Professional liability insurance

What is professional liability insurance?

For accountancy and legal professionals, or other types of advisory business, professional liability insurance (PLI for short) can be a key protection. It’s designed to protect you if a customer suffers a financial loss, and holds you responsible. Clients and professional bodies often require a minimum level of professional liability insurance coverage – we offer between £50,000 and £5 million, depending on the individual business.

Professional liability insurance is also known as professional indemnity insurance. They’re the same cover, designed to protect professionals against PI claims.

• professional liability insurance coverage between £50,000 and £5 million
• get it as a standalone cover or add it to a broader business insurance policy
• add tools, accident, and employee cover – you choose what you need

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Professional liabilities insurance – what’s covered?

If you’re running an advisory business, professional liability insurance can cover your legal and compensation costs if a customer makes a financial loss because of your work. From negligence claims and mistakes to copyright infringement and breaches of confidentiality, professional liabilities insurance is built to cover a range of risks.

What's covered?

• Claims for advice, design or certification errors, or libel, which lead to a financial loss for a third party.

For example:

• as a marketing consultant, you advise a client to increase their spend in a specific area, to attract more customers. The campaign is unsuccessful, however, leading to a proven loss

What isn’t covered?

• data breaches
• third party injuries or damage – public liability insurance is designed to cover this
• fines and penalties (including non-compensatory damages)
• dishonest and malicious acts
• services carried out or circumstances you were aware of before your professional liability insurance policy start date (also known as ‘retroactive’) aren’t covered as standard but may be available with some insurers

How much does professional liability 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.

Example professional liability 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.

Looking for something else?

Depending on your set-up, clients and business type, these expert covers might be helpful too:

• Business insurance
• Public liability insurance
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Employers liability insurance
• Business legal protection insurance
• Contract works insurance
• Limited company insurance
• Sole trader insurance
• Tools insurance

When you run a quote you can select from a range of covers.

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.

Professional liabilities insurance FAQ

Whether you’re new to buying insurance or you’ve been operating your business for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about professional liabilities insurance.

You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.

• What is the difference between personal and professional liability insurance?

  Personal liability insurance is similar to public liability insurance and covers injury or damage compensation claims made against you by a third party. If you run an advisory business, professional liability covers things that could result in a financial loss for the people you work for.

• Is professional liability the same as professional indemnity?

  Yes. Professional liability cover is another way of referring to professional indemnity insurance. They’re both often known as PLI and PI for short, and are designed to cover professional and advisory businesses like lawyers, accountants, and consultants against specific claims.

• Can I add cover for a different trade or profession mid-way through my policy?

  Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 0146 683 to update your policy before you take on this new work.

  If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.

• 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.

• 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 0146 683. 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.

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