Freelancer insurance
Specialist cover for freelancers from £5 a month*
Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds
Interest free direct debit
No hidden fees or cancellation charges
Our specialist freelancer insurance offers expert cover for freelancers, including consultants, designers, and creatives.
We understand that every freelancer is unique and finding the right freelance business insurance cover to fits your needs, is important. With over 25 years' experience, we offer a vast range of knowledge of the risks facing you in your freelance career, whether you’re a wedding photographer or a web designer.
This guide will explore freelancer insurance, including what it covers, who should consider obtaining the appropriate level of cover and how much it costs.
What is freelancers insurance?
There are many benefits to becoming a freelancer. You have the freedom to be your own boss, choosing which clients to work with and when. But this doesn't come without risks. You are responsible for your professional reputation and will need protection should a claim be made against you.
Insurance for freelancers can cover you and your business in a multitude of ways. It is not a single insurance product but a group of covers - including professional indemnity, public liability, and office insurance - that can be added or removed to create a policy tailored to your requirements.
By ensuring you have comprehensive freelancer insurance in place, you have peace of mind that you’re covered should things not go to plan. You may also find that some clients won’t consider taking you on without proof that you have arranged business insurance for freelancers.
Contractors’ insurance
Contractor insurance is slightly different. As a contractor, if you organise your contract through an intermediary (such as a recruitment agent), this may not absolve you from a claim made by a client. It is important that you have contractors’ insurance in place to protect your business and reputation should a claim be made against you.
What does freelancers insurance cover?
Every freelance business is different and can potentially face distinct risks, that’s why we don’t offer one-size-fits-all freelance insurance. A videographer working with members of the public will require different cover to a web developer creating detailed plans for a new website.
To find out what a freelancer insurance policy that’s tailored to you would cover, it’s important to understand the type of claims that could be made against you.
Do I need insurance as a freelancer?
No matter how careful and well-prepared you are, mistakes and accidents can happen.
- If you were to be accused of professional negligence or making a mistake in your work that incurs financial losses to your client, they may hold you responsible for the error and take legal action to cover their losses.
- Should a client or member of the public be injured in the course of your business and you were responsible, they could make a personal injury claim against you seeking compensation.
- A third party or competitor may accuse you of breaching of their intellectual property. This could cost you greatly if they were to take successful legal action.
Any of these scenarios could put a strain on finances. That’s why it’s a worthwhile consideration to ensure you obtain the appropriate level of freelancer insurance.
Public liability and product liability insurance for freelancers
If you deal with people face to face as part of your business - say you’re a tutor or fitness instructor - public liability insurance will be a key element of your freelance insurance policy. It’s there to protect you if a person claims they were injured, or their property was damaged due to your work.
Freelance professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance is an important cover for all freelancers to consider obtaining, whether you’re a dance teacher or graphic designer.. If a client was to claim that you’d a mistake in your work, given incorrect advice, or your service had not met expectations, professional indemnity insurance is there to protect you.
How much does freelancers insurance cost?
At Markel Direct, we offer insurance for freelancers from £5 a month for £1 million worth of public liability cover*. When it comes to insurance, the cost varies from business to business depending on;
- The size of your business - your turnover and whether you have any employees
- The level of cover you choose
- The types of projects you work on and the equipment you use.
To get a clearer idea of how much you’ll pay for freelancer insurance, simply get a quote online.
*Price based on an IT freelancer requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.
Why choose Markel Direct for freelancer insurance?
At Markel Direct, we understand the risks that freelancers face. That’s why our specialist freelancer business insurance has been tailored to protect you and your finances. Below are just some of the reasons why you should take out a freelancer insurance policy with us:
✔ Affordable policies
Premiums start at £5 a month*, providing you with affordable freelancer insurance cover.
✔ Cover you can trust
As part of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer, we accumulated gross premium totals of £2.4 billion in 2023.
✔ Quick quotes
Use our online quote form to get a quote in less than 90 seconds. It’s that easy.
✔ A policy to suit you
We offer insurance policies that have been designed to suit the specific needs of freelancers, from sole traders to designers, consultants, photographers and more.
✔ Positive customer reviews
We’re highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com and are trusted by over 200,000 customers.
When it comes to freelancer insurance, you can trust Markel Direct to deliver. Call us today on 0330 822 3540 to discuss your freelance business insurance needs.
