10% discount* on business insurance for Contractor UK readers with code CUK10
Contractor insurance is designed to protect you against the unforeseen – from making a mistake in a piece of work that results in your client losing money, to personal injury claims from third parties and employees.
If a claim is made against you (even if it's unsubstantiated) and you don't have cover in place, you could be left to pay thousands of pounds in legal fees and compensation payments out of your own pocket.
Contractor UK readers can enjoy a 10% discount* on contractor insurance from Markel Direct, including professional indemnity, public liability, legal expenses insurance and more with code CUK10.
Spread the cost of your business insurance over 10 interest-free monthly payments.
Markel's hassle-free website offers instant cover online, from £5 a month**, in a matter of minutes.
Markel are an award-winning insurer trusted by over 200,000 customers in the UK and rated 4.8 out of 5 from 3,500+ customer reviews on Feefo.
Policy documents are emailed instantly when you arrange cover, so you can prove to your client you are insured straight away.
If you ever need to make a claim, you’ll be supported by a dedicated UK‑based claims team with specialist expertise.
There are no hidden administration charges to make changes to your policy or cancel mid-term.
**Price based on an IT contractor requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.
Professional indemnity (PI) insurance covers the cost of defending your business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving your client incorrect or wrongful advice, or providing sub-standard services) and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you. Cover is available with limits ranging from £50,000 to £5m.
Public 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. This is an important cover for consultants that regularly deal with clients or members of the public. Limits range from £1m to £5m.
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.
Directors and officers insurance can cover you, as a director or an officer of your company, against claims of negligence or wrongful working practices – and any damages awarded against you as a consequence.
Legal cost cover extends to additional claims such as disqualification as a director or extradition proceedings, as well as general investigations.
Limits range from £100,000 to £5 million.
Protect your business against theft or accidental damage with office insurance. If you travel frequently for client work, this insurance also offers optional worldwide cover for business equipment, such as mobile phones and laptops. Our cover also give you the option to insure against any resulting loss of income or additional trading expenses that arise as a result of damage or theft.
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).
Commercial 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.
Cyber 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.
Mon - Fri 08:30 - 17:30
Local rate and mobile friendly
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.
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.
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.
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.
Public 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.
As they insure against different scenarios, it's important you consider arranging both types of cover to ensure you are properly protected.
Markel Direct 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.
We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s of London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £2.4bn in 2023
To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.
As a specialist insurer of businesses of all sizes, from contractors through to large managed service providers, we've developed a range of unique services designed to support your business with legal matters, growth and innovation (services are included as standard with the relevant section of cover).
Privacy policy | Terms of use | Acceptable use policy | Cookies statement | Modern Slavery Statement | Complaints | Site map | Cookie Settings
Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited who is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register reference number 202570). Registered office address, 20 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 3AZ.
© Markel Direct. All rights reserved 2026