🎯 For a subcontractor who needs additional insured endorsements to get paid, the policy that matters is the one whose endorsement forms match the GC's exhibit. Some general liability policies, including many sold online for short jobs, do not carry the blanket CG 20 10 / CG 20 37 endorsements a commercial exhibit demands. If your subcontract requires additional insured, primary and non-contributory, and waiver of subrogation, confirm the exact endorsement forms before you buy: a certificate of insurance alone does not prove the endorsement exists.
TL;DR
- Not every general liability policy carries the endorsements a GC asks for. Policies built for short or low-complexity jobs often lack blanket completed-operations additional insured endorsements.
- A certificate does not "prove" an endorsement. A COI is evidence of nothing without the actual CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 endorsement forms attached.
- If a GC exhibit names primary and non-contributory plus waiver of subrogation, ask a licensed broker for a general liability program written for contractors that carries those forms.
What "additional insured endorsement" actually means
An additional insured endorsement is a form that adds a third party (usually the GC and the project owner) to your general liability policy as a protected insured. The certificate of insurance (COI) is just a snapshot; it is not the coverage. The two forms a commercial subcontract commonly names are:
- CG 20 10 — additional insured for ongoing operations.
- CG 20 37 — additional insured for completed operations (covers claims after you finish the job).
When a GC writes primary and non-contributory, they are telling your policy to pay first before theirs responds. Waiver of subrogation blocks your insurer from later suing the GC to recover. These three asks often move together on exhibits, and they live in endorsement forms, not on the COI face.
That distinction is why the policy choice matters: a policy sold without those endorsements leaves you holding a COI a compliance portal will reject.
For the underlying form mechanics and standard contract language, see the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) overview of additional insured endorsements (industry reference, reviewed 2026), the ConsensusDocs contract resources, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) consumer insurance guidance (NAIC, accessed October 2026) on reading policy forms versus certificates.
What to compare between policies
| What the exhibit asks for | What to get before you buy |
|---|---|
| Additional insured, ongoing operations | A copy of CG 20 10 (or the insurer's blanket equivalent) attached to the quote |
| Additional insured, completed operations | A copy of CG 20 37 (or the blanket equivalent); a CG 20 10 alone will not pass |
| Primary & non-contributory | The endorsement form that grants it, not a line on the certificate |
| Waiver of subrogation | The waiver endorsement, blanket or naming the GC and owner |
| Named parties | Blanket wording, or the exact GC and owner names the exhibit requires |
Before you buy anything: the "don't buy yet" check
Do not sign any policy until you have the actual endorsement forms in hand. A COI screenshot or PDF is not proof of coverage; it is a summary that a compliance portal can and will reject if the named forms are not attached.
Before purchasing, do the following:
- Request the endorsement forms from the insurer, not just the seller's website. Ask specifically for copies of the CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 endorsements (or the insurer's blanket equivalent), plus the primary/non-contributory and waiver-of-subrogation forms. If the seller can only produce a COI, treat that as a no.
- Match the forms to your subcontract exhibit word for word. If the exhibit names ongoing and completed operations, a CG 20 10 alone will not pass.
- Confirm the additional insured wording is blanket or names the exact GC and owner required by the exhibit.
- Only then decide which policy to buy. For a standard mechanics review of how these three clauses interact, see IRMI's explanation of primary and non-contributory and waiver of subrogation (industry reference, reviewed 2026).
If the forms you need are not available on the policy you are looking at, stop and ask a licensed broker for a general liability program written for contractors. That path can be slower, but it is more likely to produce the exact endorsements a commercial GC exhibit demands.
Bottom line
For a licensed subcontractor whose payment depends on satisfying a GC's insurance exhibit, the right policy is the one whose CG 20 10, CG 20 37, primary/non-contributory, and waiver-of-subrogation forms you have seen before you buy. If those forms are not on offer, ask a licensed broker for a contractor program that carries them.