Does General Liability Cover Subcontractors?

A business’s CGL may respond to its own liability arising from work performed by a subcontractor, but that does not make the subcontractor an insured under the policy. The ISO specimen has a specific exception to the damage-to-your-work exclusion for work performed on your behalf by a subcontractor. That exception can affect whether resulting damage is excluded; it does not independently insure the subcontractor or cover every faulty-work claim.

If your contract requires a subcontractor to carry insurance or add your business as an additional insured, check the contract, the subcontractor’s policy, and the actual endorsement. Verify whether the endorsement applies to ongoing work, completed operations, and the project at issue. The declarations, insured definitions, limits, and exclusions in each issued policy control; a certificate alone does not change those terms.