Start a professional liability insurance quote today
Rather speak with an insurance agent?
(877) 334-7646
Professional liability insurance protects small businesses by covering legal defense costs, settlements, and judgments from client lawsuits claiming that work was unsatisfactory.
Professional liability insurance is designed for businesses that make a living off their expertise.
Even the most experienced and thorough professional service provider makes mistakes. Unfortunately, clients may not be so understanding if your error costs them considerable time or revenue.
A Professional liability policy helps protect you from unsatisfied clients. For example, if you miss a project deadline, make an omission in your work, or provide ineffective business advice, your client may sue.
If you’re served with this type of lawsuit, your professional liability policy will cover legal defense costs up to your policy limit.
Professional liability protects your business when a client sues over your work performance. That means it might provide coverage when a client sues over a project you were unable to finish or a deadline that you missed due to the coronavirus.
Keep in mind that many business insurance policies exclude communicable disease coverage. If you think you’re eligible for a claim, contact your insurance company’s claims department.
While most of these terms are clear-cut, claims of negligence can be more complicated.
When a client hires you based on your specialized skills, they are entitled to a reasonable standard of care. If your work causes financial damage to a customer, you can be accused of professional negligence.
Yes, clients may request a certificate of insurance as proof that you have coverage. They want peace of mind that if you don’t meet their standards, they can recoup their losses.
Maintaining your professional liability coverage offers you the same assurance.
Many professional liability policies are written on a “claims-made” basis with a retroactive date. This means that in order to collect your insurance benefits, your professional liability policy must be active:
With a claims-made professional liability policy, your coverage kicks in only when you file a claim during the policy period. Continuous coverage is key if you don’t want to pay out of pocket for lawsuits.
There are several factors that affect a professional liability premium, including:
Professional liability insurance costs about $60 per month. Most of our small business customers (48%) pay between $500 and $1,000 per year for their policies.
Professional liability coverage for accountants and auditors covers the costs of lawsuits based on accounting errors, data entry errors, miscalculations, or lost documentation. Because the policy offers indirect financial protection for the client, some clients will require proof of insurance before they agree to work with your firm.
Architects can get professional liability protection against accusations that a building design does not meet project specifications, was delivered late, or contained errors. A client contract might include a clause that requires this policy’s protection.
Professional liability insurance for consultants offers financial compensation for lawsuits alleging ineffective advice or inaccurate projections. Some clients may ask you to provide proof of professional liability insurance before they agree to work with you.
Professional liability insurance for engineers covers financial protection from lawsuits over disputes such as cost overrun, delivery delays, and problems with construction materials. You may need to provide proof of professional liability insurance to a client, partner, or licensing board for some projects.
The short answer is no. Different industries use different terms for the same type of coverage. You may also see professional liability insurance called errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, even though they’re identical except for the name.
Errors and omissions insurance is used most often for insurance agents, real estate agents, tax preparers, and IT professionals.
Lawyers and doctors refer to this policy as legal or medical malpractice insurance. (While IronPoint doesn’t offer quotes for malpractice insurance, our licensed agents are happy to provide doctors and lawyers the other critical insurance they need.)
General liability and professional liability both protect against common small business liability claims, but they cover different types of lawsuits.
General liability insurance covers customer bodily injuries, customer property damage, and advertising injuries. In contrast, professional liability policies covers any legal defense costs when a client or customer suffers a financial loss due to your professional services or advice.
Request a professional liability quote with a specialist. We shop your
insurance with our A+ rated insurance partners.
Businesses that offer a professional service or give advice to clients need professional liability insurance (also known as errors and omissions insurance). It’s the only business insurance that protects against dissatisfied clients who file a lawsuit over a mistake, missed deadline, or another complaint related to the quality of your work.
The circumstances that lead to potential professional liability claims are common in some industries:
Professional liability insurance pays for your legal expenses if you’re sued over a work mistake. Lawsuits – even over a false accusation – can easily cost between $10,000 and $100,000, depending on the length and complexity of the dispute, as well as the willingness of your client to settle. These lawsuits are particularly expensive because they involve more than one type of cost. For instance:
It takes just a few minutes to complete our online application for professional liability insurance. In most cases, we’ll show you quotes shortly after you complete your quote. Once you elect to purchase a policy, we’ll email you a certificate of insurance right away. The certificate of insurance is the formal proof of insurance document that you need to show when you apply for professional licenses or sign certain contracts.
The professional liability insurance application requires basic information about your business, including its location, number of employees, and estimated revenue. When you complete the application, you’ll receive quotes from multiple carriers. Look them over and pick the one that works best for you. If you need help or guidance, a licensed IronPoint insurance agent is available to assist you throughout the process.
As soon as possible. As a “claims-made” policy, professional liability insurance only covers a claim if both the incident and lawsuit happen when the same policy is active. It’s especially important to maintain uninterrupted coverage in states that have lenient statutes of limitations, because years may pass between an incident and the subsequent lawsuit.
Most small business owners purchase a professional liability insurance policy early and maintain the same policy for the life of their business, so there are no gaps in coverage. If you think your business might be exposed, or have let a prior policy lapse, bring it up with your insurance agent. There may be ways to extend your protection.
Our certificates of liability insurance are digital. We can email you one as soon as your policy is activated. You can also access your certificate online by logging into your online account.
Copyright IronPoint Insurance Services, LLC | California License No. 0G87821 | PO Box 62436, Irvine, CA 92602 | 877.334.7646
IronPoint Insurance Services, LLC is an independent insurance agency licensed (#0G87821) with the California Department of Insurance. We are authorized agents for many A+ rated Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah insurance companies. We provide consumers with online, phone, and in-person insurance services through our insurance company relationships.
IronPoint Insurance Services, LLC offers multiple insurance quotes through ComparisonQuote.com to provide consumers several options for their insurance products. We offer auto insurance through Travelers Insurance Companies, Nationwide Insurance, Safeco Insurance, MetLife Auto & Home, and Progressive. We are authorized insurance agents for these companies and do not charge any fees for our services. If an IronPoint insurance agent tries to charge you broker or agency service fees for representing these companies, please contact us immediately.
Pet insurance coverage offered and administered by Pets Best Insurance Services, LLC is underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, a New York insurance company, or Independence American Insurance Company, a Delaware insurance company headquartered at 485 Madison Ave. 14th Fl. New York, NY 10022.