Insurance for Tax Preparers

General Liability Insurance: This policy covers third-party risks, including customer injuries and property damage.

• Importance: Protects against significant financial losses from lawsuits and medical expenses.
• Coverage: Medical expenses, legal fees, and settlements related to third-party injuries and property damage.
• Best For: Slip-and-fall accidents, damaged customer property, product liability.

Business Owner’s Policy (BOP): A BOP combines general liability, commercial property insurance and business interruption insurance. This is a cost-effective option for small to medium sized businesses.  

• Importance: Offers comprehensive coverage in a single policy, saving costs and simplifying management.
• Coverage: Combines general liability, property insurance and business interruption insurance to cover a wide range of risks.
• Best For: Bundled coverage for customer injuries, business property damage and business interruption.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance: If you have employees, this insurance is legally required. It covers medical costs and lost wages if an employee gets injured on the job.

• Importance: Provides essential financial support for injured employees, ensuring legal compliance.
• Coverage: Medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages due to workplace injuries.
• Best For: Employee medical costs, disability benefits, injury lawsuits.

Commercial Auto Insurance: Covers vehicles owned by your business, protecting against accidents, property damage, and theft.

• Importance: Essential for businesses that use vehicles for operational purposes, ensuring coverage for auto-related incidents.
• Coverage: Covers damages and medical costs from auto-related incidents.
• Best for: Property damage caused by your vehicle, liability coverage in an accident, repairs due to vandalism or weather.

Cyber Insurance: Protects your business from cyberattacks and data breaches. Essential for businesses handling credit card payments and personal information.

• Importance: Safeguards sensitive data and helps mitigate the impact of cyber incidents.
• Coverage: Client notification expenses, data breach investigations, fraud monitoring costs.
• Best for: Protection against cyber threats and data breaches.

Professional Liability Insurance: Also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O), this policy covers legal fees related to professional mistakes, such as accidental injuries or accusations of negligence.

• Importance: Shields against claims of negligence and professional errors that could lead to lawsuits.
• Coverage: Legal costs, settlements, and defense against claims of professional negligence or mistakes.
• Best For: Accidental injuries, negligence accusations, professional mistakes.

Depending on your business needs, consider these additional coverages:

• Commercial Umbrella Insurance: Provides additional liability coverage beyond standard policies.
• Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI): Protects against claims of employment-related issues such as harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination.
• Employee Dishonesty Insurance: Covers losses due to theft or fraud by employees. This coverage is essential for protecting businesses from internal threats.
• Home-Based Business Insurance: Extends homeowners insurance to cover business-related risks. This insurance is important for individuals running businesses from their homes.
• Hired and Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) Insurance: Covers vehicles used for business purposes that are not owned by the business.