Insurance for consultants

Q: Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

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.

Q: Will changing from sole trader to limited company affect my insurance policy?

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.

Join over nearly a million customers – we offer public liability cover from £4.95*

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10% of customers pay the equivalent of £4.95 a month*

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.

Public liability insurance

In case your consultancy causes an injury or property damage.
Employers’ liability insurance

In case something happens to an employee while they’re working for you.
Professional indemnity insurance

In case you make a mistake in your consultancy, or the client claims for a financial loss.
Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to equipment like your laptop.
Legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs while running your consultancy.
Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident, at work or off duty.

Public liability insurance

In case your consultancy causes an injury or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance for consultants?

Claims against your business for:
- injury or damage to someone’s property, caused by you or as a result of your work
- accidental damage or injury caused by your employees, if you have any
If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.

For example:
- you accidentally drop a client’s tablet on a stone floor, cracking the screen
- a client trips over your bag, breaking their ankle in two places
Read more about public liability insurance
Employers’ liability insurance

In case something happens to an employee while they’re working for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:
- an employee suing you because they’re injured or fall ill as a result of working for you (includes temp staff and casual workers)
**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:
- one of your employees shuts their hand in the office door, which you’ve been meaning to fix
- your contractor falls down some steps in the client’s office, breaking their arm
Professional indemnity insurance

In case you make a mistake in your consultancy, or the client claims for a financial loss.

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance for consultants?

Claims against your business for:
- professional negligence or breach of contract which causes your client a financial loss, including advice you’ve given which turns out to be incorrect
For example:
- your client alleges that your work has ignored significant sections of the brief, stalling their project and exceeding the budget
- the team miss an important deadline due to your personal circumstances, causing the client to push back their launch date and make a financial loss
Read more about professional indemnity insurance
Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to equipment like your laptop.

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?
- theft of the equipment you use to run your consultancy (operational equipment, not tools of the trade)
- accidental loss of your equipment
- flood, fire or accidental damage
For example:
- your office hardware is destroyed in a fire, and needs replacing
- during a break-in, your phone and two laptops are stolen, along with a speaker you use for workshops
Read more about business and office equipment insurance
Legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs while running your consultancy.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?
- legal costs that you’re responsible for, within your business
- property damage, nuisance or trespass – specifically, the associated legal claims and compensation payouts
- tax and compliance disputes and investigations you need help with
- access to expert advice – including a tax advice phone line, confidential 24/7 legal phone line, and crisis PR support to help you protect your reputation, as a trusted consultant
For example:
- a member of staff brings an unfair dismissal claim against you, and you need to defend your legal rights
- you need to engage a lawyer to help resolve a client dispute
Read more about legal expenses insurance
Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident, at work or off duty.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?
- injury or death of anyone you’ve chosen to cover in your policy – whether this happens at work or elsewhere
- lost income, hospital bills or other medical costs associated with the accident
For example:
- your contractor is playing rugby at the weekend and breaks their leg, keeping them off work for three weeks
- you’re in a cycling accident on your way to the office, dislocating your shoulder
Read more about personal accident insurance

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 £4.95 per month

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The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £59.34 or less annually between 1st Feb – 30th April 2025. Equivalent to £4.95 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 82% of customers have a £1 million limit and 18% £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

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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.

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?
Does consultants insurance cover my work correctly?
Do I need cover for other types of work?
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

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.
Does consultants insurance cover my work correctly?

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 business consultant insurance or it consultant insurance?
Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:
Other types of insurance
Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

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.

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

0333 043 8527

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Contact us on our website whenever suits you

Phone

Call our insurance experts during office hours (calls are charged at a local rate)

FAQs

Find answers to common insurance questions

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.

£68 million in claims paid out in 2024

76% of claims were settled in 2024.

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 26/02/2025.

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

Chosen by nearly one million small business and landlord customers

We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly a million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.

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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.

What insurance do I need as a consultant?

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.

Do I need business insurance if I work from home as a consultant?

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.

Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

What’s the difference between paying by Direct Debit and paying in one lump sum?

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.

Will changing from sole trader to limited company affect my insurance policy?

Does public liability insurance cover my business for the actions of my employees?

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

Insurance for consultants

Why do you need consultant insurance?

What does consultants insurance cover?

Public liability insurance

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance for consultants?

Employers’ liability insurance

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Professional indemnity insurance

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance for consultants?

Business and office equipment insurance

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?

Legal expenses insurance

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

Personal accident insurance

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

How much does consultants insurance cost?

Prices start from £4.95 per month

Example consultant insurance quotes, real prices

What kind of excess should I expect?

How it works

Pick what goes into your policy

Get prices from a range of insurers

Buy online in minutes

How do I choose insurance?

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Does consultants insurance cover my work correctly?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Talk to an expert

Online

Phone

FAQs

How do claims work?

£68 million in claims paid out in 2024

Example claim

Michelle saved more than £1,500.00

Compare and buy in minutes

Rated 4.6/5

Here to help

24/7 claims

Consultants insurance FAQ

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