Guides / Free tool

Free COI Reader: Check a Certificate of Insurance PDF in Seconds

Free · No sign-up · Your file never leaves your browser · Updated Nov 3, 2026

Drop in a subcontractor's or vendor's certificate of insurance and get the policies, expiration dates, limits, additional insured and waiver boxes, and endorsements pulled out for you. Then set your requirements and it lists every gap and writes the correction email to the insurance agent.

What to do with the results

1. Gaps found? Send the correction email to the agent in the Producer box, with your sub copied. The agent is the one who can issue a revised certificate. More wording in the COI email templates.
2. Endorsement only named, not attached? Ask for the endorsement pages. A checked box on the ACORD 25 confers no rights; see additional insured vs. certificate holder.
3. Policy expiring soon? Log the date in the free expiration tracker and request the renewal certificate 30 days out.
4. Not sure what to require? Build a requirements exhibit with the insurance requirements generator or look up your trade in COI requirements by trade.

New to certificates? Start with how to read an ACORD 25.

Common questions

Is my certificate uploaded anywhere?

No. The PDF is opened and read by your own browser with the open-source PDF.js library. The file and what's in it never leave your computer.

What kinds of certificates can it read?

Digital ACORD 25 certificates of liability insurance, the standard form most US agents issue, including ones with fillable form fields and attached endorsement pages. Scanned paper certificates and phone photos have no text layer, so the free reader can't read them. SubCover HQ reads those for subscribers.

What does it check?

Each policy's dates, the ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD boxes, the limits for general liability, auto, umbrella and employer's liability, the certificate holder, primary and non-contributory wording, and ISO endorsement forms like CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 24 04 and WC 00 03 13, including whether a copy is actually attached or only named.

How accurate is it?

Agencies lay certificates out in slightly different ways, so treat the results as a fast first pass and compare them with the PDF. If a field shows as not found, check it by hand or enter it in the manual compliance checker.

Is it really free?

Yes, with no sign-up. If you'd rather not read and chase certificates at all, SubCover HQ collects, checks and tracks every certificate for $99/month.

General information, not insurance or legal advice. A certificate is evidence of coverage, not the policy itself; your contracts, insurer and broker set your actual requirements.