Protect your business from potential legal costs and claims with Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Protect your business from potential legal costs and claims with Professional Indemnity Insurance.Does your business rely on a providing professional service or advice? If so, there's always the chance of human error and this can leave you liable if something goes wrong.
What is professional indemnity?
Professional indemnity (also known as personal indemnity insurance) is designed to cover the potential costs of unforeseen mistakes for both self-employed workers and businesses across many different industries.
For example: The legal fees and settlement costs to a client if you provide incorrect advice.
As a professional you probably know what you're doing. However, there's always a chance of making errors. What seems like a innocent mistake can actually cost you a lot of money.
Let's say you're building surveyor and you issue a permit for a housing project and later the property owner finds issues with the building (and sues the builders). The fault may come back to you e.g. for not properly checking the building plan before issuing a permit.
This is where professional indemnity (PI) insurance comes in.
Some quick tips when getting a quote
Want to know more about how professional indemnity insurance works?
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Is it right for me?
- Do I need professional indemnity insurance?
- Services that generally require professional indemnity insurance
How it works
What's covered (and what's not)
Professional indemnity is designed to cover the policyholder for any third party damage that may be incurred if a client files a claim. Any ensuing compensation that may be required to be paid to the client from the individual or business is also covered.
Some policies will offer cover for claims from clients for financial loss, bodily harm or damage to property due to errors in the provision of the service. An example could be a medical professional providing incorrect advice and then having to cover the clients subsequent medical expenses.
What is covered
- Damages and compensation costs against you
- Legal fees
- Court fees
- Public relations fees
- The cost of investigation
- Defamation
What is NOT covered
- Damages to property
- Fraud
- Accidental injury
- Damages from intentional acts
- Intentional damage
Detailed list of examples
Do I actually need professional indemnity insurance?
Any time advice is provided to clients, you should consider professional indemnity insurance.
Despite your utmost care, mistakes and lack of judgement can happen in the workplace and will often lead to the professional’s client seeking compensation for damages. A professional can still be liable for losses even if the mistake was not a result of their own negligence. Even if the claim is illegitimate, you may still need to go through the legal process of defending yourself against it.
Professional indemnity insurance ensures your business can continue to operate despite having to cover legal costs.
Here are some situations where professional indemnity insurance could be applicable:
- You offer a professional service. If a small mistake in your work could cause your client grief then cover is essential e.g an architect who incorrectly develops a building plan.
- You consult or provide advice e.g. if your advice causes harm then you could be eligible to be sued.
- You treat people or even animals e.g. a veterinarian or a medical consultant.
Case studies for specific occupations
Some of the industries now prioritising professional indemnity insurance include financial advisers, lawyers, tradespeople, marriage celebrants, beauty therapists, engineers, personal trainers and graphic designers. Here are some real life examples of professional indemnity insurance claims:
Are you employed or a contractor?
Most Australian workers are covered under their employer’s liability cover, however any worker carrying out any consulting or contracting work must ensure that they have adequate and appropriate professional indemnity insurance in place.
All professionals should take the time to review the current cover they have in place and assess whether it is worth them taking out additional cover to ensure they are protected from claims against errors or omissions they have made in the provision of their professional activities.
Services that generally require professional indemnity insurance
As mentioned previously, anyone that provides advice or a service to another in an established discipline is a potential candidate for professional indemnity insurance. Some typical professions that will usually require professional indemnity insurance include:
Many professions work closely with Australian governing bodies to determine an appropriate level of professional indemnity cover that is required for their profession. Regulations around what types of insurance are mandatory for different industries can vary from state to state. It might be best to consult with your industry body to get a clear understanding of the specific types of cover you require.
When is Professional Indemnity Insurance compulsory in Australia?
What about these types of business activities?
Features of professional indemnity to understand
There are some important policy features that you should understand when it comes to professional indemnity
Professional indemnity is designed on what's known as a 'claims made' basis. This means the insurer who you were with at the time a claim is made is responsible for handling the claim. As opposed to the insurer you had at the time of the event occurring (unless you are using the same insurer). Here's a general idea of what it looks like
| 'Claims made' vs 'Claims occurring' | Policy type | When is the policy 'active'? | What's this mean? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claims made | Professional Indemnity Insurance | The day you become aware of a claim and give notice to the insurer. | If you switched insurers after the event occurs, but the claim is made under a new insurer then they must handle the claim. |
| Claims occurring | Public Liability Insurance | When the event that results in a loss occurs. | If you switch insurers after the event occurs, the old insurer is still responsible for handling the claim. |
This means that the insurer must work to settle the claim even if the event leading to the claim took place when the policyholder was insured under another policy. This ensures that workers that have changed employers are still covered for events that took place for service provided to previous clients.
