# What to do when a subcontractor's certificate expires

> A step-by-step plan for an expired subcontractor insurance certificate: confirm the lapse, get the renewal, set a deadline, and prevent it next time.

When a subcontractor's certificate of insurance expires, first find out whether coverage actually lapsed or only the paperwork is late. Then request the renewal certificate and endorsements from the vendor and their insurance agent, set a firm deadline, and document every step. Most expired certificates are renewals that nobody sent over. A few are real lapses, and those need a different response.

## Step by step

1. **Read the expiration dates.** Check each policy on the certificate: general liability, auto, workers' compensation, and umbrella. They often expire on different dates, so one policy may be expired while others are fine.
2. **Ask whether it renewed.** Contact the vendor and ask. A renewal is usually in force already, and the new certificate has simply not been issued or forwarded.
3. **Contact the agent.** The vendor's insurance agent or producer, named in the producer box of the certificate, can issue a new certificate quickly. Ask for the renewal certificate and the endorsements that your contract requires.
4. **Set a deadline.** Give a specific date in writing, such as three business days, and say what happens if it passes.
5. **Check the contract.** See what your subcontract says about expired coverage. Many contracts let the GC hold payment or restrict site access until proof arrives. Whether you may do that, and how, depends on your contract and local law, so ask counsel before acting.
6. **Document everything.** Keep emails, call notes, dates, and the old and new certificates in one place.
7. **Review the new certificate fully.** Do not just look at the dates.

## Lapse or late certificate

A late certificate means coverage continued and the paperwork lagged. A lapse means there was a gap with no policy in force. The certificate alone cannot tell you which one it was. The agent or carrier can confirm the renewal date and whether coverage was continuous. If there was a gap, you need to know whether work was performed during it, and that is a good moment to involve your own insurance professional or attorney.

## Check the renewal like the first one

A renewal is a new policy term, and endorsements do not always carry over. Check the new certificate against the same requirements as the first:

- Limits still meet the contract, since carriers sometimes change them at renewal.
- [Additional insured](https://complysub.agntwrk.com/guides/additional-insured-cg-20-10-vs-cg-20-37) status is still shown for the right parties.
- [Waiver of subrogation](https://complysub.agntwrk.com/guides/waiver-of-subrogation) and [primary and non-contributory](https://complysub.agntwrk.com/guides/primary-and-non-contributory) wording are still present.
- The certificate holder and project details are correct.
- The insured name matches the subcontractor.

For a deeper look at what to scan for, see [certificate of insurance red flags](https://complysub.agntwrk.com/guides/certificate-of-insurance-red-flags).

## Prevent it with reminders

Expired certificates are mostly a tracking problem. A simple schedule works well:

- **30 days before expiration:** ask the vendor and their agent for the renewal certificate.
- **14 days before:** send a second request and copy the agent.
- **On the expiration date:** if nothing has arrived, treat the vendor as out of compliance and follow your contract.

Whoever tracks this, whether a spreadsheet or software, needs the date for every policy and the agent's contact. See [coi tracking: spreadsheet vs software](https://complysub.agntwrk.com/guides/coi-tracking-spreadsheet-vs-software) for tradeoffs.

## Check this automatically

ComplySub records each policy's expiration from the uploaded certificate and sends reminders to the vendor and their agent ahead of time, so renewals arrive before the date. When a renewal is uploaded through the vendor's link, with no account needed, ComplySub checks it against the same requirements you set for the first one and flags any gaps. It compares documents with your requirements and does not confirm that coverage was continuous.

[Try ComplySub free](https://complysub.agntwrk.com/login)

_This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Insurance and licensing rules vary by state, carrier, and contract; confirm what applies to you with your insurance professional, attorney, or licensing board._