Put the contract's insurance section next to three pages of your policy. Then check it in three passes: which policies, what limits, what extra wording. It takes fifteen to twenty minutes, and you write the gaps in a two column list for your broker. Who this is for: contractors and trades who want to check a contract themselves before they sign.
The short version
- You only need three parts of your policy: the first page that lists your limits, the list of forms attached to it, and the exclusion pages.
- Compare in three passes: which policies, what limits, then the extra wording.
- Write the results in a two column list so you and your broker see the same gaps.
- Skip the certificate. It shows what was typed, not what your policy says.
- Send the gaps to your broker in one email. Most are fixed in one to three business days.
Which pages of my policy do I actually need?
A commercial policy can run sixty pages. You need three parts of it. If you only have a certificate, ask your broker for the full policy. A certificate is a one page summary, not the policy itself.
| Part of the policy | What it tells you | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Declarations page | Your business name, policy dates, each limit, and your insurance company | The first page or two of each policy |
| Schedule of forms | Every endorsement attached to your policy. An endorsement is a change added to your policy, usually one extra page. | Right after the declarations page, a list of form numbers and titles |
| Exclusion pages | Work or situations the policy will not cover, such as roofing or work over three stories | Look for the word "exclusion" in the form titles |
The difference between a certificate and a declarations page matters here. The declarations page is the one that counts.
How do I do the comparison step by step?
- Find the insurance section of the contract. Look for "Insurance," "Insurance Requirements," or an exhibit near the back. Print it or open it on a second screen.
- Pass one: the list of policies. Write down every policy the contract names. General liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, sometimes pollution. Put a check next to each one you carry.
- Pass two: the limits. Next to each policy, write the contract's dollar amount and your declarations page amount. Circle any line where yours is lower.
- Pass three: the extra wording. Read the paragraphs under the limits. Every phrase there needs a matching form on your list of forms. Circle any you cannot find.
- Check the details. Your business name must match the contract exactly, and your policy dates must cover the job. Contracts often want your insurer rated A- VII or better, and on public work licensed in your state.
What does a finished comparison look like?
Here is an illustrative worksheet for a small subcontractor. Yours will have different numbers, but the shape is the same.
| Contract asks for | My policy says | Match? |
|---|---|---|
| General liability $1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate | $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 | Yes |
| Additional insured, ongoing and completed operations | Blanket additional insured form, ongoing operations only | No, completed operations is missing |
| Primary and noncontributory | Separate endorsement on my form list, or wording inside my additional insured form | Yes, confirmed on the form itself |
| Waiver of subrogation, general liability and workers comp | Blanket waiver on general liability, nothing on workers comp | No, workers comp waiver is missing |
| Employers liability $1,000,000 each accident, disease policy limit, and disease each employee | $100,000 / $500,000 / $100,000 | No, all three need to be raised |
| Commercial auto $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | Yes |
| Umbrella $2,000,000 | None | No, needs to be bought |
Do not assume that last one rides along with the page that adds your customer. Read the form, or ask your broker which form carries it.
What do the phrases in the contract mean?
You do not need to learn insurance to do this. You only need to translate a handful of phrases.
- Additional insured means your customer can use your liability policy if they get sued because of your work.
- Completed operations means that protection keeps going after the job is finished.
- Primary and noncontributory means your policy pays first and your customer's policy does not chip in.
- Waiver of subrogation means your insurance company agrees not to go after your customer to recover money it paid.
- Per project aggregate means your yearly limit resets for each job, so a claim on one project does not eat the coverage your other customers are counting on. More on how that works.
- Employers liability is the part of workers comp that pays if an employee sues you.
What do I send my broker?
Send the insurance section of the contract and your circled list, in one email. Ask two questions: what does each gap cost, and how long does each take. If you want a second opinion on the verdict, read does my insurance meet my contract's requirements.
What this looks like in real life
Illustrative example. It is typical of what we see and is not a promise of how any specific situation would be handled.
The setup: A plumbing contractor in New Jersey with six employees is offered a $95,000 subcontract on a school renovation. She sits down the night before signing to compare the two page insurance exhibit to her coverage.
What went wrong: Against her certificate, everything looked fine. Then she pulled the actual policy. Her employers liability read $100,000 / $500,000 / $100,000 against a $1,000,000 requirement, and her policy had no yearly limit that resets per job.
What it cost: Illustrative cost: raising employers liability cost roughly $180 a year and the per project aggregate roughly $350. Because she found both gaps before signing, there was no delay and no rejected certificate.
The fix: The certificate said yes. The policy said no. Twenty minutes with the right three pages saved a week of back and forth after the crew was scheduled.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I compare my insurance policy with a contract?
Put the contract's insurance section next to the front page of your policy and its list of forms. Check the policies, then the limits, then the extra wording. Circle every line that does not match and send the list to your broker.
Q: How long should this take me?
Fifteen to twenty minutes the first time, less after that. The slow part is finding the three pages, not comparing them.
Q: How do I know which changes my insurer added to my policy?
Look at the list of forms right after the front page. It names every form attached to the policy, by number and title. If a phrase in the contract has no matching form, that is a gap.
Q: Can I compare using my certificate of insurance instead?
No. A certificate shows what your broker typed, not what your policy says. Endorsement boxes can be checked in error, and the certificate never shows exclusions.
Q: What if the contract uses words I do not understand?
Most contracts use the same six or seven phrases, and each has a plain meaning listed above. If you hit one that is not on the list, ask your broker before you sign.
Q: Can my broker do the comparison for me?
Yes, and a good one will do it for free. Send the insurance section and your circled list, and ask for the reply in writing so you can forward it to your customer.
Q: What if the contract lists a policy I do not have at all?
That is common with umbrella and pollution coverage. Get a price before you decide the job is out of reach. Illustrative: a $1,000,000 umbrella often runs roughly $600 to $2,500 a year for a small contractor with clean claims, and your trade, payroll, state, and claims history move that a lot.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Walking a contractor through their own policy against a contract, gap by gap, is something we do every week.
- Free contract review. Send us the contract or bid documents and we mark up the insurance section in plain English, whether or not you buy anything from us.
- Free, instant certificates. Clients issue their own certificates of insurance online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge.
- Markets you cannot reach online. One application, shopped across many insurance companies for general liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, and pollution coverage.
One more thing. This article is general information and is not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Your contract and your policy wording control in every case. Requirements vary by customer, by state, and by insurance company, so have a licensed advisor review your own contract and your own policy before relying on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated September 2026.