How to make a business insurance claim

Protect people, prevent further harm where safe and preserve evidence without obstructing necessary action. Do not enter dangerous premises or investigate hazardous equipment just to document a loss.

For theft or suspected crime, follow applicable reporting requirements and retain a crime reference where relevant. Keep a record of necessary protective action and associated costs where practical; that record does not itself establish reimbursement.

Reporting to the insurer may not meet other legal reporting duties or deadlines for responding to court papers.

Find the claims instructions in your policy documents or official provider guidance. Check endorsements, which are documents changing the terms, for any relevant changes. Verify contacts through official sources.

Check:

• who to contact;
• how to report;
• when to report;
• what receipt confirmation is required.

Telling any broker does not automatically satisfy every insurer’s conditions. For an older incident or previous work, your current insurer may not be the relevant insurer. Ask the policy contacts for help identifying the applicable policy without delaying required reporting.

Policies arranged through Simply Business

Existing customers: use the Find the Simply Business claims contact for your policy and select the appropriate business-insurance route. The hub identifies different arrangements for particular covers and providers, so check your own documents as well.

Do not assume one telephone number, handler or method applies to every policy.

Policies arranged elsewhere

Follow that provider’s policy-specific claims instructions.

If the reference is missing, contact the responsible provider with available identifying details and ask for help. Do not delay solely to find a policy reference or certificate. The policy documents and certificates guide explains where to look for issued evidence.

Reporting may be required before a formal demand. Check promptly whether an incident or a problem that could lead to a claim (a policy “circumstance”) meets the definitions and reporting deadlines. Do not wait for a demand stating an amount or court proceedings.

There is no universal reporting window or grace period in this guide. Follow the actual terms; late reporting does not have one automatic consequence for every policy.

Example: customer injury

Imagine a customer alleges an injury at your premises and later sends correspondence. Establish who must be notified, what factual details to record and how to forward the correspondence. The allegation does not establish your legal liability or that the policy covers the matter.

An employee causing customer harm does not, by itself, make it an employee-injury claim. See public liability insurance for the cover context.

Example: professional-services complaint

Imagine a client disputes your advice before asking for a stated amount. Check whether the complaint meets the policy’s claim or circumstance definition, whom to notify and how to forward later correspondence. Professional indemnity insurance reporting terms vary.

The claims-made and claims-occurring guide explains the date and definition checks. Buying new insurance does not automatically solve a known matter.

Report the facts available now and identify missing information. Do not wait for a complete evidence pack to check or meet notification requirements.

Urgent correspondence: Flag solicitor letters, court papers and stated or possible deadlines to the claims contact promptly. Seek appropriate professional help; reporting to the insurer does not itself complete a required legal response.

Initial details

Use this checklist to prepare a factual account. Separate established facts, allegations, estimates and unknowns. Correct or update information through the provider’s process as you learn more.

Detail	What to supply if known
Policy and business details	Reference if available, business insured and relevant contact.
Event or allegation	What happened or what is alleged.
Work date	When the relevant work took place.
Incident date	When the incident or alleged harm occurred.
Awareness date	When you first knew about the problem.
Claim date	When the demand or allegation was made.
Reporting date	When and how the insurer was notified.
Location and parties	Relevant premises, people or organisations, through the authorised channel.
Loss	Known damage or alleged loss, with estimates and uncertainty labelled.
Immediate action	Safety measures and necessary steps already taken.
Correspondence	Complaints, demands, solicitor or court papers and stated or possible deadlines needing attention.
Missing information	What is unavailable and when it might be supplied.

Evidence relevant to the claim

Ask which records are needed and how to send them securely. The examples below will not apply to every claim.

Type	Possible relevant material
Injury or damage allegation	Incident records, safely taken photographs, relevant witness details and correspondence.
Professional-services complaint	Contract and scope, advice or design records, instructions, approvals and communications.
Property loss, where relevant	Receipts or valuations, photographs, inventory, repair estimates and crime reference where applicable.
Financial loss, where relevant	Requested records supporting the claimed loss, with estimates distinguished from confirmed figures.

Keep original records and files where practical, avoid altering them and collect evidence safely. Provide only relevant information through secure provider-approved channels. Clearcut does not receive claim evidence. The business insurance records guide covers preparation in more detail.

Urgent protective work: Do not delay necessary safety or loss-prevention action. Keep evidence and records where safe; reimbursement is not guaranteed.

Planned repairs and costs: Ask the claims team what approval is required before non-urgent commitments. Check what inspection or evidence is needed before disposing of items, without retaining hazardous items unnecessarily.

Describe what happened honestly. Reporting facts does not, by itself, mean accepting legal responsibility. Do not conceal information required by law or treat this as a blanket instruction never to apologise.

Ask before agreeing compensation, promising a settlement or appointing a paid representative. Do not assume a bill will be reimbursed.

The process may include:

• acknowledgement of the report;
• requests for information;
• investigation, with specialist help where needed;
• assessment of cover, liability or loss;
• an update or decision.

Stages vary. A reference or acknowledgement does not confirm cover, liability or payment. Some claims are defended or resolved without money paid directly to your business.

Keep a short follow-up log:

Record	What to track
Reference and contact	Claim reference and responsible person or team.
Last update	Date and substance of the latest communication.
Outstanding actions and questions	What is needed, who is responsible and the next follow-up date.
Next update	When to expect a response or follow up.

Ask what information is missing and whether proposed spending needs approval. Has the insurer confirmed whether the claim is covered, or is it still assessing that question?

Keep submission and receipt records without treating them as proof that every notice requirement is met. Forward new demands or court papers promptly through the required channel; the first report may not complete later duties.

There is no single reliable timeframe for every claim. Complexity, available evidence, liability disputes, expert input, third-party responses and the applicable process can affect progress.

For policies to which section 13A of the Insurance Act 2015 applies, insurers must pay sums due within a reasonable time, including reasonable time to investigate and assess the claim. This does not create one fixed settlement deadline or guarantee payment of a disputed or uncovered amount.

Ask what action is needed next, what remains outstanding and when to expect an update.

If you face urgent costs or cash-flow pressure, ask the claims team what options are available. Interim payments or reimbursement are not guaranteed.

1. Request the written explanation, wording version and relevant clauses.
2. Correct factual misunderstandings.
3. Ask how relevant exceptions or endorsements were considered.
4. Use the responsible organisation’s complaints procedure if needed.

The rejected-claim guide covers these questions in more detail.

Insurer or claims-handler complaints are separate from complaints about Clearcut’s service; Clearcut cannot reverse an insurer’s decision.

Financial Ombudsman Service eligibility varies. Use its official small-business eligibility checker as an indication, not a final decision on access.

Check the provider’s complaint instructions and any time limits for taking the matter further. Keep the response and its date; do not assume an ongoing discussion removes a deadline.