What is a Certificate of Insurance and why do I need one?

A certificate of insurance (COI) is a document from your insurer stating your business has workers’ comp coverage. A COI - also known as a certificate of liability or proof of insurance – not only verifies that you are insured, but also summarizes what is covered. If you need a certificate of insurance to show a third party, called a certificate holder, that you or your business obtained a workers’ compensation insurance policy with us, we’ve outlined a few things to keep in mind.

How can I get my certificate of insurance?

Note: If you purchased your insurance through a broker you will need to request your certificate of insurance from your broker.

If you purchased your insurance direct from us, you can request your COI through State Fund Online.

Here are some resources to help:

A COI is free to all policyholders and typically takes one day to process. We issue a COI only to a single specifically named third party per your request. If you need to provide a COI to multiple parties, you will need to make a separate request for each party.

Note: We write the same name of the employer - the legal entity – that is on the workers’ compensation policy as the name of the “insured” on the COI. Additionally, If there are certain types of changes with your policy, such as the company address or change in the name of the employer or policyholder, or if the name or location of the of the party that requires a COI changes, you should request a new COI.

Certificate holders

The “certificate holder” is a third party not insured by us. We do not have any method to verify the true legal name of the certificate holder or the accuracy of any “dba” that a certificate holder might use.   

Answers to commonly asked questions

Can I add a DBA, or other special wording, on my certificate?

Adding a “doing business as (DBA)” or any change in the name of the business entity on the COI requires a separate certificate for each business name.

Also, special wording on the certificate such as “agent,” “affiliate,” “care of,” “DBA,” “info only,” “proof,” “rep,” and “sample,” will cause the certificate to be flagged for review and possibly rejected. This is because we have to ensure the certificate wording is limited to a clearly distinct and single entity.

My policy is in cancellation. Can I still get a certificate?

At your request, we can issue a certificate reflecting your pending cancellation date, or process a manual certificate if your policy is being reinstated. For a cancelled policy, we can issue a certificate to show proof of insurance for a specified coverage period. Contact us at (888) 782-8338 to make these requests.

Why was the number of cancellation notice days increased on my certificate?

Some certificate holders need more than the standard 10 day advance notice that we’re cancelling the policy. We’ll increase the number of cancellation notice days only if a policyholder makes the request.

What is an “additional insured” endorsement? Another employer I’m working with on a project has requested one.

The additional insured endorsement adds another employer to your policy. This is used when you and the other employer might share joint liability to pay workers’ compensation to employees engaged in the same work, such as contractors working with subcontractors on the same project. The premium amount could change and the premium payment remains the responsibility of the primary policyholder.

What if I need a waiver of subrogation?

We offer waivers of subrogation for specific jobs you are hired to do and also offer blanket waivers of subrogation for all of your jobs.