What is a Certificate of Insurance?

When does a Business need a Certificate?

A certificate of insurance is a document that is used to provide info about specific insurance coverages. The certificate is issued to one entity and provides information about the insurance coverages another entity has secured. The certificates are usually required as part of a contract between a business, a contractor, and a subcontractor. A certificate of insurance can be offered for General Liability, Business Auto, Umbrella, and Workers Compensation.

Certificate of Insurance

What is Included with a Certificate?

The certificate of insurance includes the type of insurance coverage that has been secured, the limits of those policies, and the named insured. The certificate will also include whether there is an Additional Insured or Waiver of Subrogation associated with any of the policies included in the certificate. It should include detailed information about the company or person who receives the certificate that includes full address, contact name, email address, phone number, and fax number. When requesting a certificate be sent to another entity, the more information you provide the better.

Who Might need a Certificate of Insurance?

Typically a certificate of insurance is needed when a business hires a general contractor for a job or a contractor hires a subcontractor to perform a specific part of a job. The certificate is provided as proof the business or the general contractor made sure the contractor or subcontractor they are interacting with has coverage in place at the time the work was done. It is important to always ask a contractor for a new certificate every time you work with them. Just because someone had coverage in place in the past does not mean they still have coverage. If a business or a general contractor hires a business who does not have proper coverage in place, the business or general contractor will take on the liability for damages in most instances.

Workers Comp Audits

Here is how to best prepare for your businesses for a workers compensation audit.

Each year all businesses must go through a workers compensation audit process. If you are like most small business owners, this is not one of your favorite parts of owning a business. The process can be long and tedious, but the more prepared you are for this process, the more quick and more smooth the process will be. Consulting with your independent insurance agent can help you prepare for the process and make sure the audit is done well the first time through the process. Here are 7 ways to ensure this process goes as painless as possible.

Communicate with your agent.

Open communication with your insurance agent is essential to a successful workers’ compensation audit. This is a reason why it is important to consider an independent insurance agent. An independent agent is not as closely associated to the insurance carrier. They can help you prepare for the audit and negotiate on your behalf if anything does not go in your favor. Open communication throughout your relationship with your insurance agent is essential to a satisfied experience during your small businesses workers comp audit.

Have paperwork prepared in advance

Having all necessary paperwork prepared in advance of your audit will make the process move as smooth as it possibly can. This includes any and all payroll and employee records. Job descriptions need to be included for each employee and their annual weeks, days and hours worked. The more detailed the better.

Payment and cash disbursement records,

Throughout the year it is important to keep a record of all payments and cash disbursement. Not having these available and organized is a good reason to have the auditor dig a little deeper during your businesses workers compensation audit. The more open, honest and organized you are throughout the entire audit process the more smooth the process will be.

Certificates of Insurance

Make sure to keep a detailed record of all needed certificates of insurance for any and all sub-contractors or independent contractors your business used. The primary reason for providing these documents is that if you do not, these contractors will be listed as employees and it can substantially raise what you pay in premium.

Experience Modification Worksheet

The experience modification worksheet is a document that is published annually by the rating bureau in your state. It covers the loss history for your business during the most recent three-year period, not including the most recent year. The most recent year is not included due to overlap from some claims not being closed. If you have had a large claims or a large amount of minor claims during any year it is important to have this worksheet available in order to show the true loss history of your business.

Make yourself available for the exit interview

After a typical workers’ compensation audit there is an exit interview at some time. It usually lasts several hours and is a way for the auditor to ensure they have all the necessary information to accurately audit your business. The more up-front you are with the auditor the more smooth the process will be.

Respond promptly to auditor follow-up questions

There will more than likely be questions you do not have the answer to. The more quick and thorough you respond to these questions the more likely the auditor is to work with you to quickly finish the audit process. The time period after the audit normally takes two to three weeks. There may be additional questions that need clarification and this may be a frustrating part of the process. The more accurate the audit is the better it is for your company. Your agent can help you with any of these questions if you are having a trouble finding the exact information to satisfy the auditor. It is also important to keep in mind that for security purposes, the auditor does not keep your payroll records. You very likely will be asked to provide additional information or records that you have already provided. No this going in to the audit and it can save you a lot of heart ache during the process.

An accurate workers compensation audit is in your best interest, moreso than a fast audit. This process is frustrating even during a good audit. It will take time away from your normal work, but it is within your best interest to ensure your audit is fair and accurate. Keep a positive attitude and consult your independent insurance agent in order to ensure your audit process goes as smoothly as possible.

Have a Work Comp Audit soon?

Here are 7 tips for a Smooth Workers Compensation Audit

Each year all businesses must go through a workers compensation audit process. If you are like most small business owners, this is not one of your favorite parts of owning a business. The process can be long a tidious, but the more prepared you are for this process, the more quick and more smooth the process will be. Consulting with your independent insurance agent can help you prepare for the process and make sure the audit is done well the first time through the process. Here are 7 ways to ensure this process goes as painless as possible.

Communicate with your agent.

