BUSINESS INSURANCE FOR IRISH BUSINESSES
Understand the main types of business insurance, what they can cover and what to compare before choosing protection for your business.
Compare business insurance on CompareInsuranceIreland.ieBusiness insurance comparisons and quote requests are provided through CompareInsuranceIreland.ie.
Business insurance is an umbrella term, not a single standard policy. It covers the different types of commercial insurance that protect a business against claims from other people, damage to its property and assets, and some kinds of lost income.
A café, an electrician and an accountant can all say they have “business insurance” and hold very different policies. What a business can consider depends on what it does and how it works: who it employs, who it deals with, where it trades from, what it owns and what could go wrong in the course of its work. Few businesses need every type of cover; many combine several in one policy.
These are the main covers Irish businesses compare. Names and wording vary between insurers, several can be combined in one policy, and each is subject to its own limits, excess, exclusions and conditions. The examples show the kind of situation each cover is designed for, not what any particular policy will pay.
Liability
Covers claims from members of the public or other third parties for injury, or for damage to their property, arising from your business activities. It can apply at your premises and, depending on the policy, where you work at customers’ homes or sites.
For example A customer trips over a cable in your shop, or a painter accidentally damages a client’s floor.
Liability
Covers claims from employees who are injured or become ill in connection with their work, where the employer is alleged to be legally liable. It is separate from public liability, which relates to people who are not your employees.
For example A staff member is injured lifting stock in a warehouse and claims the employer did not provide safe equipment or training.
Liability
Covers claims that your advice, design or professional service contained an error, omission or negligence that caused a client financial loss. It is about the quality of the service, rather than physical injury or damage.
For example A client says a consultant’s report missed a problem, and the decision they made on it cost them money.
Liability
Covers claims for injury or property damage caused by products you supply, sell, manufacture, repair or alter. Retailers can face a claim even when they did not make the product, particularly for own-brand or imported goods.
For example A food producer’s product causes an allergic reaction, or a repaired appliance overheats and damages a customer’s kitchen.
Property
Covers the premises the business owns, or is responsible for insuring under a lease, against insured events such as fire, flood, storm or escape of water. Leases often say whether the landlord or the tenant insures the building.
For example A burst pipe damages the walls, ceilings and flooring of a salon the owner is responsible for insuring.
Property
Covers the business’s own assets: stock, fixtures and fit-out, computers, machinery and tools. Theft, accidental damage and cover away from the premises are often separate options, and tools left in a vehicle overnight may have specific conditions.
For example A break-in at a shop overnight, or a tradesperson’s tools stolen from a site.
Property
Covers stock, goods or tools while they are being transported, whether in your own vehicle or by a courier or haulier, up to a set limit per load or vehicle.
For example Stock being delivered to a customer is damaged when the van is involved in a collision.
Income
Covers loss of income or gross profit, and some extra costs, when trading is interrupted by damage from an insured event. It is usually linked to property cover and subject to the policy’s terms, limits and indemnity period. See business interruption explained.
For example A restaurant closes for repairs after a kitchen fire and loses weeks of takings.
Digital
Can cover some costs of cyber incidents and data breaches, such as responding to an incident, restoring systems and data, lost income and third-party claims. What is included varies widely between policies. See business insurance and cyber risk.
For example Ransomware locks a business out of its booking system and customer records.
Vehicles
Vehicles used for work are insured under a motor policy rather than a general business policy. Business use, the drivers, and anything carried in the vehicle all need to be described to the insurer; tools and goods usually need their own cover.
For example A plumber’s van used to carry tools between jobs across the county.
Start from how the business works rather than from a list of policies. Each situation below points to the cover that is usually worth looking at. It is a starting point for comparing, not a recommendation: the appropriate cover depends on the business, its contracts and the policy wording.
You deal with customers or the public
Public liability may be relevant
You employ staff
Employers’ liability may be relevant
You give professional advice or services
Professional indemnity may be relevant
You sell, make, repair or import products
Product liability may be relevant
You operate from commercial premises
Buildings, contents and stock cover may be relevant
Your income depends on a premises or key equipment
Business interruption may be worth considering
You transport stock, goods or tools
Goods in transit may be relevant
You rely on computer systems or hold customer data
Cyber insurance may be worth considering
Contracts can also shape what cover a business holds. Clients, landlords, main contractors and public bodies sometimes ask for evidence of particular covers or minimum limits before work starts, so check any contract or tender you are working to.
