You need a second one page change to your policy (an endorsement), one that keeps your general contractor (GC) covered after you finish the job. This one is called completed operations additional insured. It is a separate form from the one that covers the GC while you are on site, it is the piece most often missing from small contractor policies, and your broker can usually add it in one to three business days. Who this is for: subcontractors whose contract says "additional insured, ongoing and completed operations" and who are not sure their policy has the second half.
The short version
- Coverage after the job is separate wording. The form that covers the GC during the work does not include it.
- Many of the biggest construction claims show up after the job is done, which is why GCs insist on this piece.
- Some blanket forms cover ongoing work only. Check yours for wording that keeps going after the job is done.
- Illustrative cost: often nothing, sometimes a modest extra premium depending on your trade.
- Send the GC the policy page with your certificate. The check box alone will not pass.
Why does my GC care about coverage after I leave?
Because that is when the lawsuits come. A leak shows up the second winter. A floor lifts. A railing gives way. When that happens, the injured person or the owner sues everyone, including the GC. The GC wants to hand that lawsuit to your insurance company, not their own. Coverage while you are working stops when your part of the job is complete.
In insurance language, claims from finished work are called "completed operations." Your general liability policy usually already covers you for them. Check that the front pages of your policy show a yearly limit for completed operations, and that no endorsement cuts out finished work. Deeper reading: what completed operations means.
What exactly do I need?
The completed operations form in the table below. If you do not have the ongoing operations form yet, you need both.
| What the contract says | Plain English | Common policy form |
|---|---|---|
| Additional insured, ongoing operations | The GC can use your policy for claims that happen while you are working | CG 20 10 (lists customers by name), CG 20 33 (blanket, for customers you sign a contract with), or CG 20 38 (blanket, and it also covers the owner and others your contract makes you add) |
| Additional insured, completed operations | That protection keeps going after the job is finished | CG 20 37, either with your GC typed in the schedule or with blanket wording typed in (any customer your written contract requires), or an insurance company blanket form that mentions completed operations |
Watch for the trap. Many policies have a "blanket additional insured" form and the owner assumes it covers everything. Some cover ongoing work only. If yours does not say "completed operations," assume the GC is not covered after the job. More here: additional insured endorsements explained.
How do I get it added?
- Send your broker the insurance section of the subcontract. The wording tells them which form to order.
- Ask for blanket wording if you can get it. Blanket covers every future GC automatically.
- Wait one to three business days. That is the usual turnaround from the insurance company.
- Get the endorsement page and save it. You will send it with every certificate on this job.
- Reissue the certificate with the endorsement page attached.
How long does the coverage last after the job?
As long as your policy stays in force with the endorsement on it, up to whatever time limit the contract or the form sets. Many contracts ask you to keep it for two, three, or more years after completion. That means renewing with the same wording each year. If you switch insurance companies, make sure the new policy carries completed operations wording for past jobs too, or the GC's protection ends the day the old policy does.
What does it cost?
Illustrative figures. Your price depends on your trade, payroll, state, and insurance company.
| Situation | Illustrative cost |
|---|---|
| Blanket completed operations wording already on the policy | $0. You already have it. |
| Adding blanket completed operations wording | Often nothing, sometimes a modest extra premium for the year |
| Adding it for one named GC | Roughly $50 to $300 for the endorsement, plus any premium the insurance company charges by trade |
| Trades whose problems show up years later (roofing, waterproofing, structural) | Higher than average, and a few insurance companies will not offer it at all |
If your insurance company will not add completed operations wording, a broker can usually find one that will. See when requirements exceed your policy.
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 siding subcontractor in Massachusetts finishes a $220,000 package on a townhouse project. The subcontract required the GC to be an additional insured during the job and after. His policy had a blanket form, so his certificate showed the box checked.
What went wrong: Sixteen months later, water gets behind the siding on two units. The owners sue the GC for roughly $140,000 in repairs. The GC sends the claim to the sub's insurance company, which reads the blanket form. It covers ongoing operations only.
What it cost: The GC's own policy defended the suit, then billed the sub roughly $38,000 under the indemnity clause in the subcontract (a promise to cover the GC's losses). That covered legal fees plus the part of the claim the GC paid out of pocket (their deductible). Whether the sub's own policy picks that up depends on its wording and state law, and either way it comes out of his own limits after months of arguing. The missing endorsement would have cost roughly $250 (illustrative).
The fix: Read the blanket form, or have your broker read it, for the words completed operations before you issue the certificate. If they are not there, order the second endorsement.
Frequently asked questions
Q: My GC wants additional insured coverage after the job is finished. What do I need?
A completed operations additional insured endorsement on your general liability policy. It is a separate form from the one that covers the GC while you are working. Ask your broker for blanket wording so it covers every future GC too.
Q: Is coverage after the job included when I add my GC as an additional insured?
Not automatically. The standard ongoing operations form stops applying once your work is complete. You need a second form, or a blanket form that mentions completed operations, for the GC to stay covered.
Q: How do I know if my policy already has it?
Look at the list of forms at the front of your policy for an additional insured form that mentions completed operations, then read that page. If your only additional insured form covers ongoing operations, you do not have it.
Q: How long do I have to keep the coverage in place after the job?
As long as the contract says, often two to three years or more after completion. That means renewing with the same wording each year and making sure any new insurance company carries it for past jobs.
Q: Does coverage after the job cost extra?
Sometimes. Blanket wording is often free or close to it. A named endorsement runs roughly $50 to $300 (illustrative), and some trades pay a modest extra premium because their finished work is more likely to cause a claim years later.
Q: What if my insurance company will not add it?
Some do not offer it for certain trades. Your broker can usually find another insurance company that will. Going without it leaves a gap in every GC contract you sign.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Adding completed operations additional insured wording, and making sure it is really there before the certificate goes out, is a gap we close for subcontractor clients 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.