Sole trader insurance
Working alone? We've got the covers to build a personalised insurance policy for sole traders across a vast range of industries and trades.
Be quote confident. We'll beat the price of any like-for-like quote. T&Cs apply.
Why do sole traders need insurance?
On top of running the show yourself, being personally liable for a business can be daunting. But having the right insurance in place can put your mind at ease, especially if something were to go wrong.
Getting cover that's tailored to your business could provide invaluable financial and legal protection if an accident or incident happened.
- Choose from £1m, £2m or £5m of public liability cover
- Plus cyber, employers' liability, business equipment cover and more
- Enjoy 5-star UK-based customer service and claims support
- Get access to your policy documents instantly
- Make changes to your policy at any time, for no extra cost
Be quote confident
We're big on fairness. So if you find a lower price for a comparable quote, we won't just match it – we'll go one better and beat it.
So even better than apples to apples, apples to better apples. We're talking Galas to Braeburns.
As you'd expect, T&Cs apply.
What insurance do sole traders need?
Public liability
Public liability insurance offers financial and legal protection in the event that someone is injured or their property damaged accidentally by you while you're working.
For example, if you were to visit a client's office and spill something on their laptop, public liability insurance may cover the cost to repair or replace it.
Business equipment
From portable electronics like a work phone or laptop to more specialist equipment such as a film camera or heart monitor, if you use certain equipment to do your job, business equipment insurance could help. It's designed to protect it from theft, loss and damage, providing a repair or replace service so you can get back to work as quickly as possible.
Personal accident
This optional cover will pay a compensatory benefit if someone working for the business (under the age of 75) suffers an accident resulting in the loss of their sight, hearing, speech or a limb, death or leaving them disabled and permanently unable to work. You can choose the level of benefit you wish to include in your policy, up to £10,000.
Cyber cover
If you work with sensitive client information or store personal or financial customer or client details, you might want to consider cyber insurance. It offers financial and specialist support in the event of a data breach.
Additional covers
On top of these options, we also offer a bunch of other covers to boost your policy and give you the perfect protection for your business.
Tools cover
If you work as a tradesman, you'll most likely rely heavily on your tools. Our tools cover protects your specialist equipment from damage, loss and theft, providing a repair or replacement service so you can get back to work as quickly as possible.
Employers' liability
If you're a sole trader who employs people, you're likely to be legally required to have employers' liability insurance in the UK. From full time to temporary, our policy covers all kinds of workers, whether they work from home, the office or travel abroad.
Professional indemnity
Professional indemnity insurance is often mandatory for industries that work with clients on a freelance or contract basis. It provides protection in relation to claims for financial loss caused by your errors or omissions.
Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover. Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.
What industries do we cover?
From plumbers and decorators to hairdressers and designers, we cover hundreds of sole traders across a wide range of industries.
Some of the most popular industries we cover for sole traders includes (but isn't limited to):
What does sole trader insurance cover?
Mistakes in the services you provide
Clients pay for your knowledge and expertise, but what if you make a mistake? If your advice doesn't work out as expected, you could face a lawsuit, with legal costs and compensation to pay. If that happens, professional indemnity cover (PI) will ensure you're protected. Plus, clients may insist you have it – so it could help you win assignments.
Cyber and data threats
If you work remotely and handle a lot of client data then you could be at risk of a cyber-attack or data breach. Cyber insurance for freelancers will protect you for a breach of data protection laws (where insurable by law) and your liability for handling data, as well as cover for extortion, system rectification costs, plus PR expenses and financial loss due to system downtime.
Moments of clumsiness
Our public liability insurance for sole traders will protect you if you cause injury or property damage to a third party, either at your home office, at a client's office, or when out and about. It's also worth bearing in mind that some of your clients, or even suppliers, might ask you to have PL, so make sure your minimum cover limit meets their requirements as well as your own.
Tools of the trade
Whatever kit you rely on, whether that's a laptop, filming equipment or more technical machinery, having it lost, stolen or damaged will leave you high and dry. As a sole trader, you have a couple of cover options to choose from here, including our standalone tools cover and business equipment insurance.
Meet our claims team
This is Laura, a qualified insurance lawyer and our in-house claims manager here at Superscript. Hi, Laura!
