Collect certificates of insurance without the email chase
Asking a sub for a certificate of insurance takes one email. Getting it back, current and naming you correctly, takes five. SignMaster turns the request into a short document with an upload box and policy dates, sends the reminders for you and keeps every answer in one table. It won't track expirations on its own, and this page says exactly where that line is.
Updated November 9, 2026 · 3 min read
On this page
What you're asking for
A certificate of insurance is a summary of a business's policies, issued by its insurance company or agent. It's evidence of coverage, not the coverage itself. Your subcontract or vendor agreement decides what you need to see: the types of coverage, the limits, whether you must be an additional insured, and workers' compensation.
Build the request once
- 1
Write a one-page acknowledgment
The sub confirms the attached certificate is current, agrees to keep the coverage in force for the job and to send a new certificate at renewal. It ends in a signature line, which every signer needs anyway.
- 2
Add the upload
An Attachment field labeled Certificate of insurance, allowing PDFs and photos and required. A second, optional one can take the additional insured endorsement if your contract asks for it.
- 3
Ask for the dates
A Date field per policy, labeled General liability expires, Auto expires and Workers' comp expires, each with Earliest date set to Today so a lapsed date can't be entered.
- 4
Ask who the agent is
Text fields for the agent's name, email and phone. When a certificate looks wrong, that's who you call, and the agent is the right source for a fresh one.
Send to one sub or the whole list
For a new sub, send the template on its own or as part of an onboarding packet. At the start of a project or a policy year, bulk send it from a CSV: one row per sub, with the project name in a labeled text box. Turn on reminders every 3 days and set a sign-by date before they're due on site. Each sub opens their own link on a phone or computer, attaches the file from their email, their files or the camera, and signs.
Straight from the agent
If you know the agent, make them the first signer: they attach the certificate and tap an Approve field beside a line saying their agency issued it. The sub signs the acknowledgment after. The certificate then comes from the source, not a forwarded copy.
Expiry dates: what SignMaster does and doesn't do
SignMaster doesn't read the certificate, check it with the insurer or warn you before a policy lapses. It isn't COI tracking software. What it gives you is the data to track it yourself:
- A table of dates. The template's Responses tab has a column for each policy date. Download the CSV, sort by date in a spreadsheet, and put renewals on your calendar.
- A renewal routine. Each month, take the subs whose policies expire next month and paste their rows into a bulk send of the same template.
- A feed to your tracker. On Crew and Company, webhooks send each completed request's dates and a download link for the files to your compliance tool, or to Zapier, Make or n8n.
- The files where you'll look. The envelope page lists each certificate with its own download button, and you can search envelopes by the sub's name.
Check what comes back
Open the certificate from the envelope page and hold it against the insurance section of your agreement: the named insured matches the company you hired, the dates cover the whole job, and the limits are at least what the contract requires. If something's off, decline isn't the tool, because the sub has already finished. Email the agent the gap, and send a fresh request when the corrected certificate is ready.
Questions? Answers.
Can SignMaster remind me when a certificate expires?
No. It reminds people to sign until they do, but it doesn't watch policy dates. Keep them in a spreadsheet from the Responses export, or push them to a tracker with webhooks.
What file types can a sub upload?
PDF, JPEG or PNG, each up to 10 MB. An attachment field takes up to five files, and SignMaster checks what each file really is, not just its name.
Does the sub need a SignMaster account?
No. They open a private link from their email, attach the certificate and sign, on any phone or computer.
Can vendors who aren't contractors use the same request?
Yes. A cleaning company, a caterer or an equipment supplier fills in the same fields. Duplicate the template and change the coverage lines to what your vendor agreements require.