Insurance for consultants
Join over 900k UK customers – we offer public liability cover from £4.74**
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Rated 4.8/5
Based on 39,800 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need consultant insurance?
Even the most experienced consultant faces everyday risks, whether it’s an indemnity claim or something simple, like losing your laptop. Lots of contracts come with specific insurance requirements, so start with what you and the client need – a minimum amount of professional indemnity cover, usually – and build from there.
- insurance for consultants UK-specific with 24/7 claims support
- protection from large claims if there’s an injury or accident
- £50,000 to £5 million professional indemnity cover, built around your contracts
What does consultants insurance cover?
It makes sense to start with consultant indemnity insurance – our consultant cover focuses on professional indemnity (PI for short), which can protect you if a client makes a claim for financial loss because of your work. We offer between £50,000 and £5 million in PI cover, depending on what you and your clients require.
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Public liability insurance
In case your consultancy causes an injury or property damage.
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Employers’ liability insurance
In case something happens to an employee while they’re working for you.
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Professional indemnity insurance
In case you make a mistake in your consultancy, or the client claims for a financial loss.
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Business and office equipment insurance
In case something happens to equipment like your laptop.
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Legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs while running your consultancy.
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Personal accident insurance
In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident, at work or off duty.
How much does consultants insurance cost?
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.
Prices start from £4.74 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £56.82 or less annually between 1st Jan – 31st May 2024. Equivalent to £4.74 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 76% of customers have a £1 million limit and 24% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example consultant insurance quotes, real prices
£9.57 /month
£75.66 /year
A training consultant offering services to small and medium-sized businesses
- 5+ years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Manchester
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Professional indemnity
£100,000
£55.82 /month
£496.19 /year
A training consultant offering services to medium and large-sized businesses
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 2 employees
- Based in Manchester
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Professional indemnity
£1,000,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 26/03/2021). 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.
What kind of excess should I expect?
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 |
|---|---|---|
Professional indemnity | No excess | £2500 |
Public liability | £200 | £750 |
Employers liability | No excess | No excess |
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.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
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How do I choose insurance?
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.
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Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
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Does consultants insurance cover my work correctly?
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
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Which public liability cover limit should I choose?
Talk to an expert
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
How do claims work?
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.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
83% of claims were settled in 2023.
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Example claim
While travelling, Michelle’s (not her real name) business partner dropped their work laptop, cracking the screen and damaging the keyboard. The accidental damage costs were covered by their company insurance policy.
Michelle saved more than £1,500.00
While travelling, Michelle’s (not her real name) business partner dropped their work laptop, cracking the screen and damaging the keyboard. The accidental damage costs were covered by their company insurance policy.
Insurance payout
£1,541.62
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Consultants insurance FAQ
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 consultants insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
This depends on your business, your clients and the contracts you’re taking on. If you’re certified by your industry body (for example, a chartered surveyor), then you must have professional indemnity insurance in order to operate. But even if it’s not mandatory for your job, professional indemnity cover will still be a priority for most consultants.
For example, your client may require you to have £250,000 of professional indemnity insurance in place before taking on their project. We offer between £50,000 and £5 million in PI cover, so it should be a quick job to find the right level for your policy.
From there, lots of businesses choose to include public and product liability cover – in case they cause an accident – plus insurance for their tools and other kit. And remember, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement for most businesses with employees.
Many consultants are home-based, and face risks just like any other business going about their daily activities.
Professional indemnity insurance for consultants can cover you if a client makes a claim for mistakes or negligence which cost them money. Mistakes can happen anywhere, even at your desk at home, so this popular cover is worth considering if you’re giving advice or offering a professional service.
You can also add equipment and tools insurance, for your essential kit and portables, plus employers’ liability cover, which is usually a legal requirement if anyone is directly working for you, even if they’re working from their own home.
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:
- one-off credit or debit card payment
- BACS payment
- Direct Debit
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 instalments.
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 043 8527. 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
