Business insurance guides
Independent, plain-English guides for business owners: what coverage you need, how much it costs, what’s legally required, and which insurers fit. Browse by industry, coverage, cost, or state.
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Insurance by industry
What your specific type of business needs, and who to buy from.
What accountants and bookkeepers need: professional liability (E&O), cyber and general liability — what each costs and the insurers worth comparing.
What insurance a brewery actually needs — general liability with product coverage, liquor liability for the taproom, a property/BOP program with equipment breakdown for the brewhouse, workers' comp, commercial auto for distribution, and cyber — plus the modern insurers worth comparing.
What insurance a caterer needs: general liability with product coverage, liquor liability, commercial auto, a BOP and workers' comp — and what each costs.
What insurance a coffee shop or cafe needs: general liability for burns and slips, a BOP for your equipment, workers' comp and cyber — and what it costs.
What insurance a daycare or childcare center needs — general liability, a BOP, workers' comp, professional liability, abuse and molestation coverage, cyber, and commercial auto — plus which modern insurers fit best in 2026.
What dog groomers need: general liability, a BOP, animal bailee cover for pets in your care, workers' comp and cyber — plus the best insurers to compare.
What insurance electricians need: general liability, workers' comp, tools and equipment, commercial auto and a BOP — what each costs and who to compare.
What event planners need: general liability, liquor liability, equipment cover and E&O — what each costs, and four insurers worth comparing.
What insurance a food truck needs: general liability with product coverage, commercial auto for the truck, a BOP and workers' comp — and what it costs.
What a gym or fitness studio needs: general liability, a BOP, workers' comp, professional liability and cyber — what each costs, and the best insurers.
What hair salons and barbershops need: general liability, a BOP, professional liability, workers' comp and cyber — what each costs and who to compare.
What insurance a handyman business needs: general liability, tools and equipment, commercial auto, workers' comp and a BOP — and what each costs.
What HVAC contractors need: general liability, workers' comp, commercial auto, tools and equipment, and a BOP — what each costs and who to compare.
What IT consultants need: professional liability (tech E&O), cyber and general liability — what each costs and the insurers worth comparing.
What cleaning businesses need: general liability, workers' comp, a janitorial bond, commercial auto and cyber — what each costs and who to compare.
What a marketing agency needs: professional liability (E&O), cyber and general liability — what each costs, and four insurers worth comparing.
What a medical practice needs: malpractice, general liability, a BOP, workers' comp and cyber for patient data — what each costs and who to compare.
What personal trainers need: professional liability, general liability, a BOP and cyber — what each costs, and the insurers worth comparing.
What photographers need: general liability, equipment coverage, E&O and cyber — what each costs, and four insurers worth comparing.
What a retail store needs: general liability, a BOP, workers' comp, cyber and commercial auto — what each costs and which insurers fit storefronts.
What a tech startup needs: general liability, cyber, tech E&O, workers' comp and management liability — what each costs, and the insurers built for founders.
What it costs by industry
How much insurance runs for your trade, with sourced figures.
Bookkeepers pay about $45/month and accountants or CPAs about $60/month for a BOP, per Insureon medians. What drives the cost and how to pay less.
Small caterers pay about $42/month for general liability or $81/month for a BOP (Insureon); an all-in package runs near $124/month. What drives the price.
Pet groomers pay a median of about $50/month for general liability or $80/month for a BOP, per Insureon. Costs by coverage, what drives them, and how to save.
A typical solo electrician pays about $42–$77/month for core liability coverage (Insureon, Simply Business, NEXT). Costs by coverage and how to lower yours.
Event planners pay a median of about $42/month (~$500/year) for a business owner's policy, per Insureon; most spend $500–$1,600/year all-in. Full breakdown.
A working food truck typically pays $150–$450/month all-in, and commercial auto is the biggest piece. Costs by coverage, what drives them, and how to pay less.
A small gym or fitness studio pays about $85–$90/month ($1,030–$1,085/year) for core coverage, per Insureon and MoneyGeek. Costs by coverage and how to save.
Hair salons pay a median of about $35/month for general liability or $70/month for a BOP, per Insureon. Costs by coverage, what drives them, and how to save.
