Email the certificate to whoever handles insurance paperwork for your general contractor, as a PDF file. If they collect documents through a website instead, upload it there, and name the project either way. A certificate of insurance is the one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates, and it is what the builder checks before letting your crew on site. Morrow clients produce their own online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge, then send it wherever the builder wants it. Changes that need an endorsement, a change added to your policy, still go through the broker and take one to three business days. Who this is for: subcontractors sending proof of insurance to a builder for the first time.
The short version
- Send a PDF file, not a photo of a screen and not a scan of a print.
- Send it to whoever handles insurance paperwork, not only to your project manager.
- Name the project in the subject line and in the message.
- If the builder collects documents through a website, upload it there. An email alone often does not count.
- Keep a record of who has which version, and send a fresh one when your policy renews.
Who at the GC should get it?
Ask the person who sent you the contract for the name and email of whoever handles insurance compliance. On a small builder that is the office manager. On a larger one it is a whole team, or an outside company hired to collect documents. Whoever it is, they log your paperwork and clear your crew for site access.
Copy your project manager, but do not stop there. A certificate sitting in a project manager's inbox is not logged, and the system that clears your crew for site access never sees it.
Should I email it or upload it?
| How the builder collects it | What to do | What goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Email to the insurance contact | Attach the PDF file and name the project in the subject line | Sent to the wrong person, so nobody logs it |
| A website they use to collect documents | Log in, upload the file, then check the status turns to approved | Uploaded but never checked, so a rejection sits unread |
| Both | Upload first, then email the contact to say it is up | Only one of the two gets done |
| Broker sends it for you | Give your broker the exact contact or portal details | Broker sends it to the address on the old contract |
Those document websites have their own quirks. See how to handle them.
What should the email say?
Keep it to five lines. The person reading it handles dozens a day.
- Subject line: your company name, the project name, and the words certificate of insurance.
- First line: what is attached and which project it is for.
- Second line: say which changes your policy actually carries and that the certificate reports them. A checked box or a line in the notes box is a claim that a change exists, not proof of it, so many builders now ask for those policy pages themselves. Have them ready.
- Third line: your start date, so it gets priority if the file needs a fix.
- Signature: your name, your company, and your broker's name in case they have questions.
What does the GC check when it arrives?
Almost every rejection comes from this short list, and most of it is typing, not coverage.
- The name and address of the builder, spelled exactly as the contract spells them.
- The limits, checked line by line against the contract.
- The policy dates, which have to be current on the day the builder checks. A one year policy renews in the middle of a longer job, which is why you send a fresh certificate the day the renewal is on the system.
- Whether the builder can use your liability policy if it gets sued over your work.
- Whether that protection lasts after the job is finished.
- Whether your insurance company gave up its right to come after the builder for money it paid.
- The notes box, which usually has to name the project or repeat wording the contract asks for.
Full checklist here: what a general contractor looks for on a certificate. If it comes back rejected, see how to fix a rejected certificate.
How do I keep track of who has which version?
- Save every file you send, named with the customer, the project, and the date.
- Keep one sheet listing customer, project, date sent, and where it went.
- Note which customers make you upload the file to their website and which just want it emailed.
- Write down when each policy renews, so you know when the whole list needs a fresh copy.
- Keep the rejection emails. They tell you what that builder always checks.
What do I send at renewal?
A fresh certificate to every builder you are still working for, the day the new policy is on the system. The old one shows expired dates, and the builder's system will flag you as uninsured even though nothing changed.
If your policy renews in the middle of a job, do not wait for the builder to ask. See renewal certificates during a project.
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 concrete subcontractor in Texas gets a certificate from his broker on a Wednesday and emails it to the project manager he has been dealing with all month.
What went wrong: The builder logs insurance through a website the sub never registered for. The project manager reads the email, says thanks, and files it. The website still shows the sub as missing.
What it cost: Illustrative numbers: his crew is turned away at the gate the following Monday. Six workers lose a day at roughly $320 each, about $1,920, and his first pour slips a week behind the schedule.
The fix: The certificate was right the whole time. It went to a person instead of the system. Ask on day one where proof of insurance is logged, and confirm the status turns to approved.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I send a certificate of insurance to my GC?
Email the PDF file to whoever handles insurance paperwork for the builder, or upload it to the website they use to collect documents, and name the project. Copy your project manager, but make sure the paperwork side gets it too.
Q: Who should I send it to if nobody told me?
Ask whoever sent you the contract who handles insurance paperwork. On a small builder it is the office manager. On a larger one it is a whole team or an outside company hired to collect documents.
Q: Can I send a photo of the certificate?
No. Send the original PDF file. Photos and scans of printouts get rejected because the builder's system reads the file, and a blurry copy looks like it was altered.
Q: Do I need to upload it to their website if I already emailed it?
Yes, if they use one. That website is the record. An email to a project manager is not logged, and site access is usually cleared from the website status, not from somebody's inbox.
Q: Should I put the project name on it?
Yes, whenever the contract asks for it. The project name or number goes in the notes box on the certificate itself, not just in your email.
Q: How do I know they got it?
Ask for confirmation, and if they use a website, check that the status shows approved. Rejections often sit unread for days because nobody logs back in to look.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Producing the certificate a builder will accept, in about a minute and at no charge, is what our clients 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.