A broker needs four things above all. Your current policies, five years of your claims history, your payroll and sales split by type of work, and the contract that asks for the limit. With those in hand, most brokers can fill out the umbrella application and have it in front of insurers the same day. Who this is for: contractors who want this done in one pass.
The short version
- Eleven items cover almost every umbrella application. Most are already in your inbox.
- The big three are the summary page from every policy, five years of your claims history, and your payroll and sales by type of work.
- Send the contract too. The broker has to match the exact limit and wording your customer wants.
- The broker fills out the application from what you send. You review it and sign.
- Missing paperwork is the top reason an umbrella takes two weeks instead of two days.
What is on the checklist?
An umbrella is a second layer of coverage above your general liability, auto, and workers comp liability policies. It pays after those run out, so the insurer wants to know what they cover, what claims you have had, and what work you do.
| Document | Why the insurer needs it | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The summary page (declarations page) for general liability, auto, and workers comp | Shows the limits, dates, insurer, and the endorsement numbers attached. Only the full policy shows what those endorsements say, so send that too | Your broker or insurer portal |
| 2. Five years of loss runs (your claims history report), pulled in the last 60 to 90 days | Shows how many claims you have had, how large, and which are open | Each insurer you have had. A broker not on the policy needs a letter you sign first |
| 3. Payroll and sales by type of work | Prices the risk and confirms what work you do | Your accountant or last workers comp audit |
| 4. Subcontractor costs and how you handle them | How much you hand to subs, and whether you collect certificates | Your books and job files |
| 5. Largest projects and typical size | Shows how big a claim your work could produce | Your job list |
| 6. The contract or bid that requires the limit | Sets the limit, whether the umbrella must match your general liability, whether your customer must be protected under it, and the deadline | Your customer |
| 7. Driver and vehicle list, if the umbrella sits over auto | A large share of umbrella claims | Your auto summary page |
| 8. Written safety program and subcontractor agreement | Shows the next big claim is less likely | Your files, even if two pages |
| 9. A short description of your business: years running, states, residential share, website | Points the broker at insurers that want your work | An email |
| 10. The umbrella application (ACORD 131) | Pulls it all into one form every insurer accepts | Your broker fills it out. You sign |
| 11. A signed surplus lines form, if the umbrella comes from a specialty insurer | Most states require you to sign that you understand a specialty insurer is not backed by the state guaranty fund | Your broker sends it at the end. Sign it the same day |
Why does the broker need my whole policy and not just my certificate?
A certificate of insurance is a one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates. It does not show the exclusions or the endorsements (changes added to your policy). The umbrella insurer needs those. It reads what your general liability grants: whether your customer is added automatically when a contract requires it or has to be named one at a time, whether the insurer underneath is rated A- or better, and whether anything underneath is excluded. The umbrella carries that protection upward. It cannot create protection the policy below does not give.
How do I get my claims history, and why five years?
Ask each insurer you have used in the last five years, in writing, for currently valued reports. Your broker can request them, but only after you sign a short letter authorizing it, so sign that on day one. Some insurers answer in days, some take two weeks. Check the report first, because closed claims are sometimes still shown as open. Here is how.
What does the broker do with all of it?
- Fills out the application and a short note telling your story, including anything a claim or a gap needs explained.
- Sends it to several insurers at once, standard and specialty, that write your trade in your state.
- Reads each quote against your contract: the limit, whether the umbrella matches your general liability, whether it protects your customer, and what it excludes.
- Puts the one you pick in place and issues the certificate.
With a complete file, a $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 umbrella often comes back within a week. See how long an umbrella takes.
What slows the process down?
- Claims reports you have not requested yet. The biggest delay. Request them the day you know you need an umbrella.
- Payroll and sales that do not add up. If sales by trade do not match your workers comp payroll, the file stops.
- A certificate in place of policies. The insurer sends the file back for the summary pages.
- The contract arriving last. Without it the broker guesses at the wording.
For what an umbrella covers and typical prices, see commercial umbrella insurance.
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 Massachusetts with seven employees signs a $480,000 subcontract on a school addition. The general contractor requires a $3,000,000 umbrella and a certificate within ten business days. The owner emails his broker one thing: his certificate.
What went wrong: The broker asks for the policy summary pages, claims reports, and payroll. The prior insurer takes nine business days to release the reports. Payroll by trade arrives on day eight. The application goes out on day ten.
What it cost: The umbrella is in place on day 14 at $4,700 a year, illustrative, and the certificate arrives four days late. The general contractor holds the start a week. Roughly $6,500 in idle crew.
The fix: Every document the insurer needed already existed on day one. Gathering the checklist before calling the broker would have put the same umbrella in place in under a week.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What documents does a broker need to find umbrella insurance?
Your current policy pages, five years of claims history on each, your payroll and sales by trade, how you handle subcontractors, your biggest projects, a driver and vehicle list if trucks are involved, and the contract that requires the limit.
Q: Do I have to fill out the umbrella application myself?
No. Your broker completes it from what you send and asks you to review and sign. You are responsible for the answers being true, so read it first.
Q: Is my certificate of insurance enough to start?
It is a start, but not enough. The certificate is a summary. The umbrella insurer needs the policy summary pages, and often the full policies, to see the exclusions underneath.
Q: What if my business has never had a claim?
You still need proof. Ask each insurer for a report showing no claims, or a short letter saying the same. An underwriter will not take your word for a clean record.
Q: What if my other policies renew in the middle of this?
Tell your broker right away. An umbrella is written over specific policies, limits, and dates, so a renewal that changes any of those can mean a new quote or a corrected certificate.
Q: How fast can a broker get an umbrella once the documents are in?
With a complete file, a $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 umbrella for a common trade often comes back the same day to within a week. Specialty placements and stacked layers can take two weeks or more.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Gathering the file, completing the umbrella application, and shopping it across insurers is the work our contractor clients hand us most often.
- 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.