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HR consultant insurance

Join over 1,200 HR consultants like you with cover from £1.90 per month*

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Based on 39,755 reviews

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Claims paid in 24 hours

For 80% of settled claims

What's on this page

  • Why is insurance important?
  • What does it cover?
  • How much does it cost?
  • How do I choose insurance?
  • How do claims work?
  • FAQs
  • Helpful articles

Why do you need HR insurance?

From your first project meeting to the final catch-up, the knowledge and experience you bring to every problem gets you widely referred. Insurance for HR consultants can put a backstop against your expertise, focusing on key covers like professional indemnity insurance, in case the advice you give causes a financial loss for your client, or they claim for negligence.

  • professional indemnity insurance for HR consultants – £50,000 to £5 million
  • 24/7 UK-based claims support from an expert team
  • equipment, accident and employee cover – you choose what you need

Start your quote

Insurance for HR consultants – what does it cover?

We’ll start with professional indemnity (PI) cover, a key part of most HR consultant insurance policies. Our PI protection includes cover for negligence, as well as breaches of confidentiality, defamation and intellectual property infringement. From there, you can build in covers like public liability insurance for accidents and injuries, plus employers’ liability cover if you need it.

Public liability insurance for HR consultants

In case you or your employee injure someone or damage their property.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

  • damage to someone’s property
  • injury or illness caused by your HR business
  • 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’re meeting a potential client in a coffee shop and accidentally spill hot water on their hand, causing a minor burn
  • while getting materials out of your bag at a conference, another attendee trips over your bag, spraining their wrist

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case something happens to an employee while working for your consultancy.

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:

  • you’ve provided an incorrectly fitted chair for your office manager, who develops chronic back pain as a result
  • an employee gets an injury from an electric shock while trying to set up some computer equipment you've supplied

Professional indemnity insurance for HR consultants

In case there’s a claim for breaches in your duty of care, or defamation.

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance?

Claims against your HR consultancy for professional negligence or a loss-causing breach of contract. This can include:

  • advice which turns out to be incorrect
  • mistakes in your work that cost others money to fix

For example:

  • you’ve given advice to a client which results in their employee claiming unfair dismissal, meaning you’ll need to defend yourself in court
  • you send an email containing sensitive and confidential information about an employee to the wrong recipient

Read more about professional indemnity insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case things like your phone or tablet are lost, stolen or damaged.

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

  • theft, flood, fire or accidental damage to the equipment you use to run your business
  • operational equipment like your laptop, office printer and phone

For example:

  • while commuting to a client’s office you pack your bag in a hurry, leaving your tablet on the train
  • your company laptops are stolen during an office break-in

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you and your business face legal costs.

  • legal costs attributed to 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 HR consultant

For example:

  • HMRC wants to take you to court for paying tax incorrectly
  • a client is refusing to pay your invoice

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or elsewhere.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

  • accidental injury or death at or outside of work, for anyone covered on the policy
  • lost income, medical costs and hospitalisation benefit

For example:

  • you slip on a wet floor in your client’s office and break your ankle, forcing you to work from home for two months
  • your employee breaks their leg while at a wedding and needs two operations

Read more about personal accident insurance

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

How much does HR consultant 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 £1.90 per month

Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.

Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes

Start your quote

*How we work out example prices 10% of our customers paid up to £22.81 a year for a professional indemnity insurance policy between 1st April 2023 - 30th June 2023. Equivalent to £1.90 per month based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.

Example HR consultant quotes, real prices

finsbury insurance

£15.62 /month

£136.22 /year

A freelance hr consultant that works for local businesses in helping them set up human resource needs

  • 1-2 years' experience
  • Sole trader
  • No employees
  • Based in Nottingham
  • Public liability

    £1,000,000

  • Employers liability

    Not included

  • Professional indemnity

    £100,000

hiscox insurance

£92.07 /month

£818.37 /year

A hr consultancy firm that helps audit medium/large businesses and advises on human resource policies and procedures

  • 5+ years' experience
  • Limited company
  • 3 employees
  • Based in Manchester
  • Public liability

    £5,000,000

  • 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 19/04/2021). 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

Contents

£100

£750

Portable equipment

£100

£500

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

  • Get prices from a range of insurers

    Choose the best fit for you

  • Buy online in minutes

    Get your documents the same day

Start your quote

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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?

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 [HR consultant 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

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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. 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.

£39 million in claims paid out in 2022

Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2022

Chosen by 900,000 small businesses and landlords

We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 900,000 customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.

  • Compare and buy in minutes

    Documents arrive today

  • Rated 4.7/5

    Based on 39,755 reviews

  • Here to help

    Help from UK-based experts

  • 24/7 claims

    Make a claim any time

HR consultant 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 HR consultant 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, then you may need 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 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.

  • 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

Helpful articles for HR consultants

Close up of hands typing on a laptop

6 Jul 2018 • 5-minute read

Best HR software for small businesses in the UK

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