You get endorsement copies from your own policy document or from your broker, usually the same day. Endorsements are the one or two page changes added to your policy that actually give your general contractor (GC) the protection your certificate claims. The GC wants them because a certificate is only a snapshot and its check boxes are claims, so the person who checks subcontractor insurance paperwork for the GC (their compliance desk) reads the endorsement pages to see what is really there. Who this is for: subcontractors who sent a certificate and got back an email asking for "copies of the endorsements."
The short version
- Endorsements are pages in your policy. If you have the full policy, you already have them.
- The summary page at the front of your policy lists which endorsements are on it.
- Your broker can send copies, usually within a day. A new endorsement takes one to three business days.
- GCs usually want three: coverage for them during the job, coverage after it, and a promise your insurer will not chase them for money.
- Send the endorsement pages as separate attachments with the certificate, not screenshots.
Why is my certificate not enough?
A certificate of insurance is a one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates. The check boxes for "additional insured" and "waiver of subrogation" (the promise that your insurance company will not go after the GC to recover money it paid) are statements that a matching endorsement exists on your policy. They are not the endorsement. If the endorsement is not there, the box means nothing. So most GCs now ask to see the pages themselves. More here: why a certificate is not coverage.
Which endorsements is my GC asking for?
Usually the first three below, sometimes all five. Each one is a change to your policy, and each has a plain English job.
| What the GC asks for | What it does | Common form on your policy |
|---|---|---|
| Additional insured, ongoing operations | The GC can use your policy if they get sued because of your work while you are on the job | 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, or an insurance company blanket form that mentions completed operations |
| Waiver of subrogation, general liability | Your insurance company agrees not to go after the GC to recover money it paid | CG 24 04, often blanket |
| Waiver of subrogation, workers comp | Same promise, on your workers comp policy | WC 00 03 13, sometimes a state specific version |
| Primary and noncontributory | Your policy pays first and the GC's policy does not chip in | CG 20 01, or wording built into the additional insured form |
The GC's email or portal usually names the ones they want. If it just says "endorsements," send the first three. Deeper reading: additional insured endorsements explained.
Where do I find them?
- Your policy PDF, or the binder (the short document your broker sends before the full policy arrives). Open the declarations page, the front section with your name and limits. The last page or two lists every form on the policy, often titled "Forms and Endorsements."
- The endorsement pages. Further back in the policy, in the same order. Find the pages whose numbers match, and save each as its own PDF.
- Your broker. If you do not have the full policy, email your broker for copies of the additional insured and waiver endorsements. Most send them the same day.
- Your online portal. Many insurance companies let you download the full policy under "Policy Documents."
What if the endorsement is not on my policy?
Then no copy exists, and the box on your certificate should not have been checked. This is the moment to fix it, not hide it. Ask your broker to add the missing endorsement. The insurance company usually issues it in one to three business days. Illustrative costs: blanket wording is often free, an endorsement naming one GC runs roughly $50 to $300, and completed operations sometimes adds a modest premium. Your price depends on your trade, payroll, state, and insurance company.
How do I send them so they get accepted?
- One PDF per endorsement, plus the certificate. One big scan often gets rejected.
- Include the forms list page. It proves the endorsements belong to this policy.
- For blanket wording, include the signed contract page that requires the GC to be named. Blanket forms cover "any customer your contract requires," so the contract is the missing link.
- Match the names. The GC's legal name on the certificate should match the contract exactly.
- Let your broker send them. Brokers handle these requests all day and can email the GC directly.
Sent that way, most packages are accepted the first time. See certificates for vendor compliance portals.
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 framing subcontractor in New Jersey sends a certificate for a $310,000 subcontract. The GC's outside paperwork checker replies within an hour: "Please provide copies of the additional insured (ongoing and completed operations) and waiver of subrogation endorsements referenced on the certificate."
What went wrong: The sub has never seen his full policy. His old agency emailed him a certificate each year and nothing else. It takes the agency three days to reply that the policy has blanket ongoing coverage and a waiver, but no completed operations form.
What it cost: Adding the completed operations endorsement cost about $300 (illustrative) and took two more business days. The framing start moved a week. Idle crew and a rescheduled crane came to roughly $6,500.
The fix: Get your full policy PDF the day it is issued and know where the forms list is. If your broker cannot send endorsement copies within a day, that tells you something.
Frequently asked questions
Q: My GC wants endorsements along with my certificate. Where do I get them?
From your policy document or your broker. The list of forms at the front of your policy shows which endorsements are on it, and the pages are further back. If you do not have the full policy, ask your broker. Most send copies the same day.
Q: What is an endorsement in plain English?
A change added to your policy, usually one extra page. The ones a GC asks about let them use your policy if they get sued because of your work, and stop your insurance company from going after them for money.
Q: Why does the GC not just trust the certificate?
Because a certificate is a snapshot, and its check boxes are claims that an endorsement exists. GCs have been burned by certificates that promised coverage the policy did not have, so they read the pages themselves.
Q: What if my broker says the endorsement is blanket and there is nothing to send?
There is still a page to send. Blanket wording is itself an endorsement with a form number and a title. Send that page plus the contract page that requires the GC to be named.
Q: How long does it take to get endorsement copies?
Copies of existing endorsements usually arrive the same day or the next. A new endorsement the insurance company has to issue takes one to three business days.
Q: Can my broker send the endorsements straight to the GC?
Yes. Brokers deal with GC paperwork checkers all the time. Tell your broker who to send them to and copy yourself so you have the record.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Pulling the endorsement pages behind a certificate and getting them to a general contractor's compliance desk in a form it will accept is something we do for subcontractor clients daily.
- 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.