Subcontractor insurance

Tailored insurance for subcontractors

Whether you’re a subcontractor in the construction industry, the IT industry or elsewhere, you need a good subcontractor insurance policy to keep you covered.

Many main contractors and clients will insist that their subcontractors have an insurance policy in place, with public liability insurance usually at the top of the list.

Public liability insurance can cover you if you’re sued by a member of the public for injury or damage, for example if you leave your tools lying around and someone trips over them, or if you spill a cup of coffee over a client’s computer.

Depending on your trade, you can add other covers to your subcontractor policy too, including professional indemnity insurance, tools insurance and personal accident insurance.

Cover from £6.79 a month, get insured in minutes. (10% of direct debit customers repay their annual policy in 10 monthly payments of £6.79 or less across all our trades insured. Based on data from 1 July - 31 December 2020, for comparison only. Cancellation charges may apply, please refer to our full terms & conditions.)

Subcontractor insurance requirements

The insurance you need as a subcontractor depends on your business, and the requirements set out by your clients and main contractors. You will often be required to have a certain level of public liability insurance, so check your contracts carefully when you’re choosing your cover.

Public liability insurance for subcontractors

Public liability insurance is likely to be key for most subcontractors, and you may be asked to show proof of your public liability insurance before you begin working on a project. Public liability insurance can pay compensation claims and legal costs if a member of the public (for example a passerby or a customer) sues you for damage or injury. For example if you dropped a piece of equipment and it damaged a vehicle, or if someone tripped over an item that you’d left lying around and injured themselves, you could face a costly compensation claim, which is where your public liability insurance would come in.

Other business insurance for subcontractors

You could also consider personal accident insurance, which can pay out if you’re seriously injured while at work or outside of work. There’s also tools insurance, which can pay to replace your tools if they’re lost or stolen. Add business buildings insurance if you’ve got premises to protect, and remember that you’re likely to need employers’ liability insurance if you have any employees.

How much does subcontractor insurance cost?

The cost of your subcontractor insurance will depend on the cover and cover levels you choose and the details of your business. The quickest way to get an accurate price is to run a quick quote. Simply Business can help you compare subcontractor insurance quotes from some of the country’s leading insurance providers.

Why Simply Business?

• We're one of the UK's biggest business insurance providers
• All settled claims paid within 24 hours
• 9/10 Feefo ratings say we’re good (or excellent)
• 750,000 customers (and counting)
• Claims handled by an award-winning team
• Quote comparisons available from multiple insurers
• We run things from an expert, UK-based contact centre

Need more details? Hear more about your business cover options from our expert team in a quick set of videos. Just choose the cover you’re interested in and get some expert insight into how each option can help your business. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.