10% discount* on business insurance for clients of Affinity Associates

Specialist professional indemnity, public liability and more from Markel Direct

Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

24hr legal advice helpline included

No hidden fees or cancellations

Affinity Associates have partnered with Markel Direct, a specialist insurer of contractors, freelancers, self-employed professionals and micro-businesses to offer a 10% discount* on business insurance with code affinity10.

Small business 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.

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Why insure with Markel Direct?

10% discount for clients of Affinity Associates*

1st Formations customers can enjoy a 10% discount* on business insurance from Markel Direct, including professional indemnity, public liability, legal expenses insurance and more with code affinity10.

Spread the cost of your insurance

Spread the cost of your business insurance over 10 interest-free monthly payments.

Fast, easy online quote

Markel Direct's hassle-free website offers instant cover online, from £5 a month**, in a matter of minutes.

Be protected by an award-winning insurer

Markel Direct 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.

Instant documents

Policy documents are emailed instantly when you arrange cover, so you can prove to your client you are insured straight away.

UK‑based claims support

If you ever need to make a claim, you’ll be supported by a dedicated UK‑based claims team with specialist expertise.

No hidden fees or cancellation charges

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.

Policy documents

Cover starting at £5 a month

Tailor your insurance with these covers

  • Professional indemnity 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 liability insurance

    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

    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

    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.

  • Office insurance

    Protect your business against theft or accidental damage with office insuranceIf 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

    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).

  • Legal expenses insurance

    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 and data risks insurance

    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.

Need some help?

0800 640 6600

Mon - Fri 08:30 - 17:30
Local rate and mobile friendly

Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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

    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.

  • Why should I choose Markel Direct's Insurance

    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.

Expect more from your insurer.

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).

24 hour legal advice helpline

When you insure with Markel, you'll benefit from 24/7 telephone access to a qualified solicitor at no additional cost. Expert legal advice can be costly when you're working for yourself and it's difficult to know who to turn to for a trustworthy answer. Whether it's a question on health and safety, employment law, legal structures for your business or how to handle a difficult client, an experienced team of solicitors are on hand day and night to help you with any business-related legal queries.

Markel Law Hub access

In addition to our 24 hour legal helpline, you'll have access to the Markel Law Hub - an award winning online resource of legal and business guides, templates and content written and created by our team of expert solicitors. Instantly download ready-made contracts, policies, procedures and guidance you can use for your business - without paying any expensive legal fees. Included as standard with all policies.

Cyber response helpline

If your business is the victim of a targeted cyber attack, our cyber response helpline provides access to specialist solicitors and information security experts who will give expert legal and technical IT security guidance on the issues arising from cyber and data protection risks. Included as standard with cyber and data risks insurance.

Fee dispute service

Customers don't always pay on time and chasing fees or invoices costs time and money. Mindful of the impact this has on your business, we offer our policyholders access to a unique fee dispute helpline operated by one of the UK's leading law firms, who will provide specialist legal guidance and support on fee dispute issues. Included as standard with professional indemnity insurance.

Discounted IR35 contract reviews

Falling within IR35 legislation - which determines that an individual is avoiding tax by using a limited company to disguise employment - is a huge concern for contractors and consultants, with the fees and penalties due to HMRC eye-wateringly high. Our policyholders receive an exclusive discount on IR35 contract reviews from Markel Tax (a Markel company), who have over 20 years experience advising individuals and businesses on their tax status. As part of the service, Markel Tax will review your contract, along with your working practices, to determine whether or not you are operating outside of IR35, and you'll receive a written report with suggested contract amendments where appropriate. Policyholders can access this service by calling 0345 223 2727 or emailing contractreviews@markel.com, quoting 'MKLD' and your policy number.

Public relations crisis management service

In today's 24 hour news culture, public relations disasters can occur at any time. Having to deal with the press whilst managing a difficult situation can be hugely stressful as well as being a potential minefield. When there is a risk to your business as a result of negative press attention, our specialist public relations crisis management firm, The Counsel House, will work with you to help manage allegations of fraud, injury caused to employees or the public, and official investigations into your company's affairs. Included as standard with professional indemnity insurance, directors and officers insurance, cyber and data risks insurance and legal representation and employment disputes insurance.


*Discount terms and conditions

The 10% discount will be applied to the net policy premium before insurance premium tax is applied. All quotations provided will be subject to meeting underwriting and claims criteria acceptance. All cover will be subject to full policy terms and conditions which are available here. Offer can be withdrawn at any time.

Cover starting at £5 a month

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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.

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