Open communication with your insurance agent is essential to a smooth workers compensation audit. This is a reason why it is important to consider an independent insurance agent. An independent agent is not as closely associated to the insurance carrier. They can help you prepare for the audit and negotiate on your behalf if anything does not go in your favor. Open communication throughout your relationship with your insurance agent is essential to a satisfied experience during your small businesses workers comp audit.

Have paperwork prepared in advance

Payment and cash disbursement records,

Throughout the year it is important to keep a record of all payments and cash disbursement. Not having these available and organized is a good reason to have the auditor dig a little deeper. The more open, honest and organized you are throughout the entire audit process the more smooth the process will be.

Certificates of Insurance

In order to ensure a smooth workers compensation audit, make sure to keep a detailed record of all needed certificates of insurance for any and all sub-contractors or independent contractors your business used. The primary reason for providing these documents is that if you do not, these contractors will be listed as employees and it can substantially raise what you pay in premium.

Experience Modification Worksheet

Make yourself available for the exit interview

After a typically smooth workers compensation audit there is an exit interview at some time. It usually lasts several hours and is a way for the auditor to ensure they have all the necessary information to accurately audit your business. The more up-front you are with the auditor the more smooth the process will be.

Respond promptly to auditor follow-up questions

There will more than likely be questions you do not have the answer to, the auditor will have for you during the audit. The more quick and more thorough you respond to these questions the more the auditor will work with you to promptly and accurately finish the audit process. The time period after the audit, before the auditor will finish the process, normally takes two to three weeks. There may be additional questions that need clarification. This may be a frustrating part of the process, but the more accurate the audit is the better it is for your company. Your agent can help you with any of these questions if you are having a trouble finding the exact information to satisfy the auditor. It is also important to keep in mind that for security purposes, the auditor does not keep your payroll records. You very likely will be asked to provide additional information or records that you have already provided.

An Accurate audit is in your best interest, moreso than a fast audit. This process is frustrating even during a good audit. It will take time away from your normal work, but it is within your best interest to ensure your audit is fair and accurate. Keep a positive attitude and consult your independent insurance agent in order to ensure your audit process goes as smoothly as possible.

Additional Insured or Waiver of Subrogation

My Customer Service Representative (CSR) and I see a ton of requests for a Certificate of Insurance. Many of our clients do not understand what a Certificate Holder is or what being an additional insured means. I want to describe the differences between additional insured and a certificate holder. I want to explain this because, many clients don’t understand why an Additional Insured cannot be named on a workers comp policy. These same clients do not understand why the same person can be named on Liability Policies. Well I am going to shed some light on this situation. Here are four common terms that will help a business owner through the process.

Certified, additional insured, waiver of subrogation.

Certificate of Insurance:

A certificate of insurance is a document issued by an insurance company to verify insurance coverage to another person. The document tells what coverage is secured and under what specific conditions grated to the listed individuals. The document lists the effective date of the policy and the type of insurance coverage secured. Also, a certificate of insurance includes the limits of liability and the dollar amount of coverage. It is important to understand the holder of the certificate is not covered under the policy. The certificate serves as proof the holder made sure the person they are interacting with secured coverage.

Additional Insured:

When an insurance professional refers to an additional insured, they are referring to a type of status associated with General Liability Insurance Policies. Those policies provide coverage to other individuals or a group of individuals who were not initially named on the policy. After endorsement, the additional insured will be protected under the named insurer’s policy. They can file a claim in the event they are sued. Additional Insured is available on General Liability, Auto Liability and Umbrella Liability.

Certificate Holder:

A certificate holder is an individual or entity that is named on the certificate of insurance. When named on the certificate, they are notified when coverage is cancelled prior to the renewal date. This is needed in the event a business is partnering with a contractor or another business and that business does not hold the necessary coverage for the business interaction. No coverage protection under the contractor’s policies is provided to a Certificate Holder.

Waiver of Subrogation:

A Waiver of Subrogation means the insurance carrier agrees to relinquish any right to recover damages if it is determined in the course of investigating the claim that the client or one of the client’s employees was responsible for the loss. An insurance carrier may reserve the “right of subrogation” in the event of a loss. This means the company may choose to take action to recover the amount of a claim paid to a covered insured, if the loss was caused by a third party.

Waiver of Subrogation is available on General Liability, Auto Liability, Umbrella Liability and Workers Compensation. A Waiver of Subrogation provision prevents an insurance company (who steps into the shoes of the insured after it pays a loss) from suing the other party to the contract. This is likely the party who caused the loss. Moreover, Waiver of Subrogation provisions found in contracts are generally upheld by Courts.

When a contractor works another person’s property, there are risks involved. Contractors can damage personal property or be injured while performing work. Companies and individuals that hire contractors want to be certain they will not be held liable for injuries, damages or substandard work. For this reason, they will frequently request to see a certificate of insurance from those contractors.

In my experience, most client’s call and request an additional insured to be added to a work comp policy. An Additional Insured cannot be added to a Workers Compensation Policy. As stated above, an Additional Insured is naming someone else on a policy and a Work Comp Policy is written to cover injured employees. Workers Comp does not cover another company. The alternative to this issue would be requesting a Waiver of Subrogation. If you are a sub contractor and you are working with a larger company requesting a Waiver of Subrogation, it is important to make sure you the contractor understand what you are being asked to waive.

