Insurance for the self-employed

Who needs self-employed insurance?

It might sound obvious but… self-employed people. And freelancers.

Self-employed insurance is the perfect fit for anyone that works for themselves. Whether you’re a travelling consultant or an artisan working from your home.

It’s insurance that’s suited to anyone who’s self-employed. Because it covers you when you’re hit by a claim. And backs you up so you don’t have to handle it all by yourself.

After all, a claim can be potentially ruinous for self-employed people. With self-employed insurance, you can keep getting clients through the door while your legal fees and any compensation you owe are covered.

What insurance do I need as a self-employed person?

It depends on what you do. Every business works differently, so they’ll require different kinds of insurance.

Do you visit clients? Or have clients visit you? If so, public liability insurance is worth having. It covers you if they’re hurt or their property is damaged while they’re visiting, or vice versa. And it’s found to be your fault.

If you do work with clients on a daily basis, you’ll also want to have professional indemnity insurance. If you make a mistake, or you’re accused of negligence, it’ll pay to defend to you. And cover any compensation or damages you might have to pay out.

Got any employees? If so, you need to have employers’ liability insurance by law. This handy guide from the government is worth checking out if you aren’t sure whether this applies to you.

You might also want to consider other types of insurance. Like contents and equipment insurance if you rely on kit for your day-to-day job.

Or cyber insurance, which protects you against the outcomes of a cyber-attack or data breach by providing technical, legal, and PR support. And can optionally cover you for financial cybercrime (including social engineering) and lost earnings too.

What is self-employed public liability insurance, and do I need it?

If you meet people for work, there's always the risk of an accident. They could trip over a cable, or you could spill a cuppa on their laptop.

You don't mean to, things happen, but these can be expensive mistakes if that person then decides to make a claim.

Public liability insurance for self-employed people helps protect your business by paying for a solicitor if you need one and covering any compensation due.

What does self-employed professional indemnity cover?

A mistake can easily lead to a claim. Especially when a client is unhappy and it’s cost them money.

Professional indemnity insurance (PI) covers you for claims of negligence, defamation, breach of duty of care, and more.

So you’ll be saving your money, time, sanity and good name by letting your policy do the fixing, advising and compensating.

It pays for a specialist solicitor to defend you if something doesn't go to plan. And it picks up the tab for any compensation or damages you’re liable for.

What does self-employed insurance cost?

It’s difficult to say exactly how much your self-employed insurance will cost. It depends on a few things.

To start, the nature of your business will affect the kind of insurance you’ll need. And the price you’ll pay. Different industries and sectors are seen as more or less risky by insurers. So depending on yours, your costs will vary.

The kind of insurance you need will change the price too. For example, if you have a physical location, or work on a client’s premises, you should have self-employed public liability insurance. Adding other covers, like employers’ liability or professional indemnity insurance will add more cost. So bear that in mind.

If you do any business outside the UK, that’ll also push your cost up.

The easiest way to find out is to get a quote.

Why should I buy my insurance from you?

Where to start? First, we’re professional insurance experts. Our job is to help you find exactly what you need to protect your business.

We also know how confusing business insurance can be. And how long it can take to sort out. To help, we’ve cut out all the jargon, so you can spend less time deciphering confusing insurance-speak and more time getting the insurance you need.

Worried about hitting a call centre or phone menu? No worries. We know you like to be treated like a person, not a number. So when you call us, you get through to one of our friendly advisors.

There’s also some nice little extras. Like an ‘I’m insured’ badge for your website. And money for successfully referring others to us.

If you’re still not sure, maybe it’s better that you hear from our customers. We’ve got thousands of reviews for you to peruse, so you can get a better idea of what to expect.