Most solo and small handyman businesses pay about $40–$95/month for core liability, with a BOP median near $93/month (Insureon, Simply Business).
Most breweries pay roughly $5,000–$18,000/year all-in (about $420–$1,500/mo), per broker aggregator 1800Insurance — small/startup $5,000–$10,000, a mid-size taproom $8,000–$18,000+, and larger operations with distribution and events $15,000–$30,000+. No major carrier publishes a brewery-specific median, so every figure here is attributed and flagged as broker estimate or carrier-data proxy.
HVAC contractors pay a median of about $124/month for a BOP (Insureon). Add workers' comp and commercial auto and all-in costs run to thousands per year.
IT consultants pay a median of about $46/month for a BOP (Insureon); tech firms average about $77/month across six common lines (MoneyGeek). Full breakdown.
A cleaning business with 1–4 employees pays about $88/month (~$1,053/year) across six coverages, per MoneyGeek. Cost by coverage and how to lower it.
A small manufacturer pays about $126/month for a BOP and $154/month for workers' comp (Insureon), roughly $280/month together. What drives it and how to save.
Marketing and ad agencies pay about $33/month for general liability and $78/month for professional liability (Insureon); the all-in average is near $54/month.
Malpractice dominates a physician practice's bill at a $427/month median (Insureon); lower-risk offices start near $35–$80/month per policy line.
A solo personal trainer pays about $35–$60/month for core liability and about $59/month for a BOP (Insureon, NerdWallet). Monthly costs, drivers and savings.
Most solo photographers pay $29–$56/month for liability coverage: a $29 median (Insureon) and a $56 average (MoneyGeek). Costs by coverage, and how to save.
A retail store typically pays a median $95/month ($1,136/year) for a BOP, and about $42/month for general liability alone (Insureon). Costs by size and state.
Startups pay about $37/month for general liability, $110/month for tech E&O and $179/month for cyber (Insureon), plus ~$6,300/year for D&O once funded (Vouch).
Cost by coverage
Average cost of each coverage line for a small business.
A business owner's policy runs a median of about $57/month (~$684/year) for small businesses (Insureon via NerdWallet); most pay $55–$85/month.
Commercial auto insurance runs roughly $140–$250/month for a typical small-business vehicle; for-hire vehicles cost far more. Sourced 2026 averages and medians.
Commercial property insurance runs a median of about $108/month for US small businesses (Insureon), with most paying $30–$250/month. What drives the cost.
Small-business cyber insurance averages about $129/month (Insureon), or about $83/month for a $1M-limit policy (MoneyGeek). What drives it and how to pay less.
Professional liability (E&O) insurance costs a median of about $61/month ($730/year), per Insureon data reported by NerdWallet. Costs by occupation and state.
General liability insurance costs a median of about $45/month (~$500/year) for small businesses (Insureon). Costs by industry, business size and state.
Most small businesses pay about $45/month for general liability or $83/month for a BOP, per Insureon medians. What drives your price and how to lower it.
Workers' comp averages about $54/month ($643/year) for small businesses (Insureon); MoneyGeek benchmarks about $113/month per employee. Drivers and savings.
Requirements & decisions
What's legally required, and whether you actually need it.
Usually yes. No federal law requires it, but workers' comp is mandatory once you hire and commercial auto once you own vehicles. What you must carry, and why.
Usually not by law, but often yes in practice: licenses, federal contracts and client contracts can require it. Who needs E&O and what happens if you skip it.
Forming an LLC doesn't require insurance, but most LLCs must carry some by law or contract. The real triggers, the penalties, and how to get covered.
Not by law for most US small businesses, but contracts, leases, loans and licenses often make it mandatory. When you need general liability insurance.
Almost every state requires workers' comp once you have employees; Texas is the main exception. Triggers, exemptions and penalties, state by state.
Nearly every state requires workers' comp once you have employees; Texas lets you opt out. Thresholds, exemptions and penalties by state.
Looking for your state?
Requirements, auto minimums, and workers’ comp rules vary by state. Browse business insurance by state →