IT Consultant Insurance

Expect more from your insurer. Specialist insurance for IT consultants from £5 a month*.

  • Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

  • 24hr legal advice helpline and legal hub

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

Markel IT consultant insurance combines industry-specific cover with unique support services designed for IT consultants, businesses and self-employed professionals.

What is IT consultant insurance?

IT consultant insurance is designed to protect IT consultancy businesses (or self-employed IT consultants) against the unexpected.

It covers against the legal implications that may arise if something were to go wrong during the course of your work – for example, if you make a mistake during a project or someone were to be injured due to an error on your part.

Why do IT consultants need insurance?

Using expert knowledge of systems and projects to provide specialist services to your client doesn’t come without risks. They have high expectations and, when these expectations aren’t met – for example, a project not being delivered on time – they may blame your work and take legal action against you.

If you, as a contracted worker, are deemed at fault, the financial and legal ramifications can be far-reaching – affecting you professionally and personally.

IT contractor insurance from Markel is designed to protect you against such scenarios so that if something doesn’t go to plan, you’ll be covered.

What it covers

Markel IT consultant insurance covers a wide range of scenarios, including:

Professional negligence

You recommend a client uses a particular type of software for their business administration. It proves to be unfit for purpose and they take legal action against you seeking compensation.

Contract Breach

An IT system project exceeds the agreed budget. The client alleges that you have mismanaged spend and takes legal action against you to recover the additional costs they have incurred.

Damage to IT Equipment

You accidentally damage a client’s on-site server which takes their entire network offline. They take legal action against you to recover the cost of repairs and compensation for their business outage.

How to buy IT consultant insurance

Get a quote in under 90 seconds today. Our fast and easy quote form will ask a few questions about you and your business and provide you with an online quote that you can tailor to your individual needs.

How much will it cost?

IT consultant insurance with Markel starts from £5 per month, with the option to pay over 10 interest-free monthly instalments. There are no hidden fees and – should you wish to cancel a policy - no cancellation charges.

 *The £5 a month premium referenced is based on an IT consultant requiring public liability (including products liability) insurance,  with a £1 million level of cover.

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Choose an IT consultant insurance policy to suit you

  • Professional indemnity insurance

    Professional indemnity insurance covers the legal costs of defending your business against professional negligence allegations, as well as any damages or compensation that may be awarded should your defence be unsuccessful.

    Examples claims covered include:

    • Professional negligence (such as making a mistake in a piece of work for a client)
    • Breach of contract
    • Breach of copyright or intellectual property

    Policies also include mitigation of loss cover, which pays the costs incurred to put right your mistake before your client makes a claim against you. Most IT consultants are required to have professional indemnity insurance in place to begin work on a contract.

    Limits range from £50,000 to £5 million.

  • Public liability insurance

    Public and product liability insurance covers the cost of defending your IT consultancy business against injury caused by third parties or damage caused to their party property.

    It covers your legal costs as well as any compensation payments due as a result of your negligence. Similar to professional indemnity insurance, you may find your client insists on you having public liability insurance cover in place in order to start work on a contract.

    Limits range from £1 million to £5 million.

  • Employer's liability insurance

    Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement for businesses that have employees. Cover protects against injury or illness claims from employees which have occurred as a result of their employment at your company. If you employ any staff, you need this cover.

    Limits range up to £10 million.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Legal expenses insurance pays your legal costs and expenses for contract disputes, tax enquiries (including IR35), attending jury service, debt recovery, personal injury, as well as any award you are required to pay following an employment dispute with an employee. There is a limit of £100,000.

    If a client takes legal action against you because of an error you have made, this cover can prevent you from needing to use your own finances to cover legal expenses.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    If you are the director or an officer of your company, directors and officers insurance covers you against allegations of wrongful working practices. Insurance with Markel also pays subsequent damages awarded.

    The legal costs and expenses of defending yourself from further legal actions, such as disqualification as a director, extradition proceedings and investigations, are also covered.

    Limits range from £100,000 to £5 million.

     

  • Office insurance

    Office insurance covers your business against theft or accidental damage of office fixtures, such as:

    -       Office buildings

    -       Office contents

    -       Computer equipment and hardware

    This policy offers optional worldwide cover for business equipment, including laptops and mobile phones.

    Markel can also insure your business against income loss and/or additional trading expenses which occur as a result of property damage.

  • Cyber and data risks insurance

    Cyber and data risks insurance helps pay financial costs which result from a cyber-attack. These can include:

    -       Restoring client data and IT equipment

    -       Informing relevant stakeholders of the attack

    -       Meeting ransom demands

    -       Loss of net profits for client

    It covers your legal costs and financial penalties that you may required to pay in the aftermath of an attack.

    Should you store confidential data on your devices, you should give consideration to this cover.

     

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Frequently asked questions

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Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • I need to arrange IT consultant insurance to secure a contract – do you provide proof of cover?

    Yes. When you purchase insurance from Markel, your policy documents will be emailed to you immediately. The documents you receive will include your ‘Confirmation of Liability Insurance’, which details the cover you have chosen – and can be presented to clients as proof of cover.

  • Is my past work covered?

    Yes. Insurance does cover past work, but only if you have held uninterrupted professional indemnity insurance prior to purchasing cover with Markel.

    If, for a time period, you did not hold professional indemnity insurance, policies will not cover past work. For example:

    • You have previously never arranged professional indemnity insurance
    • You decided not to renew a past policy
    • You cancelled a policy at the end of a contract

    Should you require further clarification on whether your past work would be covered, please call on 0800 640 6600.

  • What's the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?

    Professional indemnity insurance protects you against professional negligence claims. This cover is helpful in the event of a mistake during client work – such as poor technical advice – which negatively impacts them.

    Public liability insurance, however, covers you against allegations of third-party personal injury claims – where you are deemed liable. This insurance also extends to third-party property damage – for example, if a client-owned smartphone or laptop was damaged.

    Each cover insures against different scenarios, so it is essential that you consider purchasing both types to protect you.

  • What limit of cover should I choose?

    Individual clients and industry bodies will have different regulatory requirements with regards to minimum levels of cover needed to begin a contract. Prior to arranging cover with us, you may wish to check this.

    If you are still unsure, or you have never arranged cover before, give some thought to a worst case scenario to figure out the most likely risks you face in your work, and the cost of putting things right.

    With our insurance there are a range of cover limits, giving you a multitude of choices to create the cover your business needs.

  • Why should I insure with Markel?

    With over 25 years’ experience of the risks that come with being an IT consultant, Markel understands how much of an impact claims can have professionally and personally, and our policies offered are designed to provide industry-specific protection for your business.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of $1.2 billion in 2018.

    If you have any questions, feel free to call us on 0800 640 6600 and speak to an insurance expert, or get an online quote in 90 seconds now.

  • How are Markel Direct regulated?

    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 IT insurer.

When you take out cover with Markel, you receive these exclusive services as standard:

24 hour legal helpline  24/7 access to a legal advice helpline manned by qualified solicitors

 Access our fee dispute service to assist with unpaid invoices

 A specialist cyber response helpline to help in the event of a cyber attack

Legal hub access  Access legal templates and resources with the Markel Business Hub

  Receive discounted IR35 contract reviews with your policy

  Expert management of public relations crises with The Counsel House

Discover more about these services

Cover starting at £5 a month

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