Tattoo artist insurance
The best tattoos are a thing of beauty, but all that artistry comes with a unique set of risks. We can cover your liability in the event of a claim, as well as your specialist equipment and much more.
Be quote confident. We'll beat the price of any like-for-like quote. T&Cs apply.
Why choose Superscript for tattoo artists' insurance?
We are proud to offer fully customisable insurance to the roughly 10,000 professional tattoo artists in the UK, protecting you against claims made against your business as well as broken or stolen equipment, so you can focus on your art.
• Cover for both tattooing and laser tattoo removal
• Specialist treatment cover for tattoo artists, with a limit of up to £5m
• Add employers' liability insurance and personal accident cover
• Plus up to £10,000 of equipment cover
• Amend your policy any time with no extra fees
• View your policy documents any time via the customer portal
• Enjoy 5-star rated customer service and claims support
• Amend your policy at any point with no additional fee
• Pay monthly or annually, it’s your choice
What insurance do tattoo artists need?
Treatment cover
For any tattoo artist or beauty therapist offering tattooing, treatment cover is the cornerstone of your insurance policy.
In the event that your tattooing causes a client to suffer an injury, illness, disease or permanent disfigurement – or even die – then your treatment insurance will kick in and can cover:
- Damages you're liable to pay to the client
- Costs and expenses associated with defending you
- Legal representation costs associated with a criminal inquiry into manslaughter or corporate homicide
- Legal representation costs in the event of an alleged breach of health and safety or consumer legislation
Also, if you or one of your employees is required to attend court in relation to a claim, then you'll be compensated at a rate of £250 a day.
Public liability insurance
While treatment cover (see above) is what you need to be protected for injuries caused by the tattooing you perform, your policy will also include public liability insurance.
This can cover your legal and compensation costs in the event that any member of the general public (including customers, but not your employees), takes legal action against you for injury or property damage caused by anything other than the treatment itself, such as a slip or a trip in your studio.
Simply choose from £1 million, £2 million or £5 million of cover.
Business equipment cover
Tattoo artistry is one of those professions that requires specialist equipment, crafted specifically for the task at hand, and all that specialist gear isn't cheap.
Business equipment insurance can cover the cost of replacing or repairing your key equipment if it is lost, stolen or accidentally damaged.
Whether it's the machine you use to actually apply the ink, the sterilization equipment needed to keep everything clean, or your laptop or phone that you use to take bookings and manage your business, your gear can be covered up to £10,000, with a limit of £2,500 per item.
Employers' liability insurance
If you employ a team, employers' liability cover is a legal requirement for most businesses in the UK - regardless of whether your team is made up of temporary or part-time staff.
Superscript includes £10 million of cover as standard if you choose to include employers' liability cover in your policy.
Accident and sickness cover
Accident and sickness insurance comes in three parts to cover workers aged between 16-69.
Firstly, it’s designed to provide financial support for up to 50 weeks if you or an employee goes on long-term sick leave. It can also provide financial assistance for up to 180 nights if you, or an employee, were hospitalised.
And finally, a lump sum benefit of up to £50,000 can be paid out if you or an employee suffers a serious injury or up to £25,000 in the unfortunate event that an insured person dies.
Cyber insurance
You may be surprised to see this one on the list for tattoo artists, but cyber insurance is relevant to any business that stores personally identifiable information.
As a tattooing business, you'll likely store information about your clients in your database, such as names, email address and even card payment details. This could make you the target of data theft, or result in someone accidentally breaching GDPR legislation by sending out a company email to people who haven't officially opted in to receive them.
What isn't covered by tattoo artists' insurance?
We'd love to be able to cover every situation a tattoo artist might encounter but, as with all insurance policies, there are some things we cannot cover:
- Any tattooing products which have not been approved by the regulatory body or been on sale within the UK for less than two years
- Tattooing any client under the age of 18 or where the client has not signed an informed consent document detailing the risks of the procedure and after care
- Tattooing at any premises not licensed for tattooing
- Tattooing on the front or side of the neck, the bridge of the nose between the eyes or genitalia including the nipples
- Any legal liability in connection with any condition associated with HIV or AIDS.
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.
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.
Need cover for other aesthetic treatments?
In addition to tattooing, does your business offer other aesthetic beauty treatments?
If so, then our aesthetic treatment insurance can cover you for a whole range of higher-risk and invasive beauty treatments.
Tattoo artist claims examples
Insurance claims are different for every individual tattoo artist out there, but here are a few examples of claims that tattoo artists may have to make.
The infected arm
Your client's arm becomes infected after you have tattooed them and they require medical attention so they make a personal injury claim against your business alleging that their aftercare was not fully explained.
Your treatment cover can pay your legal costs as well as the compensation you may owe to the client.
The loose wires
An employee at your tattoo parlour trips over a collection of loose wires while working, breaking their ankle in the process. The employee takes action against the business via their solicitors, making a claim for compensation.
Your employers’ liability insurance can cover the legal and compensation costs involved.
The stolen laptop
The laptop you use to take bookings and manage your business is stolen from the staff room at your tattoo shop, leaving you unable to retrieve that day's bookings.
Your business equipment insurance can quickly cover the cost of replacing the stolen laptop, meaning you won't be without your important gear for long.
Meet our in-house claims team
This is Luke, a Cert CII qualified claims handler and our in-house claims executive here at Superscript. Hi, Luke!
If you are making a claim for lost, stolen or damaged equipment, then Luke or one of our expert claims 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!
Easy.
How do insurance claims work for tattoo artists?
The below is a good guide to the process and timescales you can expect when you need to make a claim under your policy.
If you’re ever unsure whether you can or should claim, it’s best to get in touch and we can let you know.
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.
Tattoo artist insurance FAQs
How much does business insurance cost for tattoo artists?
This depends on the level and types of cover you choose for your business. The premium you pay will depend on several factors, including your turnover, your employee count, your location and how many years' experience you have in the industry.
Do tattoo artists have to get insurance?
Most insurance is optional rather than mandatory. An exception to this is employers' liability cover, which is a legal requirement for most UK businesses with employees. Despite this, the majority of businesses that have lots of contact with clients consider public liability an essential, as many would be unable to afford an uninsured claim.
I own a tattoo parlour, can you cover this?
Yes – if you need insurance for your tattoo parlour premises, check out our beauty salon insurance page, which gives more details about our customisable insurance for salons, studios and parlours.
Are there any circumstances where you cannot cover tattoo artists?
We are unable to cover any tattooing treatments where the dyes, pigments, products and devices used have not been approved by the relevant regulatory body or not been on sale or in use within the UK for more than two years.
We also cannot cover any tattooing:
- Performed on any client under the age of eighteen years
- Where the client has not signed an informed consent document detailing the risks of the procedure and after care
- At any premises not licenced for tattooing
- On the front or side of the neck, the bridge of the nose between the eyes or genitalia including the nipples.
Can you cover mobile tattoo artists?
Unfortunately, we are unable to cover any mobile tattoo artists that operate outside licensed premises. We can cover freelance tattoo artists with a personal licence who operate only from licensed premises.
What excess will I pay if I make a claim?
As a tattoo artist, the excess on your policy will be £500 for any claim relating to an injury caused by tattooing a client.
Will my equipment be covered if it's stored in my car, while traveling to and from appointments?
Yes, if you have contents and equipment cover, your equipment will be covered while in transit.
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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.