How do I request a certificate of insurance (COI) for a client?

Last updated: October 28, 2026

Applies to: Staffing partners whose client has asked for proof of insurance for workers employed through Ascen.

Summary: Email coi@ascen.com with the client's full legal name and address, the assignment it is for, any wording the client requires, and your deadline. A certificate usually takes 1 to 2 business days. Because Ascen is the employer of record for the workers on your assignments, the certificate is issued in Ascen's name, not your agency's.

What to send

Email coi@ascen.com and include:

  • The client's full legal name and address, exactly as it should appear on the certificate.

  • The assignment it relates to, so we can match it to your account.

  • Any required wording, ideally pasted from the client's contract or request.

  • Your deadline, if there is one.

A plain proof-of-coverage certificate is the quickest to produce. Custom wording has to be issued by our insurer, which adds time, so send the client's exact requirements the first time.

How long it takes

  • Usually 1 to 2 business days.

  • Requests with custom wording, additional insured status or a waiver of subrogation can take longer, and we cannot confirm exact wording until the insurer issues it. If your deadline is tight, say so in your email and send the request as early as you can rather than promising specific language to the client.

Why the certificate comes from Ascen

Since Ascen is the legal employer of the people you place, it is Ascen's general liability, professional liability and workers' compensation coverage that applies to them on assignment. Your agency generally can't satisfy the request from its own policies for those workers, so you send the request to us. Clients often ask for this before awarding work, so request it early rather than on the day a bid is due.

Requests clients commonly make

These are normal and we can usually accommodate them. Tell us which ones apply:

  • Naming the client as certificate holder: the client is listed as the party the certificate is issued to. This is the default for most requests.

  • Adding the client as an additional insured: the client is extended cover under the policy, rather than just being sent evidence of it. Clients often require this in their contract.

  • Specific wording in the description of operations: a line describing the work, a contract or project reference, or a site name.

  • A waiver of subrogation: the insurer gives up its right to recover from the client after paying a claim. Usually a contract requirement.

If your client needs the certificate to show that the workers are supplied through your agency as well as employed by Ascen, say so in your request and we can ask for that to be added.

This is not your contractors' own insurance

Requesting a certificate from us is different from the insurance an independent contractor has to carry in their own name before they can start. For that, see Insurance requirements for independent contractors and Your contractor's insurance documents were rejected: what we need and why.

Where to get help