Tool insurance for tradies
Tool insurance for tradies: cover for the tools and portable equipment you earn a living with, if they're stolen or damaged on site, in your vehicle or at home. It can pay to repair or replace them, up to the limits in your policy. Tell us what you carry and where you keep it, and our brokers get you quotes.
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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.
Theft from your vehicle or site
For example, the vehicle is broken into overnight and the drill kits, saws and a laser level are gone. Tool policies usually cover theft from a locked vehicle, site box or building when there are signs of forced entry.
Accidental damage
A laser level gets knocked off a trestle, or a mitre saw falls from the back of the vehicle. Accidental damage can be covered when the policy includes it; some insurers offer it as an option.
Fire, storm and collision
A fire in the garage where you keep your gear, or a crash that wrecks the toolboxes in your vehicle. Damage from fire, storm and collision is usually part of tool cover.
Portable gear, from job to job
Tools of trade insurance usually follows portable tools and equipment wherever you work, not just one address. Check the area the policy covers if you take jobs interstate.
Bigger portable equipment
Generators, compressors, drain cameras and other portable equipment can usually be listed, often item by item with what each one would cost to replace.
Work phones, tablets and laptops
Portable electronics you use for work can often be added to the policy, sometimes with their own limit, the most the policy pays for them.
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.
- Theft with no sign of forced entry, unless you add that option
- Tools left in the open or in an unlocked vehicle, unless the policy includes it
- Wear and tear, rust and mechanical breakdown
- Fixed machinery at your premises: that's business contents cover
- Mobile plant like bobcats, and the vehicle itself: plant and vehicle cover
- Flood damage, unless the policy includes it
- Income you lose while you replace gear
Who usually carries it.
- Sole traders whose tools are the business
- Tradies who leave gear in a vehicle overnight or on site
- Crews sharing kit and a site box between jobs
- Mowing, landscaping and cleaning businesses with expensive portable equipment
How to get tool insurance.
List your gear.
Fill in the quote form or call us. Tell us what you carry, what it would cost to replace today and where it's kept overnight. Serial numbers and photos help.
We get you quotes.
We ask insurers for quotes and show you the theft conditions, item limits and excess (the amount you pay towards a claim) on each one.
Choose, then keep records.
Cover starts once you pick a policy and the insurer agrees to it. Keep receipts and photos of your gear: they help if you ever need to claim.
Tools and equipment by trade.
Each trade page explains the risks and the covers that matter for that work.
Tools and equipment: your questions.
What is tools of trade insurance?
Cover for the portable tools and equipment you use to earn a living, against theft and damage on site, in your vehicle or at home, up to the limits in your policy. Insurers also call it portable equipment insurance, equipment insurance or general property insurance. You list your gear and its value, and the policy wording sets what it pays and when.
Does tool insurance cover theft from a work site?
It can, but check the conditions. Many policies cover theft from a locked site box, building or vehicle when there are signs of forced entry, and leave out tools left in the open or taken with no sign of a break-in. Some insurers offer theft without forced entry as an option. Ask us what the wording says before you leave gear on site overnight.
How do I work out how much tools cover to ask for?
Add up what it would cost to replace your gear new today, not what you paid for it. The quote form asks for an amount between $5,000 and $25,000; tell us about bigger or more expensive items too, because some policies cap what they pay for any one item unless it's listed. Check the total each year as you buy more gear.
Does tool cover include fixed workshop machines?
Usually not: fixed workshop machinery sits under a business contents or property policy, not tool cover.
Workshop machinery for cabinet makersWhat does tool cover cost?
The insurer sets the price from the value of what you insure, where it's kept, your trade, your claims history and the excess you choose.
What tool insurance covers, and what it costsIs it worth insuring my tools?
Weigh what it would cost to replace your gear, and the work you'd lose while you're without it, against the premium and the excess.
Is tool insurance worth it?What about tools left in the vehicle overnight?
Often covered only with conditions, like a locked vehicle and signs of forced entry, and some policies add extra conditions overnight. Check the wording before you leave tools in the vehicle.
Are your tools covered in the van overnight?Can work phones and laptops go on the policy?
Often, as portable electronics, sometimes with their own limit. Tell us which devices you use for work.
Insuring work phones, tablets and laptopsSort your cover.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or email mate@tradies365.com.au.