Customer reviews
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Policy Documents
Cover starting at £5 a month
Tailor your freelance insurance policy with these covers
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Professional indemnity insurance for freelancers
Freelance professional indemnity insurance covers the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving your client incorrect or wrongful advice) and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you. This is a necessity for freelancers, as most clients will require it before entering into a contract with you. Insurance cover is available with limits ranging from £50,000 to £5m.
Example of a claim:
You’re a marketing consultant who has provided a business plan for a growing business. After implementing the plan, the client has seen negative performance and lost income. They take legal action against you to recover their losses.
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Freelance public liability and product liability insurance
Freelance public liability insurance and product liability insurance covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business or supplying products. The legal fees alone could cost your business thousands of pounds. Limits range from £1m to £5m.
Example of a claim:
You’re a personal trainer and one of your clients trips on a piece of equipment after a session you held. They make a personal injury claim against you to seek compensation.
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Employer's liability insurance
Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement if your business has employees. It covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment. If you employ staff, this cover is essential. Cover for £10m.
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Legal expenses insurance
Legal expenses insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided for the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.
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Directors and officers insurance
Directors' and officers' insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided in respect of the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.
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Office insurance
Office insurance covers your office buildings, office contents and computer equipment against accidental damage (including theft) whilst on your business premises. You can also choose to cover your business equipment (such as laptops and mobile phones) on a worldwide basis, and insure your business against loss of income and/or additional trading expenses following events such as damage to your property.
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Occupational personal accident insurance
Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14-day deferment period) due to an accident at work, or when travelling to and from work. In the event of loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out. You should consider this cover if you would struggle to maintain an income following an accident that left you unable to work. Limits from £100/week to £500/week for temporary total disablement (£25k lump sum to £100k lump sum for permanent total disablement).
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Cyber and data risks insurance
Cyber and data risks insurance pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit following a cyber attack. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. If you hold confidential information about your clients and their projects on computers and other internet connected devices, you should consider to this cover.
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Self-employed insurance
Very similar to freelancers insurance in many ways, it’s worthwhile looking at self-employed insurance policies and comparing to find the right policy for you and your needs.
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Frequently asked questions
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I need professional indemnity insurance to secure a contract - do you provide proof of cover?
Yes. If you purchase your policy with us, your documents are emailed to you instantly and include a dedicated 'Confirmation of Liability Insurance' document (detailing the cover you have with us) which you can present to agencies and clients as proof of cover.
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I work from home - doesn’t my home insurance policy cover me?
It is unlikely that your home insurance policy would cover you for risks arising out of running your business at home. Check with your home insurer to find out. In most cases, you need to arrange separate business insurance.
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What insurance do freelancers need?
The types of cover you need will depend on factors such what industry you work in and the types of jobs you take on. Please see the ‘Tailor your freelance insurance policy with these covers’ section above for the available covers.
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Do freelancers need public liability insurance?
Freelance liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.
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Do freelancers need professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.
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What does business equipment insurance cover and do I need it?
Our office insurance covers portable business equipment such as computer equipment, photographic equipment and mobile phones anywhere in the world (including at your premises) and is on an ‘all-risks’ basis. There are some exclusions so please refer to the relevant summary of cover for a more detailed explanation of the cover we provide. As a freelancer or a contractor, you may want to consider adding this to your policy.
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What’s the difference between a contractor and a freelancer?
Whilst similar, there are slight differences between contractors and freelancers. Contractors are an external worker usually brought in to complete a particular project, and tend to work on a contract-by-contract basis. A freelancer is not affiliated to a particular company; as such, many freelancers aren't tied into a single contract and can choose how much work to take on. Visit this article for more information.
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Is my past work covered?
We cover past work if you have held professional indemnity insurance uninterrupted prior to arranging your policy with us.
If there was a period of time where you did not have professional indemnity insurance in force (for example, you have never arranged professional indemnity insurance before, you chose not to renew a previous policy or you cancelled a previous policy at the end of a contract) we are unable to cover past work.
If you require further clarification, don't hesitate to call us on 0800 640 6600.
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What limit of cover should I choose?
Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of cover for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.
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Why should I choose Markel's insurance?
Markel has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.
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How are Markel Direct regulated?
Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.
Expect more from your insurance provider.
When you take out cover with Markel, you receive these exclusive services as standard:
24/7 access to a legal advice helpline manned by qualified solicitors
Access legal templates and resources with the Markel Business Hub
Access our fee dispute service to assist with unpaid invoices
Receive discounted IR35 contract reviews with your policy
Expert management of public relations crises with The Counsel House
A specialist cyber response helpline to help in the event of a cyber attack