Two businesses of the same size can have very different exposures. These are the risks that typically shape cover for common Irish businesses, and the covers they often compare. The detail of your own business, including anything unusual about the work, is what insurers will price.
Electricians, plumbers, carpenters and painters work in customers’ homes and on sites, where damage to property or injury to others is the main exposure. Tools are valuable and often carried in a van. Work at height, hot works and the use of subcontractors all affect cover.
Often compared Public liability, employers’ liability if employing, tools, goods in transit
Customers on the premises, stock on the shelves and in storage, cash on site and shop-front glass. Retailers selling own-brand or imported products carry more product exposure than those selling well-known brands.
Often compared Public and product liability, contents and stock, business interruption
Kitchens bring fire and equipment risks; customers bring slips and food-related claims. Refrigerated stock can be lost in a breakdown or power cut, and a forced closure stops income immediately.
Often compared Public and product liability, employers’ liability, contents, business interruption
Treatments carried out on clients create a specific exposure, such as reactions to products or treatments that go wrong. Insurers usually want to know each treatment offered and staff qualifications.
Often compared Public liability including treatment risks, employers’ liability, contents
The main risk is a client alleging that advice, a report, a design or other work caused them a financial loss. Physical risks tend to be lower, unless the work involves site visits.
Often compared Professional indemnity, public liability, office contents, cyber
Computers, fit-out and data are the key assets. Visitors create some public liability exposure, and a business that relies on its systems and records may look at cyber and business interruption.
Often compared Contents, public and employers’ liability, cyber, business interruption
Larger jobs, subcontractors, plant and materials on site, and contracts that set out the covers and minimum limits the contractor must hold. The work being carried out, and its value, heavily influence the price.
Often compared Public and employers’ liability, contract works, plant and tools
Dispensing, advice given over the counter, and products sold all carry specific exposures, alongside high-value stock that may need temperature control. Insurers may ask about dispensing, professional registration and the products stocked.
Often compared Public and product liability, professional indemnity, stock, business interruption
A sole trader is personally responsible for the business, so a claim can reach personal assets. Cover is often built around one person’s trade, tools and the places they work.
Often compared Public liability, professional indemnity for advice, tools or equipment
Taking on staff adds employee injury and illness exposure. Wages, the type of work each person does, and any work away from the premises become part of the information insurers ask for.
Often compared Employers’ liability, public liability, property and business interruption
Most Irish businesses are small. Rather than buying unrelated policies one at a time, many small businesses arrange a combined or package policy that brings together the covers they need, such as liability, contents and business interruption, under one renewal date. The profiles below show how the mix typically changes as a business grows, and our small business insurance guide works through common scenarios in more detail.
Often start with public liability, plus cover for tools or equipment. Professional indemnity may be relevant where the work is advice or design.
A handful of people and one main activity. A single combined policy is common, and describing every activity accurately matters more than the number of covers.
Contents, stock and fit-out join liability cover, and because all trading happens in one place, business interruption becomes worth considering. Check who insures the building under the lease.
The first employee adds employers’ liability to the conversation, along with wages and staff duties on the proposal. Health and safety duties apply regardless of insurance.
Public liability for work at other people’s property, cover for tools and materials away from base, and any contractual requirements from clients or main contractors.
The two are often sold together, but they respond to claims from different people. The simplest test is who is making the claim: someone outside the business, or someone employed by it. Our public liability insurance guide works through practical scenarios, limits, excess and contract requirements.
| Factor | Public liability | Employers’ liability |
|---|---|---|
| Who the claim relates to | Customers, visitors, members of the public and other third parties | Employees of the business |
| Typical scenario | A visitor slips on a wet floor, or a customer’s property is damaged during a job | An employee is injured at work or develops an illness linked to their work |
| What the cover addresses | Compensation and legal costs where the business is found legally liable for third-party injury or property damage | Compensation and legal costs where the business is found legally liable for an employee’s injury or illness |
| Where it applies | Your premises, and customers’ premises or sites where the policy extends to them | Wherever employees work for the business, within the policy’s territorial limits |
| Who may consider it | Businesses with customers on the premises, or that work in homes, sites and public places | Businesses that employ staff, including part-time and seasonal employees |
Employers in Ireland have general duties for the safety, health and welfare of their employees under section 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. Those duties apply whether or not a business holds insurance, and insurance does not replace them. Whether a client, contract or lease requires particular cover is a separate question to check in the documents themselves.
