Title: Subcontractor documents: what to collect | Cercha
Description: Collect subcontractor identity, license, insurance, scope, and tax records. Separate private files, renewal dates, and closeout documents.
Canonical: https://cercha.pages.dev/guides/documents-from-a-subcontractor/
# What documents to collect from a subcontractor
Vetting and credentials
Collect the documents that answer identity, authorization, coverage, scope, and payment questions. Keep tax information in a restricted accounting file.
You are bringing on a new sub. You need a file that purchasing, accounting, and the superintendent can use.
Collect the business name, required license evidence, insurance documents from the issuer, and a written scope. Request the tax form your accounting team needs. Record why you need each document, who reviews it, and when to check it again.
The list below is a suggested residential workflow. It separates general company records from job documents and private tax information. Ask your licensed insurance adviser, attorney, and CPA to confirm requirements for your job.
## Match the business name before checking credentials
Request the legal business name, any operating name, business contact, and authorized signing contact. Compare that name on the proposal, license, insurance documents, agreement, and payee record. Ask about unexplained differences.
North Carolina's GC board says a license belongs to the named legal entity. A qualifier's examination credential is different from that entity's license. To check authorization, use the name of the company signing the agreement. [Licensee and qualifier FAQ](https://www.nclbgc.org/faq-contractors/)
Record who provides the labor and who supervises it. If another company performs a portion of the work, identify that company and check its credentials separately.
## Check documents before award and confirm the start
Separate evidence you need before subletting from arrangements you confirm before the crew starts. In North Carolina, G.S. 97-19 includes certificate timing conditions concerning workers' compensation. Address that question with counsel before awarding the work. [Principal-contractor liability statute](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_97/GS_97-19.html)
| Record | Suggested timing | Person responsible for review |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Legal identity and signing contact | Before entity-specific checks and award | Purchasing or contract reviewer |
| Applicable license lookup | Before marking the license check complete | Assigned credential reviewer |
| Workers' compensation evidence | Before subletting, with advice on statutory conditions | Insurance adviser and counsel |
| Liability certificate and required policy support | Before relying on coverage for the job | Insurance adviser |
| Comparable work and references | While checking whether the sub fits the job | Purchasing and field reviewer |
| Scope, exclusions, plans, and commercial terms | Before agreement and start decisions | Contract reviewer and responsible project staff |
| Taxpayer details through Form W-9 | Accounting onboarding after classification review | Restricted accounting staff |
| Site lead, access, and start conditions | Before the proposed crew arrives | Superintendent and sub's authorized contact |
The timing is recommended except where a specific law is cited. A full folder does not replace professional review of the documents inside it.
## Save the official licensing result
Use the issuing board's record rather than only a scan supplied by the contractor. North Carolina provides separate searches for [GC licenses](https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search), [electrical licenses](https://arls-public.ncbeec.org/Public/Search), and [plumbing, heating, and fire sprinkler licenses](https://public.nclicensing.org/Public/Search).
Save the license number, matched entity, status information, date checked, and unresolved questions. For a GC, compare classification and limitation with the work. NC's classifications define scope, while limitations cap individual project value. [Classifications and limitations](https://www.nclbgc.org/classifications-and-limitations/)
If the board resolves a mismatch, retain that answer. Check again if the record changes or the job adds work that requires a trade license. An old license scan does not confirm current authorization.
## Get the COI and required policy wording
Ask the sub to have its producer or insurer send current documents directly. Compare named insured, policy numbers, coverage lines, dates, and limits. Those fields appear on the [ACORD liability certificate](https://tdi.texas.gov/certificates/documentcr/s21357a.pdf).
Add the policy provisions or endorsements your adviser needs to evaluate contract requirements. A certificate holder entry does not create additional insured status. ACORD says the policy must contain the applicable provisions or endorsement. [Additional insured notice](https://tdi.texas.gov/certificates/documentcr/s21357a.pdf)
Under North Carolina law, a COI cannot change the referenced policy or confer additional rights. Keep the certificate and supporting policy documents together so the reviewer can compare the summary with the coverage wording. [Certificate statute](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_58/GS_58-3-149.html)
Use the [NCIC coverage search](https://ccms.ic.nc.gov/insurancecoverage/inscov/insCoverageSearch) as supporting evidence for workers' compensation. Confirm coverage directly with the employer or insurer because the Commission warns that its database is not proof of insurance and may omit recent or unreported changes. [NCIC warning](https://www.ic.nc.gov/)
## Keep the W-9 in the tax file
The IRS says that after determining a payee is an independent contractor, the payer should obtain Form W-9 for the correct name and taxpayer identification number. It directs the payer to keep the form in its files. [IRS contractor forms](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/forms-and-associated-taxes-for-independent-contractors)
Use the [W-9 guide](/guides/w-9-for-subcontractors/) to keep tax identity collection within the accounting process.
