Sole trader insurance for tradies
Sole trader insurance for tradies who work for themselves on an ABN. Trading as a sole trader, you are the business: you're personally responsible for its debts and losses, so a claim against the business lands on you. Our brokers help you put together cover chosen for the work you do, then 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.
Damage or injury your work causes
Working alone in a client's home, you knock a ladder into their glass door, or the gear you're unloading scratches their car. Sole trader liability insurance, usually public liability, can cover claims like these from other people, and it's often the first cover a client or builder asks to see.
Tools and equipment
Tool insurance can pay to repair or replace tools and gear that are stolen or damaged, up to the limits in the policy. Ask how it treats tools left in the ute, on site or in the shed overnight, because policies differ.
The vehicle you work from
If you drive to jobs and carry gear, tell the insurer you use the vehicle for work and what's fitted to it, like racks, a toolbox or signage. What a policy includes for work use depends on its wording.
Time off if you're hurt or sick
No work, no pay, and no sick leave to fall back on. Personal accident and illness cover can pay a weekly benefit if an injury or illness stops you working. How much, and for how long, depends on the policy.
Taking someone on
You can employ people and still trade as a sole trader. Employees come under workers compensation, which we can arrange in every state and territory under its own scheme, and your other insurers will want to know how many people work for you.
Proof for the builder or client
Builders, councils and strata managers often ask for a certificate of currency before you start: a short document showing your policy is current, its limit and when it ends. Once cover starts, ask us for one.
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.
- Your own injury or lost income: that's personal accident and illness cover, because public liability is for other people
- Business debts and losses that aren't an insured event, like an unpaid invoice or a job that runs over
- Putting right your own faulty work
- Tools stolen in a way the policy excludes, such as from an unlocked vehicle
- A vehicle insured for private use that you use for work without telling the insurer
- Advice or design work that someone relies on: that's professional indemnity
Common limits.
- $5 million
- $10 million
- $20 million
If public liability is part of your cover, these are the common limits, in millions. If a builder, council or client has asked for a particular limit, choose at least that. Your broker can help.
Who usually carries it
- Sole traders who work straight for homeowners and businesses
- Sole traders with an apprentice, a worker or two
- Sole traders subbing to a builder who asks for a certificate of currency
- Tradies starting out on their own after working for someone else
How to get sole trader insurance.
Tell us how you work.
Fill in the quote form or call us. We ask your trade, the work you do and where, your turnover, whether anyone works for you, and what a builder or client has asked you to carry.
We get you quotes.
We ask insurers to quote on the covers you choose and come back with what each one covers and what it leaves out.
Pick your cover, then get to work.
Cover starts once you choose a policy and the insurer agrees to it. If a job wants proof, ask us for a certificate of currency.
Sole trader insurance by trade.
Each trade page explains the risks and the covers that matter for that work.
Your questions.
How much does sole trader insurance cost?
The insurer sets the price. Insurance for sole traders is usually a few covers put together, so it depends on which ones you choose. For each, insurers look at things like your trade, your turnover, the public liability limit you pick, the value of your tools and where you keep them, the vehicle you drive, whether anyone works for you or you subcontract, your state and your claims history. Tell us about your work and we'll get you quotes.
Do I need professional indemnity as a sole trader?
Usually only if your work includes advice or design that someone relies on, such as drawing plans, designing a system or specifying what should be built. Professional indemnity is for financial loss caused by that advice; public liability is for injury and property damage. Hands-on trade work mostly sits with public liability, but some contracts ask for both, so check yours and tell us what it says.
Where most sole traders start
Public liability, tools, the vehicle and cover for time off work, with workers comp once someone works for you.
What insurance a sole trader needsWill a builder or client ask for public liability?
Often, yes. Head contractors, councils and some licences ask for it. Check the rules for your trade and state.
When public liability is required for tradiesWorkers comp when it's just you
Workers comp is built around employees, and how it treats people who work for themselves depends on the state.
Do sole traders need workers comp?Got an ABN: what changes?
An ABN doesn't come with any insurance. What you carry depends on your work and on what clients and contracts ask for.
Insurance when you have an ABNWorking on your own
Working alone changes your risks, and an injury stops the income as well as the work.
Working alone: risks and insuranceCan I get a quote before my first job?
Yes, you can ask for quotes on sole trader business insurance before you start, and cover begins only once you choose a policy and the insurer agrees to it.
What you need for a quoteSort your cover.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or email mate@tradies365.com.au.