Business insurance guides
Find plain-English guidance on business insurance, from choosing types of cover to understanding policy terms and reporting a claim. Choose a topic below for explanations, practical checks and questions to ask your insurer or broker.
Getting started
New to business insurance? Start with the basics, then explore cover relevant to your work.
- What is business insurance?Understand the main types of cover and how they fit together.
- What business insurance do I need?Review your activities, people and responsibilities to prepare questions about cover for your business.
- Which business insurance is legally required?Understand legal obligations and how they differ from client or contract requirements.
Choosing cover
Compare types of insurance and check the amounts and terms relevant to your work.
- Public liability vs professional indemnity insuranceUnderstand the differences between injury or property-damage claims and claims about professional services.
- Public liability vs employers’ liability insuranceDistinguish claims from customers or other people from employee injury claims.
- How much public liability cover do I need?Consider contract requirements and the harm your work could cause when reviewing limits.
- How much professional indemnity cover do I need?Consider contract requirements, possible losses and how the limit applies.
- Business insurance limits and excesses explainedUnderstand your contribution to a claim, shared limits and how legal costs affect cover.
- Employees and subcontractors: insurance considerationsCheck which working-arrangement details to discuss with your insurer or broker.
- Labour-only vs bona fide subcontractorsCompare working arrangements, insurance responsibilities and evidence checks before subcontracted work starts.
- Business insurance for multiple trades and activitiesDescribe all your activities, check accepted work and identify the insurance sections to review.
Costs and comparing quotes
Understand prices and compare the written offers you obtain.
- How much does business insurance cost?Understand pricing factors, advertised prices and published averages.
- How much does public liability insurance cost?See how your work and cover choices can affect the price.
- How much does professional indemnity insurance cost?See how your services, contracts and cover for previous work can affect a quote.
- How much does employers’ liability insurance cost?Check which workforce and pay details the insurer may request.
- How to compare business insurance quotesCompare the cover, restrictions and total payable in written offers.
Understanding and managing policies
Find help with policy documents, previous work and changes to your insurance.
- Business insurance exclusions explainedFind restrictions in policy documents and prepare questions about unclear wording.
- Claims-made vs claims-occurring insuranceSeparate work, incident, claim and reporting dates when checking policy timing.
- Retroactive dates and run-off coverCheck previous-work questions before switching insurer or stopping work.
- Business insurance certificatesFind and check proof of insurance and how employees can access an employers’ liability certificate.
- Business changes: when and how to tell your insurerPrepare a change request and check what the provider has agreed.
- Business insurance renewal checklistReview your business details, terms and next steps before renewal.
- Does van insurance cover tools?Find any tools cover in your policy and check it against what you carry and where you store it.
Claims and records
Already dealing with an incident or possible claim? Follow the reporting instructions in your policy promptly. Do not wait to finish reading the guides or assemble every document before checking what notice is required.
- How to make a business insurance claimFind the reporting contact, prepare the facts and follow the claims process.
- Business insurance records to keep for a claimOrganise policy, project, equipment and incident records so you can find them when needed.
- Business insurance claim rejected? What to do nextReview written reasons, organise disputed points and check complaint routes and deadlines.
- Public liability claim examples: injury and property damageExplore fictional injury and property-damage examples and the facts and policy terms to check.
- Professional indemnity claim examples for consultants and IT contractorsExplore fictional professional-service allegations and the facts, policy terms and reporting dates to check.