Employer’s liability insurance is one of our optional covers
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Employer’s liability insurance protects your business from staff injury or if your employees become ill due to your business. This form of business insurance covers legal costs, whatever type of business you’re operating.
Employer’s Liability insurance is a LEGAL REQUIREMENT if you employ staff.
Our employer’s liability insurance is automatically activated from the moment you purchase it, with an indemnity limit of £10 million. This is the most we will pay out in a single claim. You can even protect working partners and temporary staff as optional extensions to your employer’s liability coverage.
We offer employer’s liability insurance as an optional cover for the self-employed, which you can purchase on top of our standard public liability policy. Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement for businesses employing staff. It protects you against claims from your employees following an injury or illness at work. Even by taking all the precautions you can as a responsible employer, accidents do happen. For example, a member of staff may fall off a ladder which has not been secured correctly, or they may break their ankle in an uncovered manhole. Whether caused by you or another member of staff, when an employee is injured at work, you will want the peace of mind of employer’s liability insurance to cover any costs which may be incurred.
Employer’s liability is an optional cover but all Tradesman Saver customers get public liability, product liability, legal expenses, financial loss, and accidental death. We offer this five-part automatic policy to all tradesmen, ensuring that their business will be financially protected against any unforeseen circumstances that could cost big bucks to straighten out.
When getting your obligation free employer’s liability insurance quote, you might want to add some other covers for optimum protection. Tools and equipment insurance is often popular with tradesmen, as it allows you to keep working if any all-important gear is stolen or broken. Or, if illness or injury leaves you temporarily unable to do your job, income protection guarantees a regular income until you’re back on your feet again. Whatever industry you work in, Tradesman Saver can create the perfect, personalised insurance plan to keep your business up and running.
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Employer’s liability coverage is a legal requirement for any business that employs a team of staff. This protects you from any compensation claims related to illnesses and injuries sustained by employees during working hours. Though you’d normally be burdened with these costs yourself, an employer’s liability insurance policy covers these expenses, allowing you to keep your business’s finances intact.
When you work as a tradesman, you know that every job comes with its own risks. Even if you follow every safety precaution to the letter, all it takes is a few loose bricks, or an unknowingly faulty piece of equipment for an employee to become seriously injured. For example, someone in your team could be electrocuted while rewiring a house, or break their leg after tripping over a toolbox.
You need employers liability insurance to protect you against claims made against your business by your employees. You could be liable to pay financial compensation for accidents like those above, as well as repetitive strain injuries or any musculoskeletal conditions your employees may develop over time.
Any resulting claims would likely be hugely expensive, which is why it’s in your best interest to arrange appropriate cover to ensure your livelihood won’t suffer if the worst ever happens, making employer’s liability insurance an essential policy for any business.
Please note that unlike public liability, employer’s liability insurance is not an automatic cover, but can be added to any standard Tradesman Saver policy.
* Total number of live policies as of 31/10/2025
As a contractor looking for employer’s liability insurance, your need for it depends on whether you hire bona-fide or labour-only subcontractors. A bona-fide subcontractor works independently of the company by setting their own hours and using their own equipment. They are also paid by invoice rather than salary.
Labour-only subcontractors, however, are treated like employees and work under a company’s supervision, using its equipment. Therefore, if you employ labour-only workers, you must take out employer’s liability insurance as they will count as members of staff.
You won’t need to do the same for bona-fide subcontractors, but you should ensure they have their own insurance in place, such as public liability and employer’s liability coverage for their own workforce.
Employer’s liability cover is a legal requirement for the majority of British businesses with a minimum of one employee. An employee can be defined as someone who has income tax and National Insurance contributions deducted from their wages, and uses company tools and equipment to do their job. Without this cover, you could be fined £2,500 each day until you purchase a policy.
To check whether you’re legally obliged to hold employer’s liability insurance, check out the requirements of the legislation on the Goverment website.
Here at Tradesman Saver, our employer’s liability coverage provides you with an indemnity limit of up to £10 million for a single claim. There’s also an option for you to extend this insurance to include working partners and temporary staff. This means if anybody in your team was injured, or fell ill at work, we’d pay up to £10 million of compensation and legal fees.
By law, UK employers need at least £5 million worth of cover. This is outlined in the Employer’s Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969. However, it’s important to consider how likely it is an employee could make a claim against you at some point in the future. For instance, if your nature of work is particularly high risk, the likelihood of potential injuries or illnesses may be more severe, and £5 million may not be enough to cover this risk.
This is why we provide our customers with a £10 million indemnity limit in our employer’s liability insurance policies. Our helpful guide can help you gauge how much employer’s liability cover is most appropriate for you.
As soon as you are on risk for your policy with Tradesman Saver, a certificate of employer’s liability will be sent to our secure document portal with your other policy documents for you to access 24/7.
You’re required to display this where your employees can see it, and have it readily available to show health and safety inspectors. You’ll be liable for a fine if you don’t do this.
You should always keep your paperwork to protect you against any health problems that arise in the future. For example, an employee of yours could be exposed to something that causes an illness, but the condition may not develop for many years. In situations like these, you’d need your insurance details for the period the exposure occurred.
Employees who become injured or ill as a result of employer negligence can make an employer’s liability insurance claim against the business, even if it goes into liquidation.
For anybody running a business and employing staff or using labour-only sub-contractors, this cover is legally required. There are, however, a few exceptions to employer’s liability insurance which are worth noting.
If your business is a limited company, with only one employee owning 50% or more of the issued share capital, you aren’t obliged to take out employer’s liability insurance. If your business isn’t a limited company, but either you’re the only employee or you only employ close family members, then this coverage is also not compulsory.
However, even though employer’s liability insurance isn’t a legal requirement in these circumstances, it may still be wise to purchase this optional policy to provide a safety net against unforeseen accidents at work.
Employers’ liability insurance provides cover for the legal and compensation costs. A Tradesman Saver policy will protect you against any claim up to £10 million.
Your employer liability insurance policy will protect you against:
If working for your business has resulted in short or long-term illnesses, this insurance can help to protect you from the legal costs. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) lists types of workplace illnesses that you may be covered against.
In addition to illnesses, your policy will also cover you in the event that your employee is injured while at work. This can include anything from stock falling on someone, to manual handling mistakes, trips, slips and falls and more.
From only£55per year 
From only£55per year 
From only£55per year 
From only£55per year 
