should reference the project, the relationship, or the contract by name or number. It should list any endorsements that apply to the certificate holder.

What good Description of Operations text looks like:

"Certificate issued in connection with the commercial lease at 123 Main Street, Springfield, IL. Landlord Springfield Properties LLC is named as Additional Insured per ISO CG 20 11 on the named insured's GL policy. Waiver of subrogation applies to landlord per ISO CG 24 04."

What bad Description of Operations text looks like:

"Certificate holder is named as additional insured. Waiver of subrogation applies where required by written contract."

The bad version is a placeholder that tells the certificate holder nothing specific. More importantly, it may represent that an additional insured endorsement exists when none does, or that a blanket waiver applies when the policy has a scheduled waiver.

Common errors:

• Generic language that does not reference the specific contract or project
• Claiming endorsement coverage in the description without a corresponding policy endorsement
• Omitting required endorsement references that the contract specifies must appear on the certificate
• Exceeding the field's character limit by pasting long contract language (this truncates and may omit critical information)

Section 6: Certificate Holder

Enter the full legal name and complete mailing address of the party receiving the certificate. This is the entity that required the COI.

Common error: Using a trade name instead of the legal entity name. If the contract is with "Springfield Properties LLC," that exact name must appear as the certificate holder - not "Springfield Properties" or "Springfield Properties, Inc."

The certificate holder receives notice of cancellation. If the notice address is wrong, the certificate holder may not receive required notification before the policy cancels.

Section 7: Cancellation and Signature

Cancellation Notice Language

The 2016 ACORD 25 standard language reads: "Should any of the above described policies be cancelled before the expiration date thereof, notice will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions."

Earlier versions of ACORD 25 included "endeavor to" language: "...the issuing insurer will endeavor to mail ___ days written notice to the certificate holder." The "endeavor to" language is a best-efforts obligation, not a binding promise. Courts have consistently held that failure to provide notice under this language does not create carrier liability.

Some certificate holders require amended cancellation notice language - 30 days actual written notice for cancellation, 10 days for non-payment. Amended language requires a separate policy endorsement (ISO IL 12 01 or state-specific equivalent). Do not change the ACORD 25 cancellation field to promise 30 days notice without the underlying policy endorsement.

Authorized Representative Signature

The authorized representative is the licensed agent or CSR at the issuing agency. This signature represents that the certificate accurately reflects the policies described. An inaccurate certificate signed by an authorized representative creates personal E&O exposure for the signatory and agency liability.

Common error: Using a pre-printed or digitally reproduced signature without agency policy on certificate issuance authority. Establish clear agency protocols for who can sign certificates and under what circumstances.

Full ACORD 25 Field Checklist

For more on how to track certificates against policy endorsements, see our ACORD 25 issuing workflow guide and COI management automation guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ACORD 25 form used for?

ACORD 25 is the Certificate of Liability Insurance. It documents that a named insured has general liability, automobile liability, umbrella, workers' compensation, and other liability coverages in force at the time of issuance. Contracts, leases, and vendor agreements require ACORD 25 as proof that the insured carries required coverage. The certificate is informational - it does not modify or extend the underlying policies.

Can I check the Additional Insured box without a policy endorsement?

No. The Additional Insured checkbox on ACORD 25 represents that a policy endorsement grants additional insured status to the certificate holder or another specified party. Checking the box without the endorsement is a material misrepresentation. If a loss occurs and the additional insured cannot recover from the policy because the endorsement does not exist, the agency faces E&O liability for the misrepresentation.

What goes in the Description of Operations field on ACORD 25?

The Description of Operations field should identify the specific project, relationship, or contract that triggered the certificate, name any endorsements that apply to the certificate holder, and reference specific ISO endorsement forms if the contract requires them. Generic language like "certificate holder is named as additional insured where required by written contract" is insufficient and potentially misleading. Be specific: "Project: 456 Oak Street commercial renovation. General contractor [Name] is named as additional insured per CG 20 10 and CG 20 37. Waiver of subrogation applies per CG 24 04."

What is the difference between the 2016 and 2014 editions of ACORD 25?

The 2016/01 edition updated the cancellation notice language to remove the "endeavor to" wording in favor of "in accordance with policy provisions." The 2016 edition also added fields for producer contact information. For most operational purposes, the differences are minor - the coverage fields, checkboxes, and structure are identical. Use the current 2016/01 edition.

Does the ACORD 25 cancellation notice create a binding obligation to notify the certificate holder?

The standard 2016 ACORD 25 cancellation language ("notice will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions") does not create an independent obligation beyond what the policy requires. The prior "endeavor to" language was also non-binding. Courts have consistently held that neither version creates a binding promise to notify the certificate holder. If the contract requires guaranteed 30-day cancellation notice, the policy must be endorsed with ISO IL 12 01 or equivalent - the certificate language alone is insufficient.

Who can sign an ACORD 25 as authorized representative?

The authorized representative must be a licensed insurance producer or authorized agency employee under applicable state law. The signature represents that the certificate accurately reflects the described policies. Agency owners should establish written protocols defining who is authorized to sign certificates, under what circumstances, and what policy review is required before signature. Unauthorized or pre-signed certificates create E&O exposure for the individual signatory and the agency.

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Written by Javier Sanz, Founder of BrokerageAudit. Last updated April 2026.

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