Guides
The endorsements small businesses most often need
The endorsements contracts and coverage gaps most often call for, with ISO form numbers: additional insured, waiver, primary, ordinance or law and more.
An endorsement is a form attached to a policy that adds, removes or changes coverage. The endorsements small businesses ask for most often fall into two groups: those a contract demands (additional insured status, waiver of subrogation, primary and noncontributory wording) and those that close a known gap (ordinance or law, dependent properties, peak-season limits). The form number and edition matter, because two endorsements with similar titles can protect very different amounts.
How to read an endorsement
Every endorsement carries a form number and an edition date, such as CG 20 10 04 13: the form, then month and year. ISO writes the standard versions, carriers file their own variants, and some carriers use proprietary forms with similar names (see ISO forms and why most commercial policies look alike). Three habits keep you out of trouble:
- Read the schedule. Most endorsements work only for parties, locations or projects listed on the schedule or described by the blanket wording.
- Read the edition. Later editions often narrow coverage. A contract that asks for an older edition may be asking for something the carrier no longer files.
- Check the policy's forms list on the declarations. An endorsement that is not on the list is not part of the policy, whatever the certificate says. A certificate of insurance (see certificates of insurance: what they prove and what they do not) does not amend the policy.
Contract-driven liability endorsements
These are the ones a landlord, general contractor, client or franchisor writes into an agreement. Ask your broker to compare the exact wording in the contract against what the endorsement does. The contract insurance requirements checker can help organize the requirements.
| Form | Title (ISO) | What it does | Common request from |
|---|---|---|---|
CG 20 10 | Additional Insured, Owners, Lessees or Contractors, Scheduled Person or Organization | Adds the scheduled party for liability arising from your ongoing operations | General contractors, owners |
CG 20 37 | Additional Insured, Owners, Lessees or Contractors, Completed Operations | Adds the party for liability from your completed work | Owners, general contractors |
CG 20 11 | Additional Insured, Managers or Lessors of Premises | Adds a landlord or property manager for premises you lease | Landlords |
CG 20 26 | Additional Insured, Designated Person or Organization | General-purpose form for a scheduled party | Clients, various |
CG 20 15 | Additional Insured, Vendors | Adds retailers or distributors that sell your products | Retail chains, distributors |
CG 20 29 | Additional Insured, Grantor of Franchise | Adds a franchisor for its role as grantor of the franchise | Franchisors |
CG 20 01 | Primary and Noncontributory, Other Insurance Condition | Makes your policy primary for the additional insured | Contracts generally |
CG 24 04 | Waiver of Transfer of Rights of Recovery Against Others to Us | Insurer gives up subrogation against a named party | Contracts generally |
A few notes on this group.
Ongoing versus completed work. CG 20 10 covers the additional insured while you are working. Once the job is done, it is CG 20 37 that responds to claims arising from the completed work. A contractor who carries only the first form can find the owner uninsured under that policy on a construction-defect claim years later. Many contracts require both, and they often specify the edition and require the coverage to continue for several years after completion.
Blanket versus scheduled. A blanket endorsement adds any party you are required to add by written contract. A scheduled form names each party. The blanket form is more convenient but depends on a signed contract; the scheduled form is clearer for a certificate holder. The 2013 ISO program includes automatic-status forms of this type, but carriers vary.
Additional insured is not full coverage for the other party. Under current ISO wording, the coverage generally applies only to liability caused in whole or in part by you or those acting on your behalf, and only to the extent the contract requires. A landlord or owner who is sued for its own sole negligence may find nothing. See additional insured endorsements explained.
Primary and noncontributory. CG 20 01 makes your policy pay first, and the additional insured's own insurance does not share the loss. See primary and noncontributory wording in contracts.
Waiver of subrogation. CG 24 04 is the liability form. For workers' compensation, the corresponding waiver is the NCCI endorsement WC 00 03 13, Waiver of Our Right to Recover From Others Endorsement. Commercial auto has its own waiver endorsement. A waiver can reduce your carrier's recovery rights, so some carriers charge for it. See waiver of subrogation: what it is and when contracts require it.
Commercial auto. If a contract requires an additional insured on your vehicles, the ISO commercial auto form is CA 20 48, Designated Insured for Covered Autos Liability Coverage. It generally confirms insured status only where the party already fits the policy's "who is an insured" wording, so it does not necessarily cover that party's own negligence.
Aggregate limit endorsements
CG 25 03, Designated Construction Project(s) General Aggregate Limit, gives each scheduled project its own general aggregate, equal to the aggregate on the declarations. Without it, one large claim can exhaust the aggregate that supports every other job. CG 25 04, Designated Location(s) General Aggregate Limit, does the same per location, which suits a business with several premises. Neither changes the products-completed operations aggregate, and the per-occurrence limit still applies. Contracts for larger jobs frequently require the project form, so check which number the contract names. (Some third-party listings mislabel CG 25 04; the policy text itself controls.)
Property endorsements that fix known gaps
The standard building and personal property form (CP 00 10) is deliberately narrow in some places. The following endorsements fill common gaps:
- Ordinance or law,
CP 04 05. Standard property forms provide limited coverage when code enforcement forces higher rebuilding costs.CP 04 05offers three coverages: loss to the undamaged portion (A), demolition cost (B) and increased cost of construction (C). If your building is older, ask for it. See ordinance or law coverage: paying for code upgrades after a loss. - Business income from dependent properties,
CP 15 08(broad form). Pays lost income when a supplier or customer's property is damaged, without your owning or controlling it. See contingent business interruption insurance and supply chain risk. - Peak season limit of insurance,
CP 12 30. Raises the business personal property limit for scheduled dates. See insurance for seasonal businesses. - Roof surfacing,
CP 10 36. Limits payment for roof surfaces damaged by wind or hail, typically to actual cash value. Insurance Journal reported on this form and on the margin clause formCP 12 32in September 2026. Read both before you accept them at renewal. A margin clause caps how much one building can recover within blanket limits. - Utility services,
CP 15 45andCP 04 17. Time-element (income) and direct damage coverage when off-premises power, water or communications fail.CP 15 45offers waiting period choices from none to 168 hours. See utility service interruption coverage: when an outage is insured.
Endorsements that take coverage away
Not every endorsement is a gain. Carriers attach exclusions and sublimits as part of renewal. Reading the full forms list each year catches new ones, such as the generative AI exclusions ISO introduced in January 2026 (CG 40 47, CG 40 48 and CG 35 08, per Insurance Business, September 16, 2026) or PFAS exclusions. If an exclusion endorsement conflicts with your operations, ask for a quote without it or from another market. See CGL exclusions: what a general liability policy does not cover.
A short worked example
Say a small roofing subcontractor receives a subcontract requiring: additional insured status for the GC for ongoing and completed operations; primary and noncontributory wording; a waiver of subrogation on general liability and workers' compensation; and a per-project aggregate. The broker sorts that into forms: CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 (or a blanket equivalent), CG 20 01, CG 24 04, WC 00 03 13 and CG 25 03. The subcontractor then sends the broker the contract and asks for the endorsements and for copies, not just a certificate.
Key takeaways
- A contract requirement is met by an endorsement on the policy, not by a certificate or a promise.
- Match each contract clause to a form number and edition:
CG 20 10andCG 20 37for ongoing and completed operations,CG 20 01for primary,CG 24 04for waiver of subrogation,CG 25 03for per-project aggregates. - Property gaps such as ordinance or law (
CP 04 05) and dependent properties (CP 15 08) are worth pricing before a loss. - Review the forms list at every renewal for new exclusions and sublimits.