Professional indemnity insurance Professional indemnity insurance

Indemnity insurance that covers the consequences of mistakes in your work. Pick the insurance limits you want and tweak your policy at any time with no extra fees.

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Why choose Superscript?

Professional indemnity (PI) insurance — also known as errors and omissions insurance — is designed to cover your business from a range of exposures. This includes mistakes in services you've provided, compensation claims, contract disputes and intellectual property disputes.

Alonside our 5-star rated customer service and claims support if you need it, we can cover:

  • Professional negligence
  • A variety of defined legal costs
  • Copyright infringement
  • Defamation
  • Unpaid client fees
  • Reputational damage

Is your business raising and scaling?

Our specialist brokers provide custom cover for high-growth tech companies with complex risks — from web3, fintech, medtech, blockchain, VC firms, SaaS and more — whether you're at seed stage or IPO ready.

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We're big on fairness. So if you find a lower price for a comparable quote, we won't just match it — we'll go one better and beat it.

So even better than apples to apples, apples to better apples. We're talking Galas to Braeburns.

As you'd expect, T&Cs apply.

What our professional indemnity insurance covers

1

Payment of your fees

Where possible we want to avoid a claim as much as you do. So if it should arise, we can help settle a dispute between your company and your client around unpaid fees. We can pay the fees owed to you if a client refuses to pay and threatens to make a claim.

2

Reputation and brand protection costs

Our professional indemnity cover can pay for public relations and crisis management costs — including purchasing media space, printing and postage costs etc. — to protect your brand’s reputation in the event of a covered claim.

3

Intellectual property infringement

Accidental breaches of copyright are becoming more common for fast-growing companies in a saturated digital landscape. With PI cover, you could get up to £25,000 in legal costs to defend your business against others should it happen to you.

4

Professional credibility

Having professional indemnity cover means that your clients can maintain complete trust in your professional services, knowing that both parties are financially covered if an issue arises.

Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover. Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.

A quick guide to professional indemnity

What is professional indemnity insurance?

Professional indemnity insurance — also known as professional liability or errors and omissions insurance — is designed to cover you for claims where clients have lost money due to mistakes in your professional services.

Professional services include any designs, advice, or consultations you carry out for a client. It's also built to cover contract, IP and trademark disputes. Should a third party make a claim against you, a PI policy can cover your legal defence costs and expenses as well as compensation awards if the claim is successful.

Who needs professional indemnity cover?

All businesses that enter into contracts with other businesses or third parties should consider professional indemnity insurance. This includes freelancers, contractors or any size of business that provides advice, consultancy or design services.

You could be a tradesperson, an architect, an engineer, a chartered surveyor, an accountant, a solicitor, an insurance broker, a media mogul or be developing innovative tech products.

While not a legal requirement, having PI insurance in place may also help you win more business as clients can often request it before entering a contract. Professional indemnity can also be a requirement if you work in specific industries.

What risks does professional indemnity cover you for?

PI is designed to cover you if a third party sues you in relation to advice, consultancy or a professional service that you've provided that resulted in financial damages. Our professional indemnity can cover:

  • Libel
  • Copyright/trademark infringement
  • Design flaws
  • Erroneous advice
  • Defamation
  • Plagiarism
  • Wrong allegations
  • Negligent content
  • Product disparagement
  • Financial loss from a client's business downtime

Steps you can take to protect yourself

Firstly, it is important to read through the contracts for your client work carefully, so both parties are clear on their professional duty, the scope of the work agreed upon, and what you can and can't be held liable for.

You should also check that other parties you're contracting with have professional indemnity insurance, such as contractors and suppliers. Be sure to check out the limitation of liability and indemnification sections in contracts you sign to know what limits of insurance you need to maintain.

What to look for when purchasing your cover

It’s wise to consider the financial impact should something go wrong when choosing your limit of cover. Clients may request a limit, but legal action costs and the chance of multiple claims at once need to be taken into account.

You should also consider maintaining professional indemnity cover even after your contracts have ended, to make sure you are still covered if a claim arises after you provided the work. You will need to declare any changes your business is making to your insurer to avoid oversights.

Are you a tradesperson? The benefits and exclusions of tradesperson professional indemnity insurance can differ from a traditional PI policy. Read more about tradesperson professional indemnity insurance.

What's not covered?

Professional indemnity insurance includes a range of features, but as with all policies, there are some things we cannot cover. Some of the main exclusions include:

  • Claims linked to, or arising from, a defect with third-party hardware or software
  • Liability arising from a merchant services agreement
  • Claims arising from the intentional, unlawful collection or retention of personally identifiable information
  • Actual or alleged, deceptive or unfair trade practices claims
  • Bodily injury or property damage, unless it’s a result of your design, advice or consultancy services provided as part of your business activities
  • Claims related to your insolvency or bankruptcy
  • Claims linked to the infringement, misuse or abuse of patents or trade secrets
  • The supply, manufacture or maintenance of any tangible product designed, specified, formulated, manufactured, constructed, installed, sold, supplied, distributed, treated, serviced, altered, processed, cleaned, renovated or repaired by you or on your behalf

This is not an extensive list - please always refer to your policy documents for full details on exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.

Are you a tradesperson? The benefits and exclusions of tradesperson professional indemnity insurance can differ from a traditional PI policy. Read more about tradesperson professional indemnity insurance.