If your company hires subcontractors, it’s important to get a certificate of insurance from every subcontractor. Even if you trust your subcontractors. For example, if you have worked with these contractors in the past you need to get updated certificates. Even if you knew the to have insurance in the past they may not have it now. A business owner should submit a request for a certificate each time they hire a contractor. This insures they have proper insurance. Proper insurance at the time you hired them. Doing this can prevent a scenario where you inadvertently take on the risks associated with the work your subcontractors perform.

The content of My Insurance Question is created by the experts at The Insurance Shop LLC. The Insurance Shop is an independent insurance agency that was founded in 2005. Over the past decade and a half, the agents at The Insurance Shop have developed relationships with more then a dozen insurance carriers. These carriers give their agents the ability to shop your policy around and make the carriers compete for your business. If you are looking for a better value when renewing your commercial insurance package, let us shop insurance so you don’t have to. Give us a call today at 800-800-4864.

Underwriting and What It Means to You

I have taken many calls from business owners in search of Work Comp. I would like to say that I have always been able to help. One common exception is when a business can only purchase coverage through the assigned risk pool and the truth is there are many businesses who have no other option. Assigned risk is outside the volunteer insurance market. Underwriting these industries is risky for the carrier and that makes it extremely difficult for an agent to find a carrier willing to quote the business.

Insurance agents typically interact with a minimum of 20 workers comp clients per day.

What ultimately puts a business into the assigned risk pool is what is called, underwriting guidelines. What can sometimes be a hurdle is explaining to potential clients that I am not the underwriter. I ultimately do not have the say on if a carrier will take on a particular business (risk). What makes a business a “risk”, whether it be a high risk or a low risk, is determined by the underwriter with the insurance carrier. There are many factors that determine if an insurance carrier will take on the risk of you and your business.

Insurance Underwriters research and assess the risk each prospect presents. Get all of your questions about underwriting answered at myinsurancequestion.com

Underwriters also research and assess the risk each prospect presents. This helps to create the market for securities by accurately pricing risk and setting fair premium rates that adequately cover the true cost of insuring policyholders. If a specific applicant’s risk is deemed to be too high, underwriters frequently refuse to cover it.

The most common reason a business is declined coverage on the open market is due to the business not having enough payroll for the exposure. Most construction businesses are going to need between $20 and $30k in payroll to be offered coverage by a carrier on the open market. Many of my potential clients ask me to just quote with $25k in payroll so they can get the policy they need. However, the policy will most likely be cancelled in a year due to not enough payroll or premium too small for risk.

The next reason for a business to be declined is because of 1099 or sub exposure. I should say that the amount of sub exposure to w2 employees makes a difference. Most carriers want no more than 20% of sub or 1099 employees. Just because a business has chosen to issue 1099 rather than W2’s does not automatically mean the employee is an independent contractor and should not have rights to work comp coverage. Many business owners assume that they do not have to provide coverage for the subs however if the sub or 1099 is not providing a Certificate of Insurance to the contractor or business owner, than the payroll will be picked up at audit. because of this the policy owner will owe in to the carrier for that employee. Ultimately what carriers worry about most with the subs is if there was a lapse of coverage the contractor would be on the hook for any claims that were to happen.

If I had to pick one other reason for a business to be declined coverage it is because of travel exposure. By travel exposure I mean using a vehicle to do work related to the business. Carriers deem this a larger risk because when the employees are driving there is a higher rate of claims and the claims tend to be more severe. It seems these days’ contractors need to go where the work is. If there is multi-state exposure where employees are traveling out of state or live near the border of two states, that is something that many carriers are not interested in writing. For instance, if a contractor sends 5 or 6 employees more than 50 miles away to do a job and they all ride together that is 5 or 6 claims that would have to be paid if they were all riding together and were injured in a car accident. Many employers think that while their employees are driving to work they are not covered under an employer’s work comp policy. That is accurate if you drive the same route to work every day and generally go to the same place every day. However, if you as a business owner send your employees on jobs that in tails driving exposure. The driving exposure is anything that would not normally be a part of everyday work. If the employee is solely driving for the reason of doing a job then the insurance carrier would indeed need to pay for the claims that arise out of a car accident.

Insurance is the most common example of underwriting that most people encounter. In order for insurance to work well, risk has to be spread out among as many people as possible. Underwriting helps insurance companies manage the risk that too many policyholders will file claims at once by spreading out the risk among outside investors. Once an underwriter has been found for a given policy, the capital the underwriter puts up at the time of investment acts as a guarantee that the claim can be paid. This allows the company to issue more insurance to other customers. In exchange for taking on this risk, the underwriter is entitled to payments drawn from the policyholder’s premiums.

Long story short the 3 reasons for businesses being declined by an underwriter are not enough payroll, too much 1099 or sub exposure and too much travel exposure. These risks are just a few that could result in your business being placed in the Assigned Risk Pool.