Guides

A subcontractor's certificate of currency is only good until the policy's end date. Most policies renew once a year, licences and checks every one to five years, and nobody sends you the new one unless you ask. Here are three ways to keep on top of it, and where each one starts to break.

What you need to track

For each subcontractor, write down every document you hold and its end date: public liability, workers compensation, professional indemnity, licences, and any checks such as a Working with Children Check. Our compliance checklist lists the usual ones.

Option 1: a spreadsheet

One row per document, with columns for the subcontractor, document type, cover amount, end date and the date you last asked for a renewal. Sort by end date, and use conditional formatting to colour anything due in the next 30 days.

• Works when you have a handful of subcontractors and one person who checks it every week.
• Breaks when that person is busy or on leave, or when the list grows past what fits on one screen. A spreadsheet only shows what's due. Someone still has to email each subcontractor, wait, chase and file the new certificate.

Option 2: calendar reminders

For each end date, set a calendar reminder a month before. It's better than a spreadsheet at telling you when to act, but harder to see the whole picture at once, and the reminders don't move when a renewal comes in early.

Option 3: let the subcontractor do the uploading

Software built for this, such as UpToDocs, flips the job around. Each subcontractor gets their own upload link. When a document is about to expire, they get the reminder, they upload the renewal, and the new end date is read off the certificate. You only hear about it if something actually lapses.

Whichever way you choose

1. Ask a month early. Brokers can take a week or two to issue a new certificate.
2. Check the new certificate, not just the date. Make sure the name, type of cover and amount haven't changed. What to check on a certificate of currency.
3. Keep the old ones. If there's ever an incident, you'll need to show what was current on that day.

This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Rules differ by state and industry; check with your own adviser or the relevant regulator.