Contractor insurance explained
Start with the question in front of you. These guides explain the terms, show how they apply to real jobs, and help you prepare for the next conversation.
A customer asked for insurance documents
Understand the request before you ask for a certificate or agree to new terms.
When a customer asks for a certificate or additional insured
Understand the documents a general contractor, property manager or customer may request, why they want them, and how to provide the right evidence of coverage.
Understand your contractor insurance policy
Learn what exclusions, endorsements and limits mean, how they affect a claim, and what to do when a customer asks for specific coverage.
Insurance after the job is finished
Completed operations concerns injuries or property damage caused by finished work. Learn how it differs from a workmanship warranty and why customers ask for it.
What insurance do you need when you hire subcontractors?
Hiring another business to do part of a job can still affect your insurance. Learn which documents to collect and how subcontracted work affects claims and audits.
Admitted and non-admitted insurers: what the difference means
These terms describe an insurer’s regulatory status. Learn why contractors encounter both and what to compare before choosing a policy.
You are hiring or reviewing workers’ compensation
Learn how employees, payroll and claims affect coverage, then compare your options.
Insurance before your first hire or a larger crew
Adding an employee changes more than payroll. Learn what to arrange before work starts and what to update when people drive, use equipment or take on new duties.
How a workers’ compensation audit works
Your policy starts with estimated payroll. An audit checks what actually happened and uses those records to calculate the final premium.
Understanding State Fund and your renewal options
Learn how to compare a State Fund workers’ compensation policy with other available options, including payroll, claims history and the full cost of changing insurers.
What a PEO does and how to compare the offer
A professional employer organization can provide payroll and employment services. Learn how to separate those services from insurance and understand the responsibilities you keep.
You are starting a business, comparing prices or renewing
Work through the decisions from describing your jobs to understanding the proposal.
Insurance for your first contracting jobs
If you are starting a California contracting business, begin with the work you plan to do. This guide explains how that plan becomes a coverage request.
California license, bond and insurance requirements explained
Your contractor license, insurance policies and customer contracts serve different purposes. Here is how to check what each one requires from your business.
How contractor insurance pricing works
Understand what you are paying for, why quotes differ and how to compare the full cost without confusing a monthly payment with the annual price.
How to prepare for your contractor insurance renewal
Renewal is your chance to update the coverage for the business you run today. Follow the review from last year’s policy through the new effective date.
California Contractor Insurance Guide
Learn how liability, workers’ compensation, vehicles, equipment and bonds fit together, then use the detailed online guides for the questions your next job raises.
California Contractor Insurance Guide
Understand general liability, workers’ compensation, business vehicles, equipment, and contract endorsements.
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