Your insurance broker or agent issues your certificates, and they do it at no charge. A certificate of insurance is a one page summary of your policies, limits, and dates, and issuing it is part of servicing the policy you already pay for. Morrow clients go a step further and issue their own online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge. Changes that need an endorsement, a change added to your policy, still go through the broker. Who this is for: anyone who was asked to pay for a certificate, or who is not sure who is supposed to produce one.
The short version
- Your broker or agent issues your certificates. It is part of servicing your policy, so it is free.
- You can ask for as many as you need. The count does not change the price.
- An agency that charges per certificate is unusual, and some states limit fees like that.
- You cannot make your own. It has to come from your licensed agency or from the insurance company itself.
- What can cost money is a change to your coverage, never the piece of paper itself.
Who is allowed to issue my certificate?
The licensed agency that placed your policy. That is your broker or agent. In some cases the insurance company issues one directly, but for most small businesses the broker does it.
You cannot type up your own, even if every number on it is true. A certificate is a statement about your coverage made by a licensed agency, and your customer is relying on it. Editing a copy of an old one is worse. It misstates what your policy actually says, and your customer is relying on it. That is a misrepresentation, not a shortcut. It can cost you the job, and in some states it breaks your state's certificate rules. See whether you can make your own certificate.
Why is a certificate free?
Because you already paid for it. Your premium includes the commission the insurance company pays your broker, and servicing the policy is what that commission buys. Certificates are servicing. So are renewal reminders, coverage questions, and claims help.
Is my broker allowed to charge me for one?
It is unusual, and some states restrict what an agency can charge on top of premium. A fee is not automatically improper. It is fair to ask three things before you pay it.
- What does this fee cover that my premium does not?
- Does it apply to every request or only unusual ones?
- Is it disclosed anywhere I agreed to in writing?
If the answers are thin, that is a reason to talk to another broker. More detail here: does a certificate cost money.
What actually costs money?
The paper is free. Changing what it reports can cost real money, because that means changing your policy. The ranges below are illustrative for a small contractor. Your trade, payroll, state, and claims history set the real price.
| What you are asking for | Cost |
|---|---|
| A certificate for a new customer | Free |
| Thirty certificates for thirty customers | Free |
| A replacement copy of one you lost | Free |
| Naming your customer on a policy that already protects the people you sign contracts with | Usually free |
| Adding that wording to a policy that lacks it | Roughly $0 to $300 a year, illustrative |
| Keeping your customer covered after the job is done | Roughly $50 to $300 a year, illustrative, and trade dependent |
| Raising a limit because the contract asks for more | Real premium. Price it before you sign. |
How fast should a free certificate arrive?
It depends on who is producing it and when you ask.
| How you get it | When you can get it | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|
| You issue it yourself online | Any hour, any day | About a minute |
| You email your agency | Business hours | Minutes to a day or two |
| You email on a Friday night | Read Monday morning | Monday, which can cost you the start |
| The request needs a policy change first | Business hours, insurer involved | One to three business days |
See how to get a certificate instantly.
What should I send so it comes back right the first time?
- The exact legal name and address of the customer asking for it.
- The project name or number, if the contract wants it in the notes box.
- The insurance page of the contract, attached, not summarized.
- The date the certificate is due and the date work starts.
- Where to send it: an email address, or a link to the website the customer uses to collect documents.
A full template is here: how to request a certificate.
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 painting contractor in New Jersey works for six property managers and two general contractors. Each one wants its own certificate, and two of them want a fresh one every year at renewal.
What went wrong: His agency bills a service fee for each certificate and only issues them between 9 and 5. He puts off requests to save money, then scrambles when a manager threatens to hold a payment.
What it cost: Illustrative numbers: 14 certificates in a year at a $25 fee is $350, plus a $2,800 payment held for eleven days while a certificate sat in a queue over a holiday weekend.
The fix: He moved his policies to an agency that issues certificates free and lets him produce them himself. The $350 went away and so did the waiting.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who issues certificates of insurance for free?
Your own broker or agent does, and almost all of them issue at no charge, because it is part of servicing the policy you already pay for. Some agencies also let you produce your own online at any hour, which is worth asking about.
Q: Can I just make my own certificate?
No. It has to come from your licensed agency or from the insurance company itself, not from you, because your customer is relying on it as a statement about your coverage. Editing an old copy misstates what your policy says, which can cost you the job.
Q: Is it legal for an agency to charge me for a certificate?
It depends on your state, and some states restrict fees charged on top of premium. Ask what the fee covers and whether you agreed to it in writing.
Q: How many certificates can I get for free?
As many as you have customers. There is no limit and no per copy price at a normal agency. Each customer should get its own, with its own name and address on it.
Q: Can I get one at night or on the weekend?
Only if your agency gives you a way to produce it yourself. A traditional agency reads the request the next business day, which is why Friday night requests stall a Monday start.
Q: Does naming my customer on the certificate cost anything?
Usually not, if your policy already protects the customer you signed the contract with while the work is going on. That protection does not automatically reach the owner or lender above that customer, and it may stop when the job is finished. If your policy does not have it, adding it is a policy change and can carry a modest premium.
Q: My broker takes two days for every certificate. Is that normal?
It is common, but it is slower than it needs to be. A routine certificate is a few minutes of work. If a job start is waiting, say so in the request, and ask whether the agency lets you issue your own.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Free certificates that our clients issue themselves in about a minute, at any hour, are a standard part of every policy we place.
- 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.