Guide
How to Verify Coverage Limits on a COI
By Keelstar Team · Updated June 1, 2026
The short answer
Extract per-occurrence, aggregate, and umbrella limits from each policy line on the ACORD 25 and compare them line by line to your insurance exhibit — not to memory. A vendor can have valid insurance that still fails your program because limits are too low or umbrella sits below required thresholds. Document pass/fail in the vendor record before approving work.
Limits are contractual, not optional
U.S. owner and operator contracts specify minimum limits for a reason: they reflect asset value, foot traffic, and downstream indemnity exposure. 'They have insurance' is not the standard — 'they meet our stated minimums' is. A cleaning vendor with $300,000 general liability fails a $1,000,000 requirement even if every date is current.
Which numbers to compare
On general liability, compare each occurrence and general aggregate limits. Automobile liability has its own per-accident limits. Employers liability under workers comp has separate bodily injury and disease limits. Umbrella or excess policies show their own occurrence and aggregate — confirm they meet your tier, not just that a policy exists.
- GL each occurrence vs your contract minimum
- GL general aggregate — watch 'project' or 'location' aggregates on large jobs
- Auto combined single limit or split limits
- Employers liability on the workers comp line
- Umbrella/excess occurrence and aggregate
Watch combined single limits vs split limits
Some certificates show a combined single limit (CSL) for automobile liability; others split bodily injury and property damage. Convert to your contract's language before approving. Construction fleets and healthcare courier services often trigger auto limit review because vehicles operate on public roads and patient campuses.
Aggregates and large projects
General aggregate caps total payouts in a policy term. On multi-year construction or portfolio-wide property contracts, project-specific or location-specific aggregates may apply through endorsements. If your contract requires a dedicated project aggregate, a standard certificate may not prove compliance — request the endorsement.
Automate the comparison
Manual comparison works for a handful of vendors; it fails at scale. Encode your tier limits once and validate each intake certificate against them. Flag shortfalls before a human approves — especially when limits differ by trade on the same job site.
When limits fail review
Reject the certificate and notify the vendor to obtain increased limits or an umbrella policy. Do not accept 'we'll fix it later' while work proceeds — uninsured gaps rarely fix themselves. Record the deficiency and follow up with the broker copied on the thread.
Frequently asked questions
- Are limits shown in thousands on the ACORD 25?
- Yes. A '1,000' in the limits column typically means $1,000,000. Train reviewers to read the column header — misreading units is a common approval error.
- Does umbrella always apply on top of general liability?
- Usually, but follow-through matters. Confirm umbrella exists when your contract requires it and that underlying limits meet umbrella carrier requirements — low underlying limits can void excess coverage.
Related guides
Put this into a monitored workflow
COI Tracker handles this continuously — with reminders and an audit trail.