- Call the insurance agent first, not the sub. Most expired certificates turn out to be policies that renewed, with no new certificate sent.
- Hold the next payment until a current certificate is in hand, if your subcontract allows it. Most do.
- Workers' comp lapses are the most urgent. In many states, an uninsured sub's injured worker can become your problem.
- When the new certificate arrives, check for a gap between the old expiration date and the new start date.
- Write everything down: dates, calls, emails. You may need to show it later.
Step one: find out what actually happened
An expired date on a certificate tells you what you don't have. It doesn't tell you whether the sub is uninsured. Call or email the producer, the insurance agent named on the certificate, and ask two questions: Was the policy renewed or replaced? and Has there been any break in coverage?
| What the agent says | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "It renewed, I'll send a certificate." | The most common case. Covered, just undocumented. | Get the renewal certificate in writing before the next payment. Check the dates line up. |
| "The renewal is in process." | Coverage may or may not be in force yet. | Ask for written confirmation that coverage is bound and from what date. Treat it as uninsured until you have it. |
| "It was cancelled." | Often for nonpayment. No coverage after the cancellation date. | Follow the steps below for a real lapse. |
| "It wasn't renewed," or you can't reach anyone. | Assume no coverage until proven otherwise. | Follow the steps below for a real lapse. |
Why the agent and not the sub? The sub may honestly believe it's covered, or may not want to say otherwise. The agent knows. If the certificate came from the sub and lists no agent you can reach, that's a red flag on its own.
If coverage really lapsed
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Read your subcontract's insurance clause
It decides what you're allowed to do. Many subcontracts make current insurance a condition of payment, allow you to stop the sub's work until it's fixed, or let you buy coverage and charge the cost back. Some do all three. Know which yours says before you act.
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Hold the next payment
Tell whoever releases payments, today, not to pay that sub until a current certificate is on file. A payment that goes out to an uninsured sub is the moment most GCs lose their leverage.
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Decide about site access
An uninsured crew on site is your exposure. Many GCs pause the sub's work until coverage is confirmed, especially when workers' compensation is the policy that lapsed. Make that call with your contract in hand, and put it in writing.
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Notify the sub in writing
A short email: which policy, what date it lapsed, what your contract requires, and what you need from them (a current certificate from their agent) by when. Keep it factual.
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Talk to your own insurance broker
Especially if work continued during the gap or anything happened on site. In many states, a GC can be responsible for workers' comp on an uninsured sub's employees, and your own workers' comp audit may count payments to uninsured subs as your payroll. Your broker can tell you what applies to you.
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Keep a record
The dates you noticed, who you spoke to, what they said, every email, and the certificates themselves. If a claim ever comes from work done during the gap, this file is what you'll reach for.
When the new certificate arrives: check for a gap
A new certificate fixes the future, not necessarily the past. Compare the old policy's expiration date with the new one's effective date:
If the dates don't meet, ask the agent whether the policy was reinstated without a lapse, meaning the insurer treats it as if it never stopped. If it was reinstated with a lapse, the days in between weren't covered, and you should know what work happened on those days.
Keep it from happening again
- Track every policy's expiration date, not just general liability. Auto and workers' comp renew on their own schedules.
- Ask the agent for the renewal certificate about 30 days before each expiration. It's routine for them.
- Check insurance before every payment run, not only at the start of the job.
- Get certificates from the agent directly, with a working email for the next time.
- Put it in the subcontract: renewal certificates due before expiration, and current insurance as a condition of payment. Your attorney can help with the wording.
A tracking spreadsheet handles the first two for a handful of subs: here's our free COI tracking spreadsheet.
Hear about it before it expires
Kautus tracks every certificate's expiration date across your subs and emails the sub before coverage lapses. Your dashboard and daily alerts show who is expiring soon and who has already expired, so a lapse shows up before a payment goes out, not after.
Kautus opens January 1, 2027, with a free trial and no card required.
Register for launchCommon questions
Can I keep paying a sub whose insurance expired?
Check your subcontract. Many make current insurance a condition of payment, and most GCs hold payment until a current certificate arrives. Paying first takes away the sub's main reason to fix it.
Should I stop the sub's work?
Many GCs do until coverage is confirmed, especially for workers' compensation. Whether you can, and how, depends on your contract. Put the decision in writing.
What if someone was hurt while the sub was uninsured?
Call your own insurance broker right away. Rules vary by state, and in many of them an uninsured sub's injured worker can end up on the general contractor's workers' compensation.
What does "reinstated without a lapse" mean?
The insurer restored the policy as if it had never stopped, so there's no gap in coverage. "Reinstated with a lapse" means the days in between weren't covered.
The certificate expired but the sub says they're covered. Who do I believe?
Neither, until the agent confirms it in writing with a current certificate. That's a quick email for an agent whose client really is covered.
Related guides
This guide is general information for general contractors, not legal or insurance advice. What you may do when a sub's coverage lapses depends on your subcontract and your state; your attorney and your insurance broker can advise on your situation.