Run off cover provides an extension of the policy cover after policyholder has stopped trading e.g. the business has been sold, foreclosure, a merger or the policyholder has retired.
How long should run off cover be taken out for?
This will vary between individuals and organisations. Government bodies can provide advice on an appropriate run off period based on the service provided. It is best to review the legislation on the profession to determine how long following the provision of the service that claims can be filed and legal proceedings commenced against a professional.
- Loss must be discovered by the insured during the period of insurance
- Insurer must be notified of loss within a specified period of time. This will be outlined in the policy disclosure statement
- Cover is not provided for losses that have occurred following the discovery by the insured of such conduct by the principal, director or employee or after the insured had reasonable grounds for suspicion of the act occurring
- Indirect or consequential loss is generally not covered. This may include liability to third parties, trading losses, investigation costs or damages of any kind
- Insured must be able to substantiate to the insurer any loss covered by this policy extension
- Each policy will have a sub-limit applied for liability payable to the insured in the event of a loss occurring
The different types of liability cover in Australia
3 tricky terms to also be aware of
- Unlimited Retroactive Date: The insurer will cover claims relating to acts, errors or omissions regardless of when they occurred.
- Specified Retroactive Date: Policy restricted to cover claims that arise from acts, errors or omissions that occur after the date outlined in your policy documents.
Some insurance brands limit the retroactive date to the time your business first took out professional indemnity cover but, ideally, you will typically hope for the retroactive date to not be any later than the date your business began offering services to customers. If you change to a different professional indemnity insurer, in most cases the retroactive date in place will be carried forward by the new insurer so that past work you have performed is still covered.
- Costs Inclusive: Includes defence costs in the maximum amount it will pay for a claim. So if your policy offers $3 million cover, costs inclusive, and if a claim is made against which requires you to pay a liability of $3 million to the claimant but also sees you incur legal defence costs of $300,000, your policy will only cover the $300,000 of legal costs plus $2.7 million of liability. That leaves you with $300,000 left to cover out of your own pocket.
- Costs Exclusive: Legal defence costs are covered in addition to the limit of indemnity, which means it could be a more desirable option for most businesses.
How much cover do I need?
Unfortunately there is no set answer for how much cover you should take out. Every business is different and there are different regulations in place for minimum cover required for certain professions. These requirements can also vary from state to state. Some other factors to consider that will impact what you pay for cover include:
- Clause of contract. Most contracts will specify a minimum amount of cover that the worker must have in place to carry out the project.
- Type of project and value. This is the correlation between the value and size of the project being undertaken and the workers exposure to claims for professional negligence
- Perceived exposures. Assessment of possible causes of loss, injury or damage that may lead to a claim being brought against you.
- Number of parties relying on advice. If the nature of the project means that advice will be passed onto more than one party, the worker may be liable for claims from other parties affected.
- Cost of defending a claim. Some policies will have an additional limit applied for the actual cost of defending a claim. Lengthy court cases can quickly run into the tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Willingness to carry risk. This requires the worker to assess how much of the risk they are willing to carry themselves with a lower policy limit or by transferring the risk to other parties.
- Cover for previous claims. Professional Indemnity Insurance is of a "Claims Made Basis" . This means that cover can apply for claims made against the worker for previous activities. With this in mind it's important to consider the potential value of claims in the future following inflation.
Determining an appropriate level of cover is no easy task. It's worth taking the time to speak with a financial adviser to help you assess the risks you are exposed to and what protection packages may be suitable.
Professional Indemnity vs Public Liability
| Comparison | Professional Indemnity | Public liability Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| What's covered |
|
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| Types of business it's designed for | Any business that provides professional advice to it's clients. | Any business that works with clients in public spaces. |
| More details |
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Can I get covered for both under one policy?
- Yes you can.
One of the main reasons that people often get confused between these different types of cover is because many policies will provide cover for public, product and professional liability under the single policy.
How will I know if I have combined cover?
This is usually outlined in the product cover features and exclusions though it can be difficult for applicants to know exactly what events they will be covered for. Many professional indemnity insurance policies will have exclusions in place for injury or damages to property and vice versa. As an example, a professional indemnity insurance policy may have the cover extension that provides cover for claims arising out of “Manufacturing, Loss or Faulty Workmanship” though this may recognise personal injury or damage to property as a loss.
