How to Verify a Workers' Comp Certificate in Florida

What an ACORD 25 Certificate Shows

The standard certificate of insurance used for workers' compensation in the United States is the ACORD 25 form — "Certificate of Liability Insurance." The ACORD 25 is a standardized one-page document that summarizes key elements of the insured's coverage. For workers' comp, the relevant section shows: the insurer's name and NAIC number, the policy number, the policy effective and expiration dates, and the statutory limits applicable under Florida law.

It is critical to understand what an ACORD 25 does not do: it is not the policy itself, it is not a guarantee of coverage, and under Florida law (and ACORD's own standard language) it cannot create or extend coverage beyond the actual policy. The certificate is an informational summary only. A certificate that shows all the right information can still be fraudulent if the underlying policy does not exist, has been cancelled, or does not cover the entity named on the certificate.

For this reason, the ACORD 25 is a starting point for verification, not the end of it. In Florida's active construction market, where DFS investigators regularly encounter fraudulent certificates on job sites, general contractors who accept certificates at face value without verification are taking a meaningful legal and financial risk. If a sub with a fraudulent certificate is injured on your site and cannot collect workers' comp benefits, you face potential statutory employer liability under Section 440.10, F.S.

The Florida DFS Coverage Verification System

The Florida Department of Financial Services maintains a free online workers' compensation coverage verification system that allows anyone to look up whether a given employer has active workers' comp coverage on file in Florida. This is your first and most powerful verification tool.

The DFS system shows coverage that has been reported to the state by insurance carriers. You can search by employer name or Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). The system returns the policy number, the insurer, the effective and expiration dates, and the employer's name as it appears on the policy. If the employer has a current, active policy, it will appear here. If it does not appear — and the employer claims to have coverage — that is a significant red flag requiring further investigation.

Important limitation: the DFS system reflects carrier-reported data, which can have a processing lag of a few days to a few weeks after a new policy is issued or after a policy is cancelled. A policy may be active but not yet showing in the system if it was just issued. Conversely, a cancelled policy may still appear as active for a short period after cancellation is processed. For the most time-sensitive verification, supplement the DFS lookup with a direct carrier call.

Verifying Coverage Directly with the Carrier

The most definitive way to verify a workers' comp certificate is to call the insurer listed on the certificate directly. Look up the carrier's main customer service or certificate verification phone number independently — do not call a number printed on the certificate itself, which could be fabricated. The NAIC number on the ACORD 25 can be used to look up the carrier's legitimate contact information at naic.org.

When you call, provide the policy number from the certificate and the named insured's name. Ask the carrier to confirm: (1) that the policy exists and is active, (2) the effective and expiration dates, (3) that the named insured on the certificate matches the named insured on the policy, and (4) if possible, whether the certificate holder is listed on the policy (some policies have additional insured requirements). Carriers are generally cooperative with this kind of verification call, particularly for commercial insurance.

For a particularly important subcontractor relationship, you can also request that the carrier add you as a Certificate Holder on the policy with notice of cancellation rights. This means that if the sub's policy is cancelled for any reason — non-payment, policy changes — you are notified by the carrier directly rather than only learning about it when the certificate expires or when an incident occurs.

Common Certificate Fraud Red Flags

Fraudulent workers' comp certificates are common enough in Florida's construction industry that DFS runs active enforcement programs specifically targeting them. Learning to recognize the warning signs of a fraudulent certificate can protect your business from statutory employer liability and from the legal consequences of knowingly accepting a forged document.

• Policy numbers that don't follow standard formats. Workers' comp policy numbers typically follow patterns specific to each carrier. A policy number that looks random or doesn't match the carrier's known format is worth verifying directly with the carrier.
• Certificates produced by someone other than the insured's agent. Legitimate certificates are produced by the insured's insurance agent or directly by the carrier. If a subcontractor hands you a certificate that appears to have been produced by a third party or "certificate service," verify independently.
• Carriers you can't verify. The NAIC number on the certificate should match a real carrier in the NAIC database. If you can't find the insurer's NAIC number or if the carrier name doesn't exist in the NAIC lookup, the certificate is likely fraudulent.
• Effective dates that seem off. A certificate showing a policy that was issued yesterday but has been "effective" for a year, or one where the expiration date has already passed, requires immediate follow-up. Expired certificates should be rejected until a current certificate is provided.
• Certificates for subcontractors who seem unlikely to have coverage. If a sole proprietor with no visible business history hands you a certificate showing a $1M+ policy from a major carrier, verify it. Small operators who can't afford coverage are the most common source of fraudulent certificates.
• Inability to provide agent contact information. A legitimate subcontractor should be able to tell you who their insurance agent is and provide contact information. If the sub can't identify their agent, that's a meaningful red flag.

What to Do If a Sub's Certificate Is Fake or Expired

If you determine that a subcontractor's certificate of insurance is fraudulent — the policy doesn't exist, the carrier can't verify it, or it doesn't appear in the DFS system — remove the subcontractor from your job site immediately. Do not allow them to continue working until they can provide verified current coverage. Document your actions carefully, including the date you discovered the issue and what steps you took to address it.

Reporting fraudulent certificates to the Florida DFS Division of Workers' Compensation is both appropriate and encouraged. DFS can investigate, issue stop-work orders, and pursue criminal charges under Section 440.105, F.S. against contractors who use fraudulent certificates. You can contact DFS's Bureau of Compliance at 1-800-742-2214 or file a report through the DFS website. GCs who knowingly allow subcontractors with fraudulent certificates to work on their sites face their own compliance exposure.

If a sub presents an expired certificate, the process is simpler: ask them to obtain a renewal certificate from their agent and hold them off the site until you have a current certificate in hand. Expiration is common and not necessarily fraudulent — policies renew annually and certificate delivery sometimes lags renewal. What is important is that you do not allow work to continue on a certificate that shows coverage has expired.

Florida Law on What Certificates Can and Cannot Do

Florida Statute 626.572 governs certificates of insurance in Florida. Key provisions that every GC and property owner should understand: a certificate of insurance is an informational document only. It cannot, by itself, create, modify, or extend coverage. Language on a certificate that appears to grant additional rights to a certificate holder (such as "30-day notice of cancellation") is not legally binding on the carrier unless that language also appears in the actual policy endorsement. ACORD's own standardized language states clearly that the certificate is issued for information purposes only.

This matters practically for GCs who believe that being named as a Certificate Holder gives them automatic notice of cancellation or some right to coverage. It does not — unless the policy itself includes an endorsement granting those rights. If you need actual cancellation notice rights from a subcontractor's insurer, you need to be named as an additional insured on the policy with a specific cancellation notice endorsement, not merely listed as a Certificate Holder on the ACORD 25.

Frequently Asked Questions — Verifying Workers' Comp Certificates

Related Resources

• Ghost policies — how sole owners get certificates from a policy that covers no one
• Construction vs. non-construction workers' comp requirements in Florida
• PEO vs. standard workers' comp policy
• Florida workers' comp law overview
• Get coverage and a valid certificate fast