Professional indemnity claims

There are various types of professional indemnity claims that can affect different industries, here are a few examples of claims where the business could be liable:

As a graphic designer, you incorporate a design element which another artist claims is a copy of their work and they sue you.

Flawed reporting

In your consultancy role, you’ve pulled together data for a report published by your client. Your client receives a flurry of complaints about the report and sues you for reputational damage.

Breach of confidentiality

A consultant accidentally passes on unencrypted confidential information from a client and the client’s financial records are compromised or exposed.

Loss of documents

An employee fails to properly store important ID documentation resulting in an irretrievable loss of client information. This leads to a claim from your client to replace the missing documents.

We offer D&O cover to over 1,000 industries

From videographers to personal trainers, and funeral directors to speech therapists, we insure a wide range of businesses to protect them from mistakes in their work.

Here are just a few of the diverse industries that Superscript has already provided professional indemnity cover for:

  • Scriptwriters
  • Nail technicians
  • Energy consultants
  • Dance instructors
  • Tradespeople
  • Design consultants
  • Hypnotherapists
  • Illustrators
  • Accountants
  • Venture capital firms
  • Gaming developers
  • Software developers
  • Weather forecasters

To see if we offer professional indemnity insurance for your industry, simply click ‘Start your quote’.

Professional indemnity insurance FAQs

What is professional indemnity insurance?

Professional indemnity insurance is a type of business insurance that is designed to provide cover for legal and compensation costs associated with a business's failure to meet contractual obligations with client(s).

What does professional indemnity insurance cover?

Professional indemnity insurance is built to cover compensation and legal costs arising from claims concerning a business' contracts with clients.

For example, a claim made against the business by a client, due to financial losses caused by the business' failure to fulfil a contract in time; or due to mistakes made while carrying out the work.

Is professional indemnity the same as errors and omissions insurance?

Professional indemnity and omissions insurance are different names for the same type of insurance. Both cover compensation and legal costs that arise from claims concerning a business' contracts with clients.

Errors and omissions insurance is a term that's more widely used in the US, while professional indemnity insurance is more common in the UK. Errors and omissions insurance covers the same things as professional indemnity insurance, and you'll often see 'errors' and 'omissions' referenced in your professional indemnity policy.

Who needs professional indemnity insurance?

All businesses that enter into contracts with other businesses or third parties in general should consider professional indemnity insurance. While it's not a legal obligation, your clients could require you to hold a policy with certian limits to enter into business with you. For some professional and trade bodies, it can be an eligibility requirement for membership.

How much professional indemnity insurance do I need?

The level of professional indemnity cover you need will depend on the details of the contracts your business enters into. It varies from business to business.

What is the difference between professional indemnity and public liability insurance?

The difference between professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance is that professional indemnity insurance is relevant to claims concerning your contracts (e.g. mistakes or negligence) and public liability insurance concerns claims against you by members of the public, for injury or property damage due to your work.

Is professional indemnity insurance required by law?

Professional indemnity insurance is not a legal requirement for businesses in the UK. However, it is sometimes a requirement of clients, professional memberships, trade bodies or by regulators. These include chartered surveyors, solicitors, accountants, architects, financial advisors and some healthcare professionals.

Is professional indemnity insurance tax deductible?

Yes. Professional indemnity insurance is an 'allowable expense', which means that it is tax deductible in the UK.

What to look for in a professional indemnity policy

What you need from your professional indemnity policy will depend on the type of business you run.

Professional consultants may have to make use of their professional indemnity insurance for accidentally providing misleading or negligent advice.

Similarly, media companies that publish large amounts of content could be covered for copyright infringement and any issues surrounding defamation due to untrue claims being published.

What is run-off cover?

Run-off cover is designed to protect you from claims made against you after you’ve retired, or sold or closed your business. It's an extension you can add onto any claims-made policy, such as professional indemnity. Read our guide to run-off cover to learn more.

Can I get professional indemnity insurance specifically for tradespeople?

Yes, as a tradesperson you can get tradesperson PI specifically designed for the work that you do. Read our guide to tradesperson professional indemnity insurance to learn more.

What is a risk register?

A risk register is a powerful tool you can use to monitor the risks your business may face. Essentially, it's a detailed checklist where you jot down possible issues that could disrupt your operations — whether financial, legal or operational — alongside their likelihood and impact.

To learn more and download a free risk register template, head to our managing business risks page.

Learn more about professional indemnity

Our insurance guides answer more of your questions about the ins and outs of professional indemnity.

Do I need professional indemnity insurance?

Some professions, including chartered surveyors and accountants, are required to hold professional indemnity insurance. Find out if your business needs to be covered.

View more

How much does professional indemnity insurance cost?

The cost of PI cover can vary depending on your business. Find out what factors affect the price, as well as how affordable professional indemnity insurance can be for you.

View more

How do I make an insurance claim?

The specifics of making a claim are detailed within your policy documents, but the first step is typically to notify us as soon as possible.

Find out more
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Boost your cover with legal protection insurance

Covers compensation awards, professional fees and legal costs associated with a range of legal disputes.

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Why choose Superscript?

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Cover for over 1,000 types of business

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Five-star customer service and claims support

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Flexibility to adjust your policy without fees

We insure thousands of innovative businesses

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Individual cover purchased online is offered on a standardised, non-advised basis and is not bespoke. Terms, conditions and coverage limits are predetermined by the Underwriter. If you require bespoke coverage offered on an advised basis, please contact our in-house broking team.

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