Industries
Professional Services Insurance
Errors and omissions, cyber, liability and office coverage for consultants, accountants, IT firms, design professionals, agencies and staffing firms.
- Management and business consultants
- Accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers
- IT consultants, managed service providers and software developers
- Architects and engineers
- Marketing, advertising and design agencies
- Staffing and recruiting firms
- Training and education providers
For professional firms, the biggest risk usually isn't a slip-and-fall. It's a client who says your advice, design, code or work product cost them money, and those claims are typically handled under professional liability, also called errors and omissions (E&O), not general liability.
We help professional firms across the U.S. consider coverage for their services, client information, employees, and workplaces. Client contracts often drive what you need: professional liability and cyber limits, additional insured status and indemnity terms.
Professional liability is usually written on a claims-made basis: the policy in force when a claim is first made typically responds, as long as the work was done on or after the policy's retroactive date. Keeping continuous coverage and the same retroactive date when you switch policies helps protect past work, and an extended reporting period can give you time to report claims about that work after a policy ends.
Common risks
Errors and omissions claims
A missed deadline, a calculation error, a failed software rollout or advice that didn't work out can lead to a claim for financial loss. Even unfounded claims can be costly to defend, and on many professional liability policies defense costs reduce the limit.
Cyber incidents
Firms that hold client data, financial records or system access are targets for phishing, ransomware and wire fraud. Social engineering fraud is often an optional extension with a lower limit, and employee theft is usually a crime insurance question rather than a cyber one, so check how your policies handle each.
Client contract requirements
Larger clients often require set professional liability and cyber limits, additional insured status on general liability, and indemnity terms that go beyond what a policy may respond to. Reviewing the insurance and indemnity sections before you sign can head off problems.
Office property and business income
Computers, furniture and records can be damaged by fire, water or theft, and an office closure can interrupt billing. A business owners policy (BOP) often packages office property, business income and general liability.
Employment practices
Harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination claims can come from current, former or prospective employees. For staffing firms, claims can also involve placed workers and the people they work with at client sites.
Staffing firms: workers at client sites
Placed workers are usually your employees but work under a client's direction, often at the client's location. That changes workers' compensation classification and audits, adds client requests such as an alternate employer endorsement (which extends your workers' compensation to protect the client), and means liability and professional coverage usually needs forms written for staffing operations, since standard forms may limit claims involving placed workers.
Coverage to consider
- Professional Liability (E&O) InsuranceErrors and omissions claims alleging financial loss from your services, advice or work product. Usually claims-made, so retroactive dates matter.
- Cyber Liability InsuranceBreach response, ransomware and business interruption. Funds transfer and social engineering fraud are often optional extensions.
- Business Owners Policy (BOP)Office property, business income and general liability packaged for many small firms.
- General Liability InsuranceBodily injury and property damage claims, often required by clients and landlords.
- Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)Harassment, discrimination and wrongful termination claims from employees and job applicants.
- Workers' Compensation InsuranceEmployee injuries, including placed workers for staffing firms; requirements vary by state.
- Umbrella & Excess Liability InsuranceAdditional limits above general liability, auto and employers liability when contracts require them.
How quoting works
- 01
Start with your business
Tell us what you do, where you work and what you want to protect — or send your current policy.
- 02
Explore your options
We approach insurance companies that consider your type of business and explain the available choices.
- 03
Talk it through
A licensed ALP agent reviews coverage, limits, deductibles and price with you before you decide.
Common contract and certificate requirements
- Professional liability limits set by the client contract, sometimes with a required retroactive date or extended reporting period
- Client named as additional insured on general liability; professional liability policies usually don't provide additional insured status
- Cyber limits for vendors with access to client systems or data
- Waiver of subrogation on workers' compensation and general liability for on-site work
- Alternate employer endorsement on workers' compensation for staffing firms placing workers with clients
A certificate is evidence of insurance; the policy and its endorsements provide the coverage.
Certificate Center →Helpful information for a quote
- A description of your services, with revenue by type of service
- Annual revenue, number of professionals and the share of revenue from your largest clients
- Sample client contracts and their insurance requirements, if you have them
- Current policies, including the retroactive date on professional liability, if you're insured now
- Loss runs (claims history reports) and details of any prior claims or incidents, if you've been insured before
- Basic cybersecurity practices such as multi-factor authentication, backups and email security
- Payroll, number of employees and office locations — for staffing firms, the types of work your placed workers do
Have what you can — we'll ask for anything else an insurance company needs. Starting a new business? You can begin without prior policies or loss runs.
Upload your current policyFrequently asked questions
What does claims-made mean?
A claims-made policy typically responds to claims first made and reported while the policy is in force, for work performed on or after the retroactive date. Keeping continuous coverage and the same retroactive date when you switch policies helps protect past work.
Does general liability include professional mistakes?
Typically not. General liability is built for bodily injury and property damage; claims that your work caused a client financial loss usually fall under professional liability.
What happens to my coverage if I retire or close the firm?
Clients can still bring claims after you stop working, and a claims-made policy that has ended usually won't accept them. An extended reporting period, often called tail coverage, extends the time to report claims about work done on or after the retroactive date and before the policy ended — it doesn't apply to new work. Length, cost and availability depend on the policy.
Do I need cyber insurance if my data is in the cloud?
Usually it's still worth considering. Cloud providers' contracts typically limit their responsibility, and phishing, wire fraud and stolen credentials often start with your own email and devices.
How is insurance different for staffing firms?
Placed workers are usually your employees but work under a client's direction, so clients often ask for an alternate employer endorsement on workers' compensation and waivers of subrogation. The type of work placed drives classification, rating and audits, and liability and professional coverage is usually written on forms designed for staffing operations.