You just got licensed, went out on your own, or landed a client who wants a certificate of insurance before you start. Errors & omissions — also called professional liability — covers claims that you made a mistake in your professional work. Here's what it actually is, minus the jargon.
Takes about a minute. A licensed broker follows up.
Short version: if a client says your work cost them money, E&O is the policy that responds. It pays to defend you and, if it comes to it, to settle — up to your limit and subject to your policy's terms.
Most people don't buy E&O because they're worried — they buy it because someone required it. A brokerage you're joining, a client's contract, a franchise agreement, or a carrier appointment will often ask for proof of coverage before you can start work. If someone sent you here with a required limit, send us that language and we'll quote to it.3
You don't need a big firm or a long client list. Most of the people we write are one to five years into their career and carrying their first policy.
Often required by your brokerage. Disclosure disputes are the most common claim.
Usually required by carrier appointments and FMO contracts before you can write business.
Filing errors and missed deadlines follow the work for years.
Once clients start sending contracts, an insurance requirement is usually in them.
Often paired with cyber coverage, since you're usually touching client data too.
Campaign and deliverable disputes, plus content and media exposure.
E&O policies use four terms that decide whether a policy is worth what you paid. Learn these and you can compare quotes on your own.
Not when you did the work. If you cancel the policy and a client complains six months later about last year's project, there's generally no coverage. This is why people keep E&O in force continuously once they start.2
Usually the day your first policy started. Work before that date generally isn't covered. When you switch carriers later, keep this original date — it's worth more than saving a few dollars on premium.
On many policies, legal fees come out of the same limit that would pay a settlement. On others, defense is paid on top of it. Ask which one you're being quoted; it matters more than most people realize.1
If you leave the field, sell the business, or drop the policy, tail coverage lets you still report claims about past work. It's a separate purchase and you usually have a short window to elect it, so ask before you cancel anything.
The single most common way people lose E&O coverage is waiting too long to report. Specific procedures vary by carrier and are in your policy.
An angry client, a demand letter, a board complaint — or you catch your own mistake. You don't have to wait for a lawsuit. Under most policies, a situation that could turn into a claim is worth reporting.
Report it to the carrier in writing, right away, while the policy is still active. Don't admit fault and don't try to settle it yourself first — both can create problems with coverage.2
The carrier typically assigns a lawyer and handles the claim under your policy, paying covered defense costs and any covered settlement up to your limit, after your deductible.1
E&O is often the first thing you're asked for, but not the only thing you'll need. If you hire anyone, rent space, or drive for work, other coverages come into play. Ask about anything below and we'll quote it alongside your E&O — no obligation to take any of it.
It depends on what you do, how much you make, the limit you pick, and the carrier. A solo consultant just starting out and an established firm are priced very differently, and quotes for the same person can vary a lot between carriers. Anyone advertising a flat price hasn't underwritten you yet. Send us the quote request and we'll bring real numbers.
Often it's a contract or a brokerage requiring it rather than a law. Requirements vary by profession, by contract, and sometimes by licensing board. If someone handed you a requirement, send us the exact wording and we'll quote to it. If it turns out you don't need coverage yet, we'll say so — we'd rather you come back when you do.3
Usually whatever your contract or brokerage requires, at minimum. If nobody's told you a number, we'll talk through the size of the projects you handle and what a bad outcome would realistically cost a client. Higher limits generally cost less per dollar of coverage than people expect.
It matters for pricing, not for whether you can get covered. Many carriers rate on revenue, so a smaller side business generally prices lower. Tell us honestly what you're doing and how much you're bringing in — accuracy on the application protects your coverage later.
Tell us before you apply. Anything you already know about is generally excluded from a new policy, and applications ask about it directly. Answering inaccurately can void your coverage entirely. If something's brewing, it changes where we can place you — much easier to handle now than after a claim.
No. General liability is for physical things — someone trips in your office, you damage a client's property. E&O is for financial harm from your professional work. GL policies typically exclude professional services, which is exactly the gap E&O fills. Plenty of people end up needing both.
The carrier pays us a commission when a policy is issued. You pay the same premium whether you buy through us or go direct, and the commission is disclosed on your application before you sign.4
For straightforward professions with no claims history, quotes often come back same-day or next-day and a certificate of insurance can usually follow shortly after the policy is bound. Timing depends on the carrier and how quickly the application is completed.
No obligation, no pressure, no jargon. If this is your first business policy, we'll walk you through what you're signing before you sign it.