What it means
ACORD is an insurance industry standards organization, and the ACORD 25 is its Certificate of Liability Insurance. It is the form most clients, landlords and general contractors in the United States expect when they ask for proof of liability coverage.
The form has sections for commercial general liability, automobile liability, umbrella or excess liability, and workers compensation and employers liability, along with a description of operations box and a certificate holder box. Columns show whether additional insured status and a waiver of subrogation apply to each line.
Like other certificates, the ACORD 25 is informational only. Its entries must reflect endorsements actually on the policy. Property coverage is usually evidenced on different ACORD forms.
An example
Sierra Pest Solutions receives an ACORD 25 request from a property management company. The broker marks the additional insured column for general liability only after confirming the policy has a blanket endorsement, and leaves the auto column unmarked because the auto policy has no matching wording.
Names in this example are fictional.
See this term in your own contract.
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What is the difference between an ACORD 25 and a policy?
The ACORD 25 is a summary, while the policy is the contract. The certificate lists insurers, policy numbers, dates and limits, but it cannot add or change coverage. When a contract asks for specific terms such as additional insured status, the policy needs endorsements, and copies of those endorsements are the stronger proof.
Who fills out an ACORD 25?
Usually the business’s insurance agent or broker, sometimes through an online portal provided by the insurer. The business itself should not edit the form. Changes to the description of operations or the coverage columns should come from the agent or broker, who is responsible for making sure they match the policy.
General information only. It is not legal or insurance advice. Only issued policy documents and endorsements describe actual coverage.