Policy Limits Decoded
What Is the Products-Completed Operations Aggregate?
The products-completed operations aggregate is a separate annual cap on claims that arise from your finished work or products — the most important single limit on any contractor GL policy because most claims happen after the job is over.
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Products-Completed Operations Aggregate: What It Is and Why It Matters
Most contractor GL policies show two aggregate limits on the declarations page. The general aggregate caps the total claims for all ongoing operations, premises liability, and personal & advertising injury claims in a policy year. The products-completed operations aggregate is a separate cap that applies to claims arising from finished work or products you have left behind on a jobsite. They do not share dollars — each is its own bucket. Learn more about general liability insurance for contractors or scroll down for the details on this question.
Why this matters so much for contractors: the overwhelming majority of contractor claims do not happen while you are on the jobsite. They happen after. The deck collapses two summers later. The plumbing connection leaks at month nine. The roof flashing fails on the third rainstorm. The electrical panel you installed shorts out and starts a fire. All of those are products-completed operations claims, and they all draw against the products-completed operations aggregate — not the general aggregate.
On a standard $1M / $2M policy, the products-completed operations aggregate is typically $2M, matching the general aggregate. But carriers often allow you to buy a higher products-completed aggregate for relatively small additional premium — $3M or $5M is common for contractors with significant completed-operations exposure (deck builders, roofers, HVAC, electrical, plumbing). When a GC contract requires ‘$2M per project,’ what they usually want is a higher products-completed aggregate, not just per-occurrence.
There are a few coverage details to watch. First, the completed operations tail: the policy only responds to claims that occurred during your policy period, even if the work was done years earlier. So if you let your GL lapse, prior-year work is not covered when a claim surfaces three years later. Second, some carriers exclude or sub-limit certain types of completed operations — residential work, condominium work, EIFS, or roofing — so always read the endorsements. Third, many GC contracts now require completed operations coverage to extend for 2–10 years post-project; you handle that by keeping continuous GL coverage in force, not by buying a one-time tail.
Bottom line: when evaluating a contractor GL quote, do not just look at the per-occurrence limit. Look at the products-completed operations aggregate. That number is what stands between you and the lawsuit that lands six months after the job wrapped.
The Most Important Limit on Your Policy
For most contractors — especially trades where claims surface long after completion — the products-completed operations aggregate is the single most important number on the declarations page. Always confirm it matches or exceeds your general aggregate, and bump it higher if you do bigger jobs.
How the Two Aggregates Work in Practice
A simple example shows why the products-completed aggregate is its own bucket and why it matters at renewal.
$1M / $2M / $2M
Standard contractor GL. $1M per occurrence, $2M general aggregate (ongoing ops), $2M products-completed aggregate (finished work).
Big Ongoing Claim
Homeowner injured on active jobsite, settles for $500K. Eats general aggregate, NOT products-completed aggregate.
Big Completed Claim
Roof installed last year leaks, settles for $400K. Eats products-completed aggregate, NOT general aggregate.
Per-Project Aggregate
If a contract requires $2M per project, add a per-project aggregate endorsement so one big job does not exhaust limits available for other jobs.
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