What are the risks of a combined policy?
The risk is that many policyholders may actually be significantly underinsured from particular losses by relying on one umbrella policy to provide adequate cover for public, product and professional liability. It is worth speaking to an insurance consultant to help them find and tailor a policy closer to their needs.
Learn more about how these two types of cover are different
How do I compare professional indemnity insurance?
With so many different cover options available on the Australian Professional Indemnity Insurance market, it is crucial that any sole trader or business looking to take out cover take the necessary steps to compare different options to ensure they are receiving adequate cover at the right price.
- Default cover features: It is critical that anyone looking to take out cover closely review the cover features listed in the product disclosure statement to know exactly what liability they will be covered for. Refer to this section for an overview of typical cover options
- Policy extensions: Most policies will offer a number of additional cover options to applicants to ensure there is an adequate level of cover in place. Such extensions may include run off cover and fidelity insurance
- Limit of liability: Each insurer will clearly state the maximum compensation that will be paid for each claim within the product disclosure statement
- Policy exclusions: Each insurer will have its own set of exclusions for when a policy will not be paid. It is critical that these are reviewed closely when comparing policies to avoid any surprises in the event that a claim is made further down the track. It is not enough to just skim over these…the conditions for payment must be closely reviewed and understood
- Entities covered under the policy: Each policy will list the parties that will be covered under the policy. It is critical that any business owners looking to take out cover for employees and other entities related to their business that they have a clear understanding of whom exactly is covered for the provision of professional services
- Professional services provided in the past: It is vital to have a clear understanding of how your insurer deals with claims for work that you carried out with a previous employer or while covered under a previous policy. Many policies will not recognise claims that have been made outside of their retroactive date
- Cooling off period: Each provider will offer a cooling off period whereby you will have the option to cancel your cover if you feel it does not meet your needs. This is generally about 21 days
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Claim conditions: Insurance brands will have conditions in place for the payment of claims for different liability faced by the insured. Some key aspects of the insurers claims conditions to review include;
- Alteration to risk
- Assignment
- Authorisation
- Cancellation / Termination
- Changes to the policy
- Worldwide territorial / jurisdictional limits
Get a quote for professional indemnity
When is professional indemnity insurance compulsory in Australia?
Depending on your location and occupation, you might need to get professional indemnity cover before you can legally provide your services.
Certifications
Other times, it might not be mandatory, but will be required in order to develop your career. For example, you are required to hold professional indemnity insurance in order to become a Certified Practising Accountant in Australia.
Industry requirements
Meanwhile, other industries have professional indemnity insurance requirements all over Australia. For example, you cannot practice as a physiotherapist in Australia without professional indemnity insurance.
While care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the following information, it is not comprehensive and may be subject to changing legislation. Business insurance brokers or industry representatives may be able to help you find information for your situation and profession.
Real estate and stocks
In New South Wales, you must hold professional indemnity insurance if you have a license issued under the Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 2002.
This includes professions such as real estate agents, stock and station agents, business agents, strata and community managing agents, and on-site residential property managers.
Requirements
To meet the requirements, your mandatory professional indemnity insurance must have the following:
- Minimum amount of cover. A minimum of $1 million cover for any one claim and $3 million in aggregate for all claims made during a period of insurance.
- Liability cover. Cover for liability arising from negligence, unintentional misleading or deceptive conduct, breach of professional duty, defamation, interference with intellectual property rights, employee fraud or dishonesty.
- Cover for you and your employees. Cover for yourself and any applicable employees or agents
When am I exempt?
You are exempt from mandatory cover in the following situations:
- If you are a license holder who does not carry out professional activities under the license. For example, you may be currently unemployed, employed in a different industry or a trainer rather than a practising professional.
- For commercial property agency work in relation to any property exceeding $10 million in value
- For commercial property agency work carried out by a corporation on behalf of an affiliate that holds the required professional indemnity insurance.
Who else might require professional indemnity?
Other professions may also be required to hold professional indemnity insurance before commencing practice. For example, architects are required to hold an appropriate level of cover for the project they are undertaking and inform their clients of what level of cover they have.
Professional indemnity insurance may be required in certain areas, such as if you provide consultation or advice to clients on the following:
- Design work or architecture
- Financial planning
- Management of their businesses or interests
Professional indemnity insurance may also be required for a building industry consultant who wants to qualify for government contracts.