Let your accountant confirm classification, reporting, and retention requirements. A W-9 is not a contractor license, insurance evidence, or proof of workmanship. Do not ask the superintendent to carry the full tax packet on site.
Restrict who can send and open the tax files. Give purchasing the accounting onboarding status when needed, rather than the taxpayer number itself. If banking instructions are required, handle them in the designated private payment process.
The FTC recommends collecting only needed sensitive information and limiting access to people with a business need. Apply that guidance to tax and financial records. [Business privacy and security guidance](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business)
## Put the actual job agreement in the job file
Use your attorney-reviewed agreement and attachments to identify scope, exclusions, drawings, materials, site conditions, payment process, change authorization, and closeout expectations. The documents you need depend on the job. This checklist is not a substitute contract.
Keep the accepted versions labeled. If a plan changes, record which revision controls the current work. Ask the authorized parties to resolve conflicting scope descriptions before the superintendent instructs the crew.
Record the site contacts for the sub and the builder. Record where to keep instructions and approved changes. Do not assume a conversation or photo album establishes an agreed contract change.
## Set dates for renewals and repeat checks
Record policy expiration dates and who will request replacement documents. Keep license rechecks tied to current status and the project decision. Revisit the file when the signing entity, labor employer, trade scope, or schedule changes.
Use a status list with document received, review pending, question open, and reviewed for the stated job. Preserve older versions so the file shows which documents applied to which period.
Ask your advisers to set retention rules for tax, contract, and insurance records. Do not delete a document merely because it expires. Ask whether you need to keep it as a record of the earlier period. The FTC recommends a written retention policy identifying what to keep, secure, and dispose of when no longer needed. [Retention-policy guidance](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business)
## Collect closeout records without prescribing lien forms
At closeout, request the records named in your agreement, such as correction completion, warranties, product information, or required payment documentation. Match the request to the trade work performed. Have counsel choose and review any lien-related form.
North Carolina's G.S. 44A-12(f) restricts anticipatory waivers of lien rights given in consideration for awarding a construction contract, while preserving specified release or subordination possibilities. Do not paste a universal advance lien waiver into every onboarding packet. [NC lien provision](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_44A/GS_44A-12.html)
Keep payment records and legal forms in the appropriate private project file. This onboarding guide cannot determine each supplier's or lower-tier contractor's rights.
## Keep private documents off public profiles
Use public project information to find subs. Get permission for project photos and references. Keep W-9s, taxpayer numbers, banking instructions, employee records, and confidential commercial documents in restricted business files. The FTC's collection and access principles support that separation. [FTC guidance](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business)
Use [prequalification](/guides/subcontractor-prequalification/) to name reviewers and limit optional requests. Send credential questions to [license verification](/guides/verify-contractor-license/) and [insurance checking](/guides/check-subcontractor-insurance/). Take the resulting statuses to [hiring and award](/guides/hiring-subcontractors/).
Use [the subcontractor vetting workflow](/guides/vet-a-subcontractor/) to assign the evidence check before the package is awarded.
## Where Cercha fits
Cercha profiles show professional work, portfolios, endorsements, and credential badges, and Messages helps you contact members. Use the connection to arrange your onboarding process. Keep tax, contract, and insurance-document review in the private business systems you control.
More [guides for builders](/for/builders/) and [vetting and credentials](/guides/topics/vetting-and-credentials/).
Published 2026.10.14. Updated 2026.10.14.
[More guides: Vetting and credentials]()
## Related guides
- [Subcontractor prequalification for home builders]()
- [How to verify a contractor license]()
- [Certificate of insurance: what it shows and what it does not]()
## Build your connections
[Ask about the beta]()
## Sources
1. North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. (n.d.). *FAQ for Contractors*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.nclbgc.org/faq-contractors/
2. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-19. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_97/GS_97-19.html
3. North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. (n.d.). *Verify License Search*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search
4. North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. (n.d.). *Verify License Search*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://arls-public.ncbeec.org/Public/Search
5. North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. (n.d.). *Verify License Search*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://public.nclicensing.org/Public/Search
6. North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. (n.d.). *Classifications and limitations*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.nclbgc.org/classifications-and-limitations/
7. ACORD Corporation. (2016, March). *Certificate of Liability Insurance*. Texas Department of Insurance. https://tdi.texas.gov/certificates/documentcr/s21357a.pdf
8. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-3-149. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_58/GS_58-3-149.html
9. North Carolina Industrial Commission. (n.d.). *Insurance Coverage Search*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://ccms.ic.nc.gov/insurancecoverage/inscov/insCoverageSearch
10. North Carolina Industrial Commission. (n.d.). *Welcome to the North Carolina Industrial Commission*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.ic.nc.gov/
11. Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). *Forms and associated taxes for independent contractors*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/forms-and-associated-taxes-for-independent-contractors
12. Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). *Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business*. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business
13. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 44A-12. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_44A/GS_44A-12.html