Both deal with claims from outside the business. The difference is what the claim is about: physical injury or damage, or a financial loss caused by the service itself.
Injury to people, or damage to their property, caused by your business activities.
Allegations that advice, design or a professional service was wrong, and cost a client money.
Some businesses have both exposures. An engineer visiting sites, an IT consultant installing equipment, or a designer running a workshop can face a physical-damage claim and a professional-advice claim from the same client, so they often compare both covers side by side. For claims-made cover, retroactive dates and what to check in a PI policy, see our professional indemnity insurance guide.
There is no standard price for business insurance in Ireland, and no official source publishes average premiums, so Stuama.ie does not quote one. The premium reflects how an insurer assesses the likelihood and size of a claim, based on the information you give. These are the factors that commonly move it; our guide to what business insurance costs in Ireland explains each in more depth, with a quote comparison table.
Two quotes for the same business can be far apart, and the cheaper one is not always the better value. A lower premium can reflect a lower limit, a higher excess or a narrower policy rather than a better deal.
Comparing only the headline price can mean comparing different products. Line quotes up on the same limits, excess and activities first, then compare the price. Our guide to business insurance costs in Ireland explains what insurers price and how to compare quotes fairly.
One quote may offer a much lower limit of indemnity than another.
A higher excess lowers the premium and raises what you pay on each claim.
Activities, locations or causes that one policy covers may be excluded by another.
Theft, accidental damage or cover away from the premises may be included, optional or absent.
Insurers differ in which trades and risks they want to cover, and price accordingly.
Quotes built on different descriptions of the business are not comparable, and may not be valid.
Compare cover based on your business activity, policy limits, excess, exclusions and price.
Business insurance comparisons and quote requests are provided through CompareInsuranceIreland.ie.
Use the same checklist for every quote. Most of these details are in the policy schedule, the policy wording and the key information documents, which insurers and intermediaries provide before you buy.
Having the details ready makes a quote quicker and, more importantly, more accurate. Different insurers and brokers ask for different information, but these are the questions you may be asked.
Accurate answers matter. A quote is based on the business as you describe it, and a policy may not respond as expected if the activity, turnover or employee numbers are wrong. Your accounts are the easiest place to confirm turnover and wages; if you use accounting software, the figures are usually a report away.
When you have the details to hand, you can request a business insurance quote through CompareInsuranceIreland.ie.
Three parts of a policy decide how much it really protects: the most it will pay, the part of each claim you pay yourself, and the situations it does not cover. Professional indemnity adds a fourth: when a claim has to be made.
The most the policy pays
The maximum an insurer will pay under a section of the policy, either for each claim or in total across the policy period. A limit that is too low for the size of a possible claim leaves the rest with the business. Contracts sometimes specify a minimum limit.
The part you pay
The first part of each claim that the business pays itself. Different sections, such as property and liability, can carry different excesses. Choosing a higher excess can lower the premium but increases the cost of every claim.
When a claim is covered
A claims-made policy, the usual basis for professional indemnity, responds to claims first made and notified during the policy period, often subject to a retroactive date for earlier work. An occurrence-based policy, often used for public liability, responds to incidents that happened while it was in force, even if the claim comes later. With claims-made cover, keeping continuous cover and checking the retroactive date when switching insurer both matter.
What it does not cover
Business interruption cover is designed to protect income after a specific insured event, not every reason a business might earn less. Most policies follow the same sequence, and each step has terms worth checking.
Cover is usually triggered by physical damage from an insured event, such as fire or flood, at the premises. Some policies extend to events nearby, such as damage that prevents access; others do not.
The business has to close or trade at a reduced level because of that damage. A fall in trade for other reasons, such as a quiet season, is not an insured loss.
