As mentioned, business insurance is a type of cover which is tailored more to the needs of small, medium and large businesses. There are several types of insurance policy which are available to owners and operators, which can all offer a level of protection for different risks (subject to your business and any claimable circumstances meeting their criteria). Some of the insurance types you can look to buy include:
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance can cover your business if a member of the public is injured or their property is damaged as a result of your business activity, subject to the terms and qualification criteria set by your insurer. This type of insurance generally allows you to set a claim limit of $5 million, $10 million or $20 million (though larger amounts may be available with some insurers).
What it covers:
- Third-party personal injury claims
- Third-party property damage claims
- The legal costs of defending yourself
Product liability insurance
Product liability insurance may be able to offer your business protection against claims a product you supplied, whether manufactured by you or imported and sold, caused harm to a third party or damaged their property. This type of insurance may also come with claim limits ranging from $5 million to $20 million.
What it covers:
- Claims that a product you supplied caused sickness or injury
- Third-party property damage claims
- Legal fees to defend yourself against such claims
Professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance can offer cover against claims the advice you gave or service you provided was negligent, sub-standard or caused loss or harm. It may also cover circumstances such as mistakes, incorrect diagnoses, miscalculations and breach of duty. Cover can start at $250,000 and may go up to $10 million (though more may be available by individual negotiation with some insurers).
What it covers:
- Payment of compensation
- Payment of damages
- Legal defence costs
- Cost of defending yourself during investigations
General business insurance
General business insurance is an insurance package which can offer coverage against other risks, such as those facing your physical business premises and assets. Because this is a package, you may also be able to bundle other policies such as public liability and professional indemnity together, with the level of cover dependent on the types of policy you buy.
What it covers:
- Fires, storms, water damage
- Explosions and impacts
- Accidental damage
- Theft following forceable entry into a locked building
- Theft of equipment which is securely attached to a vehicle
There’s also a variety of other insurance types which may be included under your general policy, either for an added premium or automatically, including:
- Commercial property insurance (which may offer a higher level of protection for your business premises)
- Glass breakage (which is a common business insurance exclusion)
- Business interruption (which can cover your bills if you have to close your business while recovering from an insured event)
- Cyber liability insurance (which can protect you from many forms of cybercrime)
- Tax audit (which can cover some of your costs if you’re subject to an ATO audit)
- Management liability (which can offer cover to business owners and directors against claims of mismanagement)
Accident and sickness insurance
Accident and sickness insurance can cover self-employed individuals who are injured or suffer an illness which prevents them from working and earning a living. This benefit is different, as you may be able to claim up to 85% of your salary on an ongoing basis (subject to your insurer’s eligibility criteria), which you can generally choose to receive for one or two years and with a waiting period of between seven and 28 days before your benefits kick in.
What it covers:
- Loss of income as a result of illness
- Loss of income as a result of an accident
- Optional extras including death and disablement benefits