Contractor and subcontractor insurance
Contractor public liability insurance for subbies and contractors. If your head contractor wants proof of cover before you start, our brokers ask insurers to quote on the limit and wording the head contract asks for, and once cover starts we can send your certificate of currency: the short document that shows your policy is current, its limit and when it ends.
5.0 from 6 Google reviews, October 2026(opens Google in a new tab)
General advice only. Read the policy documents we send with your quote before you decide.
What it can cover.
Examples of what this cover is for. What a policy covers, and whether a claim is paid, is up to the insurer under the policy wording.
Damage and injury on someone else's site
Concrete slurry from your saw cutting runs into the neighbour's pool, or another trade's labourer trips over your hoses. On a shared site a claim can come from the client, the public or another contractor's crew, and your policy can cover claims like these, depending on its wording.
Proof before your start date
Head contractors often want your certificate of currency before you start, showing the limit the contract asks for and a policy that's current on your start date. Leave time for it, because the insurer has to agree to the cover first.
Claims against the principal
Some head contracts ask that your policy also covers the principal, meaning the head contractor or the client, for claims arising from your work. This is often called principal's indemnity. Whether a policy can do it, and on what terms, depends on the insurer and the wording.
Work you subcontract
If you hire subbies yourself, your policy can cover your liability for their work, depending on the wording. The quote form asks how much of your work is subcontracted, because it changes the cover and the price.
What it usually doesn't cover.
These are the usual gaps, and what covers them instead. Every policy is different: the wording is what counts.
- Damage to the works you're building: that's contract works cover, and the head contract often says who arranges it
- Injury to you or your own workers: personal accident cover and workers comp
- Fixing or redoing your own work, for example after the head contractor rejects it
- Liability you take on in the contract beyond what the law puts on you, unless the insurer agrees to it
- Work you subcontract, if the policy needs your subbies to hold their own cover and they don't
- Design or engineering advice on the job: that's professional indemnity
Common limits.
- $5 million
- $10 million
- $20 million
Common public liability limits, in millions. The limit is the most the policy pays for a covered claim, as the wording sets out. Head contracts often name a minimum: choose at least that, because your certificate of currency shows it.
Who usually carries it
- Subbies signed up under a head contract on house builds, fit-outs and commercial jobs
- Contractors on council, strata or government jobs, where the insurance clause sets the limit
- Labour-only subbies working on an ABN
- Contractors who hire subbies of their own
How to get contractor and subcontractor insurance.
Show us the clause.
Fill in the quote form or call us. Tell us your trade, turnover and who works for you, and what the head contract's insurance clause asks for: the limit, any principal's indemnity wording and your start date.
We get quotes against it.
We ask insurers to quote on what the clause asks for and show you what each quote says about it.
Get your certificate to site.
Cover starts once you choose a policy and the insurer agrees to it. Then ask us for a certificate of currency to send to the head contractor.
Contractors and subcontractors by trade.
Each trade page explains the risks and the covers that matter for that work.
Your questions.
Does public liability insurance cover contractors?
Yes. Public liability insurance for contractors works the same way as for any tradie: it can cover claims that your work injured someone or damaged their property, and on a site that includes other trades, the client and the public. It's your own policy for your own work. It doesn't cover injury to you or your workers, damage to the works themselves or fixing your own work, and whether it extends to the principal or to work you subcontract depends on the wording.
Am I covered by the head contractor's policy?
Don't assume it. A head contractor's policies are written to protect the head contractor, and head contracts often ask subbies to carry their own public liability and show a certificate of currency before they start. Some project policies, such as contract works, may name subcontractors for damage to the works, depending on the wording. Ask the head contractor in writing what their policy does for you, and send it to us.
What is principal's indemnity, and why does a head contract ask for it?
It's wording that extends your public liability policy to cover the principal, meaning the head contractor or the client, for claims arising from your work. Head contracts ask for it so that a claim caused by your work can fall on your policy rather than theirs. Not every policy includes it and the wording varies, so send us the clause and we'll show you what each quote says about it.
Which covers do subbies usually start with?
Subcontractor public liability insurance, because head contracts often ask for it, then tools, vehicle and personal accident and illness cover, workers comp if you employ, and anything else the head contract lists.
What insurance a subcontractor needsHiring subbies of your own?
Ask each one for a certificate of currency before they start, and tell your insurer you use them.
Protecting yourself when you hire a subcontractorWhat proof of cover will a head contractor want?
A certificate of currency is the short document that shows your policy is current, its limit and when it ends.
What a certificate of currency is, and how to get oneWorkers comp and subbies
Each state's scheme sets who counts as a worker, and some contractors and subcontractors can count. Tell us how your subbies are engaged.
Workers compensation insuranceSort your cover.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or email mate@tradies365.com.au.