Many policies measure loss by gross profit or gross revenue, compared with what the business would have earned, and may cover extra costs to keep trading, such as temporary premises.
Cover lasts for a maximum indemnity period chosen when the policy is arranged. If repairs and recovery take longer, losses after the period ends are not covered.
When comparing, check what triggers the cover, how the loss is calculated, the sum insured, and whether the indemnity period is long enough to rebuild, refit and win back customers. Business interruption policies became widely discussed during COVID-19, when the Central Bank of Ireland set out a supervisory framework for how insurers handled those claims. In every case, the policy wording decides what is covered.
Businesses of every size rely on email, payments, bookings and customer records. Cyber policies vary substantially in what they include, so compare each part on its own terms, and check whether any cyber cover already sits inside another policy.
Ransomware, hacking, malware and fraudulent payment requests.
Costs of responding to a data breach, which can include expert help and notifying people.
Restoring computers, software and data after an incident.
Lost income while systems are down, if the policy includes it.
Claims from customers or others whose data or systems were affected.
Insurance sits alongside, not instead of, your data protection obligations. If a personal data breach occurs, the Data Protection Commission explains when and how it must be notified, generally within 72 hours. If your business website takes bookings, orders or payments, include it when you describe your systems to an insurer.
Many Irish businesses start at the kitchen table. Ordinary home insurance is designed for a household, so it should not be assumed to cover business equipment, stock, customer visits or liability arising from the work.
Employers with staff working from home keep their health and safety responsibilities; the HSA publishes remote working guidance and a checklist.
If a business uses contractors or subcontractors, insurers usually want to know. Their work can create claims that come back to the business that engaged them, and some policies treat labour differently depending on how it is engaged.
Whether someone is an employee or self-employed is a legal question with its own tests, separate from insurance. Describe how people actually work for the business when you arrange cover.
Insurance distribution is regulated in Ireland. These official sources help you check who you are dealing with and understand the obligations that sit alongside insurance.
Central Bank of Ireland
The Central Bank registers list the insurers, insurance intermediaries and other financial firms it regulates.
Central Bank of Ireland
How insurance intermediaries are authorised and regulated.
Health and Safety Authority
The HSA’s guidance on safety statements and risk assessment for employers.
Data Protection Commission
The DPC’s guidance on breach notification for organisations.
It depends on the business. Public liability is widely held by businesses that deal with the public or work at customers’ premises; employers’ liability is relevant once you employ staff; professional indemnity matters where you give advice or design. Property, stock and business interruption depend on what you own and where you trade. See which covers may be relevant.
There is no standard price, and no official source publishes average premiums. The cost depends mainly on your trade, turnover, employees, premises, the limits and excess you choose, and your claims history. See what affects the cost, and compare quotes on the same limits and excess.
It covers claims from members of the public or other third parties for injury, or damage to their property, caused by your business activities, such as a customer slipping in your shop or damage to a client’s home during a job. It does not cover claims from your own employees.
Public liability relates to claims from people outside the business: customers, visitors and the public. Employers’ liability relates to claims from employees injured or made ill in connection with their work. See the side-by-side comparison.
Yes. Sole traders can arrange the same types of cover as larger businesses, and many policies are built for one person’s trade, tools and places of work. Because a sole trader is personally responsible for the business, liability cover is a common starting point.
It should not be assumed to. Home insurance is designed for a household, and business equipment, stock, customer visits and liability for the work may not be covered. Tell your home insurer about the business and ask. See working from home.
In-depth guides to what affects the price of cover, the main liability covers, and the insurance a small business may want to investigate.
FEATURED GUIDE
Why there is no standard premium, the factors insurers price, why two quotes for the same business can differ, and how to compare quotes on the same terms.
PUBLIC LIABILITY
Scenarios, limits, excess, contract requirements and what to compare.
PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY
Claims-made cover, retroactive dates, run-off and comparing PI policies.
SMALL BUSINESS
Business scenarios and a decision matrix for cover worth investigating.
Compare cover on the same terms: the activities described, the limits of indemnity, the exclusions, the excess, and then the price. Business insurance comparisons and quote requests are provided through CompareInsuranceIreland.ie.
Looking for other business services? Return to the Stuama.ie homepage to compare card payments, accounting software and business websites.