Freelance insurance

Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes

Freelancer working on a client project

Why do freelancers need insurance?

You know what it’s like to be pulled in last minute – everything’s urgent and the client is busy. While you’re catching up with the brief, freelancer insurance lets you hit the ground running. It provides protection against accidents and errors, plus cover for things like your laptop and other equipment.

  • protection from large claims if there’s an injury or accident
  • help if you have to stop working due to a personal accident
  • cover for the essentials from professional indemnity to your laptop


What does freelance insurance cover?

From the typical client to next year’s pipeline, you know your business best. So we put you in control of what goes into your policy, whether it’s just cover for accidents and mistakes or you need insurance for things like your laptop too.


How much does freelance 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 tailored quotes in 7 minutes

Example freelancer insurance quotes, real prices

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

£100

£2500

Employers’ liability

No excess

No excess

Business and office equipment

£50

£750


How it works

Pick what goes into your policy

Get prices from a range of insurers

Buy online in minutes

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insurer

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broker

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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.


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

Online

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.

£51 million in claims paid out in 2023

Example claim

Having insurance through Simply Business has saved freelancers thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.

Paul saved more than £1,929

Paul (not his real name) was working from home when his drink spilled over his laptop, damaging the screen. His freelance insurance covered the accidental damage, getting him set up again to finish the project.

Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords

Freelancer insurance FAQs

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 freelancer insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

Before you buy insurance, it’s important to weigh up the risks and understand the legalities. But what insurance do you really need? And do freelancers need liability insurance?

Public liability insurance is an important cover for many freelancers – it’s designed to protect you if someone’s injured or their property gets damaged because of your business. From tripping over your equipment to hot coffee spilled on a laptop, you’d be surprised how many freelance businesses need public liability insurance.

Professional indemnity insurance can be crucial too if you give advice or provide professional services to clients. It covers you if you give negligent guidance that causes a financial loss. And if you employ anyone, even in your own home, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement – you’ll face a heavy fine if you’re caught working without it.

It’s usually very straightforward – just start a quote with us right now, and we’ll come back with options from the UK’s most trusted insurance brands. If you’d prefer to speak to us on the phone, our team are ready to help on 0333 043 8527.

Yes. It’s important to make sure you have the right type and level of insurance for the different types of work you do. For example, if you’re a freelance personal trainer, you may also provide a dietician service – you’ll need additional cover for this, but you can have it all on the one policy. When you start your quote, you’ll have the option to add another trade or profession to your policy. If you need to add a third trade, give us a call on 0333 0146 683 and one of our insurance experts will help you set up your policy in minutes.

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.

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.