In Victoria, you may be required to hold mandatory professional indemnity insurance in the following situations:
- Your business operates in an area similar to the ones specified above.
- You are a healthcare practitioner.
- You are a lawyer or legal practitioner. There are a range of exemptions to this requirement, although you may be required to disclose your lack of insurance to prospective clients.
- You are an architect. You must provide evidence of your professional indemnity insurance annually. Cover must be automatically re-instating, must be at least $1 million and at least 20% of your cover must be for legal defence purposes.
Community organisations may be required to hold professional indemnity insurance. Some of these organisations may be eligible for cost-savings by accessing cover through a state program. Eligible organisations can include the following not-for-profit organizations:
- Health care centres, public hospitals, drug and alcohol facilities, hospice care centres, community health centres and others.
- Kindergartens, youth accommodation, family support, disability accommodation support, community housing, financial counselling and others. For-profit businesses that work in these fields may be covered for professional indemnity insurance through the same insurance programs.
Professional indemnity insurance, along with public and product liability insurance as well as directors’ and officers’ liability, is mandatory for some private businesses within these industries.
Professional indemnity insurance is mandatory when providing a range of services and in a range of different situations. These include the following:
- Construction work. Building indemnity insurance is mandatory for building contractors performing domestic construction work that costs more than $12,000 or requires council approval. This includes new buildings, renovations and extensions. Construction cannot legally commence on these projects until the contractors have the required building indemnity insurance.
- Healthcare services. Professionals providing healthcare services in SA may be required to hold at least $10 million of professional indemnity insurance and $10 million of public liability insurance in different situations, such as when they are external staff providing healthcare services in a hospital.
- Legal services. Legal practitioners in South Australia are generally required to either hold professional indemnity insurance or to seek a specific exemption from this requirement.
- Architectural services. Architects are required to hold at least $1 million of professional indemnity insurance.
Membership for some prominent industry organisations may require professional indemnity insurance, while other industries, such as health care, may also require it.
- Wider healthcare services. Public sector healthcare providers may be required to hold professional indemnity insurance, either through a state scheme or another insurer.
- Nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives. Registered nurses, nurse practitioners endorsed under national law and related education providers as well as employers of registered nurses and nurse practitioners are all required to hold professional indemnity insurance in addition to specific other forms of cover. It is illegal to practice nursing in the NT, including volunteer work or on behalf of any other organisation, without this type of insurance.
- Legal practitioners. Practicing certificates from the NT Law Society cannot be issued without proof of adequate professional indemnity insurance. You must get the insurance prior to commencing practice, and you cannot get it backdated.
Here's are some industries that require professional indemnity in the Australian Capital Territory:
- Architects are legally required to hold professional indemnity insurance before commencing practice in the ACT.
- Practising lawyers in the ACT are required to hold professional indemnity insurance (with a minimum of $1.5 million in cover) when holding an ACT Law Society practising certificate.
- Government professions and organisations hold professional indemnity insurance through existing programs.
Mandatory indemnity insurance in Tasmania:
- Building and construction. Working in these areas may require professional indemnity insurance in line with state government legislation.
- Engineering and design. Engineering and design professionals are required to hold professional indemnity insurance.
- Medical services. The Health and Community Service Union in Tasmania requires members to be covered by the organisation’s insurance policy, which means members, such as ambulance drivers, nurses, physical therapists, paramedics and others are required to hold professional indemnity insurance and malpractice cover of up to $10 million per claim, including Good Samaritan Acts Endorsement cover.
PI insurance is compulsory for architects. Architects are generally required to have at least $1 million in cover before being given a license to operate.
How do I make a claim?
In the event that a claim is made against the insured, it is their duty to inform the insurer as soon as possible. Notice is to be put in writing and sent to the insurer by courier, fax or certified mail. The insurer will recognise that notice has been received once their underwriting division has received the notice. Every letter, demand, writ, summons and legal process pertaining received by the insured related to the claim must also be forwarded across to the insurer. Most insurance brands will have claims form located on their website for the insured to complete. These will usually be comprised of the following sections:
- Details of the insured
- Policy details
- General information about the claimant or potential claimant
- Details of the insured’s retainer/contract
- Details of the claim or circumstance
- Details of the insured’s response
- List of relevant documents that have been attached to the claim form
- Insured’s declaration
How much does business insurance usually cost?