If you are making a claim for lost, stolen or damaged equipment, then Laura and her expert team will ask you as little as six quick questions, such as 'when and how was the item damaged?' and 'do you have proof of purchase?'.
Once you've answered the questions, they can then begin to resolve your claim and send your payment for processing that very same day!
If your claim is for legal or compensation costs, then Laura and her team will handle the process for you and keep you updated every step of the way.
Sole trader claim examples
Insurance claims are different for every sole trader, but here are a few examples of claims where you could be liable:
Loose wire
A client trips over your laptop wire, injuring their ankle, and they want to make a claim against you. You can't control acts of clumsiness but you could face legal action. Public liability cover could help.
Damaged laptop
While out at a meeting with a supplier, you accidentally spill coffee on your laptop, causing it to break. Business equipment cover could provide a replacement so you don't miss your next meeting.
Stolen power tools
A thief steals your power tools from a work site while you are on a job. Provided you have taken reasonable steps to secure your tools, your tools cover will allow you to claim for the cost of replacing them.
A cyber attack
A hacker enters your system, accessing confidential client files and downloading ransomware to lock everyone's files. Cyber insurance would cover the ransom and lost profits due to business interruption.
How do claims work?
Notify us of the claim
Contact us by email at claims@gosuperscript.com, by 24/7 freephone on 0800 772 3059 or by logging in to your customer portal.
Ideally this should be done as soon as possible and within 30 days of you becoming aware of anything which you think may be covered by your insurance.
A good indicator of whether or not to let us know is if there's an issue which may require a payment to be made on your behalf.
We'll get on the case
We'll acknowledge your claim within 24 hours, and sometimes in as little as 30 minutes! This means you'll receive email confirmation of your claims reference and contact information should you need to speak to us.
We will then reach out to you within 48 hours to request any extra information we need to progress your claim.
We'll keep you updated on the next steps as the claim progresses.
A decision is made
We'll let you know if your claim is successful or not. If your claim isn't covered, we will always try to point you in the right direction and support you as best we can in getting back to normal.
Read about the most common reasons claims aren't paid.
If your claim is successful, once we have all the documents we need, we will aim to settle claims such as accidental damage, theft and lost equipment within five working days.
Sole trader insurance FAQs
What is a sole trader?
The term ‘sole trader’ is a certain type of business structure in the UK and is used to describe a person who owns and runs their business as an individual. Sole traders are entitled to keep profits after tax, but they're also personally liable for any losses.
A sole trader set-up is the most common type of self-employed business in the UK, and often the simplest way to get started. If you’re a sole trader, you're in control and decide what your business does.
You can read more about this in our guide to the different types of business structure.
Is business insurance a legal requirement for sole traders?
No - with the exception of employers' liability, which is a legal requirement for most UK businesses with employees (including interns and freelancers).
That said, many businesses consider the risk of being unprotected to outweigh the cost of insurance. What's more, certain professions and professional organisations require that you have cover, so it's a good idea to check this with your industry body or regulator.
Will I be covered straight away
When you buy your policy, we’ll ask you when you want it to start. That can be the same day or at some point in the future. You are then covered from 00:00 on the day you choose.
As soon as your cover begins, you'll be able to view and download your policy documents and proof of cover from your customer portal.
How much excess would I have to pay if I make a claim?
On many of our policies, you don’t have to pay any excess, however, this varies depending on the size of your business, the type of policy and level of cover you have. We’ve worked hard to make sure the excess is as low as possible for the cases where you have to pay one. You will be notified what excess you might have to pay if you make a claim at the point of receiving a quote.
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Authorised by the FCA
The FCA supervises UK financial services firms to protect consumers. We are directly authorised and regulated by the FCA and our Firm Reference Number is 656459. These details can be confirmed on the Financial Services Register at www.fca.org.uk or by calling the FCA on 0845 606 1234.
A-rated financial strength
Our insurance products are underwritten by Standard & Poor’s A-rated financial strength or higher. This means the underwriter has been independently assessed by the world’s leading credit rating provider and found to have a strong capacity to meet financial commitments (pay claims).
Protected by the FSCS
If you are a business with an annual turnover under £1m, charity with an annual income under £1m, or trust with net assets under £1m, then you will be entitled to compensation from the FSCS in the unlikely event we cannot meet our obligations. Full details and further information on the scheme are available at www.fscs.org.uk.