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Fine art, sculpting, painting, pottery, crafts, illustration – whichever your passion as a creator, you’ll want to protect your business against unwelcome setbacks. Concerned about spillages? Fire or theft? Mistakes and accidents? You can’t always stop these things from occurring, but with artist insurance, you can make sure you’re covered against the unexpected costs.
We know that no two artists work the same way, so we give you the freedom to decide what to include in your insurance policy. Maybe you want to look after the equipment you rely on, or maybe you want to reduce the financial risk of clients not paying. There are lots of options available.
Public liability insurance for artists
In case someone gets injured or their property gets damaged as a result of your business.
Employers’ liability insurance
In case your employee gets sick or injured while they’re working for you.
Tools insurance
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
Stock insurance
In case your artist materials or pieces of art are lost, damaged or stolen.
Business and office equipment insurance
In case your business and office equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged.
Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs in the running of your business.
Personal accident insurance
In case you or anyone you've covered has an accident
In case someone gets injured or their property gets damaged as a result of your business.
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about public liability insurance
In case your employee gets sick or injured while they’re working for you.
Claims against your business for:
**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**
For example:
In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.
For example:
Read more about tools insurance
In case your artist materials or pieces of art are lost, damaged or stolen.
For example:
Read more about stock insurance
In case your business and office equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged.
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about business and office equipment insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs in the running of your business.
For example:
Read more about legal expenses insurance
In case you or anyone you've covered has an accident
For example:
you break your arm by tripping over the curb on your way into work
Read more about personal accident insurance
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
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How we work out example prices We take the highest price from the bottom 10 per cent of all our customers paying in monthly instalments (based on data from 1 September 2021 - 31st February 2022). Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
£8.48 /month
£64.79 /year
A self employed artist who sells pottery and sculptures locally
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Tools
£2,000
£34.65 /month
£307.99 /year
A small art company that works on local commissions and projects for the community (UK only)
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Tools
£4,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 25/10/2022). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
---|---|---|
Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
Employers' liability | No excess | No excess |
Tools | £60 | £500 |
Stock | £100 | £500 |
Business and office equipment | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
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Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?
Does artists insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.
If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.
Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.
Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers.
You may need more than tools insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.
Make sure you're picking the right cover to protect you properly. It's important to know that if you have another trade or job, you'll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider private tutor insurance or craft insurance
If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:
Other types of insurance
Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am - 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am - 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm
Call our team
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive. The figure below is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
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Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about artists insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
It’s always a good idea to start with an assessment of the risks your business might face.
In general, here are some important things to think about when selling handmade crafts:
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability cover.
If you come into contact with members of the public in your work as an artist, public and product liability insurance is a key type of cover to consider. Not only does it cover you against mistakes and accidents in person, it also covers you against injuries or damage caused by the pieces that you sell.
If you use any specialist tools in your work as a maker, creator or artist, such as a sewing machine or easel, you might want to think about getting tool cover.
Other types of insurance to consider include:
When you’re selling crafts at a craft stall or craft fair, there’s a risk that you could injure someone or cause accidental damage to someone else’s belongings. So although it’s not compulsory, it could be a good idea to protect yourself and your business with public and product liability insurance.
What’s more, the “product” element of public and product liability means you’re protected if a customer suffers injury or damage due to an item you’ve sold to them.
Bear in mind, some organisers of craft events may insist that you have public liability insurance as a condition of entry.
And remember, if you have people working for you (even temporary staff just to help you run your stall), you’re required by law to have employers’ liability cover.
Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 0146 683 to update your policy before you take on this new work. If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.
Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:
If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly installments.
If you change your business legal structure from sole trader to limited company mid-way through your policy, give us a call straight away on 0333 0146 683. It’ll only take us a few minutes to cancel your existing policy and replace it with one that correctly covers your new legal structure. It’s worth bearing in mind that your insurer and premium amount may need to change.
This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.
There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions
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