Hi Adam,
Thanks for leaving a question on finder.
As with most types of protective insurance, the cost for cover to be taken out can vary dramatically depending on the insured’s cover needs. In the case of professional indemnity insurance, this will depend on whether the policy is for a sole trader or for a business looking to provide cover for a significant number of employees. While sole traders may be able to get adequate cover for just a few hundred dollars, the cost of insuring a multinational company could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Key factors that impact what you pay include:
– Number of staff employed by company and annual turnover. Sole traders or companies with say 15 employees won’t require the same level of cover as large-scale organisation.
– Types of clients that company/professional services. Professionals that work on large-scale,. multi-million dollar projects will require a higher level of cover than smaller firms.
– Industry. The nature of the service provided and the level of risk for claims being made will impact how much is paid for cover.
Policy inclusions and exclusions. Obviously more comprehensive protection packages with increased levels of cover will cost more than more basic policies.
– The cost of professional indemnity insurance is largely based on the percentage of your companies total legal spend and the likelihood of the company being taken to court. The insurer that you go with and the policy that you choose will also play a major role in the final cost of cover.
To get a professional, personalized advice about business insurance, I suggest you fill out the form above to speak to an insurance broker.
Cheers,
Joel
Regarding aged care and disability services, are cheaper premium payments possible under professional indemnity insurance if regular employee training is provided to staff?
Hi Christina,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Usually, if regular employee training is provided to the staff there is a possibility of lowering the premiums. In order to confirm this, you may have to contact your insurer.
Hope this information helped.
Cheers,
Arnold
I am establishing an online business that sells parenting resources and ebooks. I don’t have any qualifications as such but have developed my resources based on experience. Do I need professional indemnity insurance and/or products liability insurance?
thanks
Hello Allie,
Thank you for your inquiry.
As of the moment, recommending which cover to take is within the scope of a licensed insurance broker. You can leave your details on the “Enquiry Now” form so that you will be interviewed and assessed to know which type of covers suits your needs.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
Can I cancel my policy if I wish at any time? And is there any cancellation fee prior to the termination date of a professional indemnity insurance?
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice. Generally, you are entitled to cancel your policy as soon as your insurer receives a written request from you to cancel the policy. Whether or not there is a cancellation fee will depend on your insurer, as there may be an administration fee applicable.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
If I have Professional Indemnity Insurance but I work for a company, and a claim is made against me, would my employer be liable to pay any damages/compensation? And if so, does my insurance extend to cover them or do they need to have their own insurance?
Hi Elle,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice.
It will depend on what the claim is for and what your policy covers. If you’d like to speak with an advisor about your options, please enter your contact details into the form at the top of the table and a broker will be in touch.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
need to know types of insurance to be taken out for businesses that will indemnify them and/or their employees
Hi Sally,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide personalised financial advice. However, if you would like to speak with an advisor about the specific needs of your company, please enter your details into the contact form above.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
I am an Australian business coach who will be providing virtual services to US & Canadian clients. I understand that most Australian professional indemnity policies will not cover actions brought in these jurisdictions. What are my options?
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide our users personalised financial advice. However, if you would like to speak to one of the advisors in our panel, enter your contact details into the contact form above and they will be in touch.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
I have extensive experience and post grad qualifications in counselling but have always worked within an agency. Having recently retired and relocated to a rural WA town where there are limited services, I see/hear a lot of distress so I wish to open a solo practitioner counselling service. Is there a difference (insurance wise)if I provide a free service or charge for services?
Hi Dellys,
Thanks for your question. Professional indemnity insurance protects you if you’re providing your customers with a service, in your case counselling. This applies even though you may have provided your services free of charge.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
I an a financial planner and have just resigned from the licensee. I was paying the annual PI Insurance by six monthly installments with two remaining. They are asking me to pay the full years amount. As I have only worked 121 days out of a possible 365 with the licensee, am I entitled to a refund on a pro rata basis or do I have to pay the outstanding amount?
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your question. Most policies don’t work a pro rata but you may want to contact your insurer for clarification. If you would like to speak with one of the insurance consultant in our panel about options available to you, please complete the contact form at the top of the page.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Does a professional relocation agent need professional indemnity insurance?
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your question. Any professionals that provide advice or a service should consider PI insurance. If you would like to speak with an insurance consultant, please fill out the quote form above and a broker will be in touch to provide you with a free personalised quote.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard