The ACORD 25 is the standard one-page certificate of liability insurance used in the United States. A broker issues it to summarize a policyholder's liability coverages: general liability, auto, umbrella, workers compensation, and others. It is informational only and grants the certificate holder no rights under the policy.
The ACORD 25 is the form most people picture when they hear "certificate of insurance." It is a single page with a fixed layout, which is what makes it useful: a reviewer who knows where the fields are can check a certificate in under a minute. The form and its siblings are published by ACORD.
The sections, top to bottom
The top block names the producer (the broker who issued the certificate), the insured, and the insurers with their NAIC numbers. The middle grid lists each coverage on its own row: commercial general liability, automobile liability, umbrella or excess, workers compensation and employers liability, and blank rows for professional, pollution, or other lines. Each row carries the policy number, the effective and expiration dates, and the limits. Beneath the grid sits the description of operations, a free-text box where the broker states what the certificate is for and which endorsements apply. The bottom names the certificate holder and carries the cancellation language and an authorized signature.
The five fields that catch most problems
| Field | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Named insured | A parent company or a sister entity instead of the party on the contract |
| Expiration dates | Earliest date across rows is the real expiry; renewals arrive late |
| Limits | Below the lease or contract minimum, or aggregate already eroded |
| Description of operations | Claims an endorsement that is not attached to the policy |
| Certificate holder | Wrong legal entity, old management company, or missing the owner |
What the form is not
The ACORD 25 is informational. Its own disclaimer says it confers no rights on the certificate holder and does not amend, extend, or alter the coverage afforded by the policies. If a lease requires the landlord to be an additional insured, the proof is the endorsement, not the checkbox. Guides from insurers such as The Hartford make the same point: request the endorsements, not only the certificate.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Who maintains the ACORD 25 form?
ACORD, the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development, a nonprofit standards body for the insurance industry. It publishes the certificate forms and revises them periodically, which is why certificates carry a form version in the corner, such as ACORD 25 (2016/03).
Which fields on an ACORD 25 matter most to a property manager?
The named insured, the policy effective and expiration dates, the limits per occurrence and aggregate, the certificate holder box, and the description of operations. The description box is where additional insured, primary and non-contributory, and waiver of subrogation are stated, and where reviewers confirm they match attached endorsements.
Does the ACORD 25 show property insurance?
No. The ACORD 25 covers liability lines only. Property coverage is shown on an ACORD 27 (evidence of property insurance) or an ACORD 28 (evidence of commercial property insurance), which is why leases that require tenant property coverage ask for a second form.
Can a certificate holder rely on the cancellation notice line?
Only to the extent the policy itself provides it. The current ACORD 25 says notice will be delivered in accordance with the policy provisions, so the holder has to check whether the policy includes a notice-of-cancellation endorsement naming them.