Fitness instructor insurance

Public liability insurance for fitness instructors

In case you cause an injury, illness or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property
• an injury or illness caused by your business activities
• accidental damage or injury caused by your employee, if you have one

If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.

For example:

• a client tears a muscle in your spin class and decides to claim against you
• during a fitness bootcamp your client damages some equipment belonging to the venue you’re hiring

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

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

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an injury or illness that comes as a result of working for you (including temps 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:

• your employee injures themselves during a coaching drill and claims compensation from you
• a trainee fitness instructor falls down the stairs at your studio and breaks their arm

Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to equipment like your laptop or treadmill.

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

• theft of the equipment you use to run your business
• accidental loss of your equipment
• flood, fire or accidental damage

For example:

• the laptop you use to manage your business is stolen from your car while you’re visiting a client
• a leak in your studio damages the digital control unit of an expensive treadmill

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Tools insurance

In case specialist kit like your dumbbells or trackers is lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tools insurance?

• your fitness and assessment equipment, like free weights and portable electronic tools
• theft or accidental damage while your tools are on a client’s premises, or in transit (in the UK, and in a vehicle you own or lease)

For example:

• your expensive dumbbells set is stolen during a break-in at your business premises
• a power surge at your studio damages the electric circuit in your wattbike

Read more about tools insurance

Stock insurance

In case the supplies you rely on are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?

• loss, damage or theft of the essentials you keep in stock, like protein and energy products or branded materials

For example:

• a new order of whey protein powder you keep in stock for clients is stolen from your business premises
• flooding in your studio destroys your stock of branded activewear

Read more about stock insurance

Legal expenses insurance

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

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs associated with day-to-day operations, like an employee dispute
• legal costs associated with property damage, nuisance or trespass
• HMRC, tax and compliance issues, if they come up
• includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline and crisis PR support to help you protect your reputation as an in-demand fitness instructor

For example:

• you’re subject to a tax investigation and need cover for costs, as well as legal representation
• a new client refuses to pay an invoice, disputing their contract terms, and you need cover for the costs of recovering the unpaid sum, along with confidential legal advice

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident at work or elsewhere.

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:

• you’re running a weekend class and a client drops a bar, breaking a bone in your foot and forcing you to take two weeks off work
• your employee traps their hand in the car door on their way to a client’s house, causing bad bruising and signing them off work for over a week

Read more about personal accident insurance

Can I just cover my most expensive tools?

Make sure you cover the total cost of replacing all your tools or you’ll only get a proportion of your claim paid out if something happens to them. Learn about tool cover.

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.

Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?

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.

Does fitness instructor 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 personal trainer insurance or private tutor insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:

• Gym insurance
• Dance teacher insurance
• Life coach insurance
• Nutritionist insurance
• Massage insurance
• Physiotherapy insurance
• Health & alternative therapy insurance
• Sports coaching insurance
• Yoga teacher insurance
• Zumba instructor insurance
• More health, fitness & wellbeing insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Freelance insurance
• Consultant insurance
• Contractors insurance
• Sole trader 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.