Additional insured endorsement form: which one you need

The most common additional insured endorsement forms

Most requests refer to standard forms from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), which insurers use or copy into their own versions. PropertyCasualty360 counts more than 40 ISO additional insured endorsements for general liability alone; these are the ones small businesses see most.

How to read the form number and edition date

A full form number such as CG 20 10 12 19 has two parts: the form (CG 20 10) and the edition, written as month and year (12 19 means December 2019). Saxe Doernberger & Vita, a coverage law firm, notes the 2019 editions took effect December 1, 2019, in most states. Edition matters because ISO has narrowed CG 20 10 several times.

According to IRMI, the 1985 edition covered completed work as well as ongoing work. The 1993 edition limited it to ongoing operations, 2001 added CG 20 37 to restore completed-work coverage and 2004 narrowed it to injury “caused, in whole or in part, by” your acts. The 2013 editions limit coverage to what the law permits and the contract requires, capped at the lesser of the contract’s limit or your policy limit.

Some contracts still demand CG 20 10 11 85, which a 2008 MyNewMarkets analysis found few insurers offer. Cal State San Bernardino’s risk office, for example, lists the 11 85 edition as acceptable and the 07 04 editions of CG 20 10, CG 20 33 and CG 20 37 as unacceptable. If a contract names an old edition, ask in writing whether a current one is acceptable before you sign.

Scheduled or blanket: which version to ask for

Scheduled forms such as CG 20 10, CG 20 37 and CG 20 26 list each additional insured by name, so every new client means another endorsement. Blanket, or automatic, forms such as CG 20 33, CG 20 38 and CG 20 43 cover anyone you agree in a written contract to add. The County of Sonoma, for example, accepts either.

Blanket forms depend on a written contract, so sign it before work starts. Mixing forms can leave a gap: MyNewMarkets points out that CG 20 33 adds parties automatically for ongoing work, while CG 20 37 covers completed work only for parties on its schedule. Saxe Doernberger & Vita adds that the 2019 automatic completed-work forms exclude professional design services.

Illustration only: a drywall sub’s contract requires “CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 or equivalent” for the general contractor and owner. A policy with CG 20 33 and a scheduled CG 20 37 leaves both off the completed-work side until they are added to the schedule.

Additional insured on a commercial auto or trucking policy

Auto policies work differently. The ISO form is CA 20 48, the designated insured endorsement, which names a party as an insured for auto liability only to the extent it already qualifies under the policy’s definition of who is an insured. The County of Sonoma notes most business auto policies already cover organizations legally responsible for your conduct, and accepts CA 20 48 or the policy definition as proof.

Brokers and shippers often ask motor carriers for additional insured status. An attorney quoted by Overdrive recommends limiting it to liability arising out of the carrier’s ongoing operations for that party, and Overdrive suggests asking your underwriter, since insurers disagree on what an added broker or shipper actually gets.

How to get the right endorsement

Blank forms circulate online, but filling one out yourself creates no coverage; only your insurer can issue the endorsement. The County of Sonoma says a certificate statement alone is not enough, because an insurer is bound by its policy and endorsements, not the certificate.

• Send your agent the full insurance clause from the contract, not just the certificate request.
• Confirm whether the client needs ongoing work, completed work or both, and for how long.
• Check whether your policy already has a blanket endorsement that meets the wording.
• Give the exact legal name of each additional insured and the job location if a scheduled form is used.
• Ask for a copy of the endorsement page and send it with the certificate, which should list the form number.

Why endorsements get rejected, and how to avoid overpaying

Common problems are an ongoing-work form when the contract asks for completed operations, an edition the client won’t accept, a misspelled name and requests no form can meet. Insurance Xdate notes ISO forms cannot cover the other party’s sole negligence, which state anti-indemnity laws may also bar. Additional insureds share your limits.

On cost, Overdrive reports that many insurers don’t charge directly for adding an additional insured, while some charge a small flat fee. If you add names often, ask whether a blanket endorsement is available instead of paying per name. If these requests are routine for you, a broker such as Florin can compare policies whose built-in endorsements already match your typical contracts.