Best General Liability Insurance for Freelancers (2026)
This guide is general information, not insurance advice. Coverage, prices, and availability vary by state, profession, and insurer — read the policy and confirm details with a licensed agent before you buy.
Short answer: for most freelancers, the best general liability insurance is a $1 million / $2 million policy from ERGO NEXT (year-round, instant certificate) or Thimble (if you only work occasional jobs), and it typically costs $20–$50 a month. Hiscox, The Hartford, and biBERK are worth a comparison quote. But before you buy anything, know this: general liability does not cover your driving, your own gear, or mistakes in your work — and for a lot of gig workers, that means it’s the wrong policy entirely.
Building insurance into your prices? Run the numbers in our free Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator.
What general liability insurance actually covers
General liability (often called “GL” or “business liability”) pays when someone else — a client, a customer, a passerby — claims your work hurt them or damaged their stuff. It covers three main things:
- Bodily injury to other people. A client trips over your lighting cable at a photo shoot and breaks a wrist.
- Damage to other people’s property. You knock a client’s laptop off a desk, or your ladder scrapes a homeowner’s wall.
- Advertising injury. Someone claims your marketing copied their content or defamed them.
It also pays your legal defense, even if the claim turns out to be bogus. That’s the part people underestimate — a lawyer can cost thousands before anyone decides who was at fault.
What it does NOT cover (the myth that costs gig workers)
The most common mistake we see: a rideshare or delivery driver buys a general liability policy thinking they’re now “covered for work.” They aren’t. Nearly every GL policy excludes accidents involving a vehicle you drive. If you drive for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or Instacart, read Do Uber & DoorDash Drivers Need Rideshare Insurance? instead — that’s the coverage gap that actually matters for you.
General liability also won’t pay for:
- Mistakes in your professional work — a missed deadline, a bad design, an error that costs a client money. That’s professional liability (also called errors & omissions, or E&O).
- Your own equipment — your camera, laptop, or tools. That’s business equipment or property coverage.
- Your own injuries — that’s health insurance (see Health Insurance Options for Gig Workers) or, if you have employees, workers’ comp.
For the full map of which policy covers which risk, see our Business Insurance for Independent Contractors guide. This post focuses on one question: if you need general liability, where should you buy it?
Do you even need general liability insurance?
No law requires a solo freelancer to carry it. In practice, you probably need it if any of these are true:
- A client contract requires it. Corporate clients, property managers, venues, and government agencies often won’t sign until you send a certificate of insurance (COI). Check your contracts — our guide on what to include in a freelance contract explains the insurance clause.
- You work in person at clients’ homes or businesses. Handypeople, cleaners, photographers, personal trainers, tutors, and TaskRabbit-style workers face real injury and property-damage risk.
- You sell at markets, fairs, or events. Most organizers require proof of GL before you can set up a booth.
You can probably skip it (or prioritize professional liability instead) if you work 100% remotely on a laptop — writing, coding, design, bookkeeping — and no client asks for it. Your bigger risk is a client claiming your work cost them money, which GL doesn’t cover.
And an LLC doesn’t replace insurance. An LLC can help keep business debts away from your personal assets, but it won’t pay a $40,000 injury claim — your business still owes it. See Do Gig Workers Need an LLC? for what an LLC does and doesn’t protect.
How much general liability insurance costs in 2026
Solo freelancers pay less than the typical small business because there’s no storefront and usually no employees. Insurance marketplace data for independent contractors puts the average around $29 a month (about $344 a year), with roughly 9 in 10 paying under $50 a month. Across all small businesses, the typical figure is closer to $42 a month.
What moves your price:
- Your trade. A consultant and a handyperson can buy the identical $1M policy and pay wildly different prices — physical, on-site work costs more.
- Your limits. The standard is $1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate. Dropping to $500,000 is cheaper but may fail a client’s contract requirement.
- Your revenue and state.
- Your claims history.
- How you pay. Paying annually instead of monthly often saves a few percent.
Advertised “starting at” prices are floors, not quotes. Most people pay more than the headline number. Get two or three real quotes for your exact trade.
Worked example: what it really costs after taxes
Maria is a freelance event photographer in the 22% tax bracket. Her GL quote is $35 a month = $420 a year.
Business insurance is a deductible business expense on Schedule C, so it lowers both her income tax and her self-employment tax:
- Federal income tax saved: about $92 (22% of $420)
- Self-employment tax saved: about $53 (15.3% on 92.35% of $420, net of the smaller half-SE-tax deduction)
- Total tax savings: roughly $145
Maria’s real cost is about $275 a year — around $23 a month — for $1 million of protection. (See more write-offs in Gig Worker Tax Deductions: The 2026 Write-Off List, or check your SE tax in our Self-Employment Tax Calculator.)
The best general liability insurance for freelancers: 5 picks
| Insurer | Best for | Advertised GL starting price* | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERGO NEXT | Most year-round freelancers | ~$19/month | Instant online quote + certificate |
| Thimble | Occasional or per-job work | ~$17/month (hourly/daily available) | Buy coverage by the hour, day, or month |
| Hiscox | Consultants and office-based pros | ~$30/month | Strong professional liability to pair with GL |
| The Hartford | Growing into a bigger business | Quote-based | Easy bundling into a business owner’s policy |
| biBERK | Price shoppers wanting a big-name backer | ~$27/month | Sold direct by Berkshire Hathaway |
*Advertised minimums as of October 2026. Your real quote depends on trade, state, limits, and revenue.
ERGO NEXT — best for most year-round freelancers
NEXT Insurance rebranded as ERGO NEXT in January 2026 after joining the ERGO group (part of Munich Re). It’s built for solo businesses: quote and buy online in minutes, download your certificate of insurance instantly, and add clients as “additional insureds” yourself from the app. It writes policies for well over a thousand professions and offers a discount when you bundle GL with professional liability. If you work steadily and clients regularly ask for a COI, this is the easiest place to start.
Thimble — best for occasional or per-job work
Thimble lets you buy general liability by the hour, day, or month — rare among online insurers. If you do a handful of weekend events or one-off jobs a year, paying only for those days can beat a full-year policy. Thimble is an agency (owned by Arch Insurance), with policies underwritten by A-rated carriers. Watch the math: a few daily policies can add up to more than a month of coverage, so if you work more than about a week a month, a monthly plan is usually cheaper.
Hiscox — best for consultants and office-based pros
Hiscox specializes in small professional-services businesses. Its GL starts around $30 a month, but the real reason to quote it is professional liability (E&O) — if a client contract requires both GL and E&O, Hiscox is strong at pairing them, and it offers a discount for buying two policies. It’s not usually the cheapest for GL alone.
The Hartford — best if you’re growing
The Hartford is a 200-year-old carrier with top financial-strength ratings and frequently ranks as one of the cheapest GL options in independent price studies. It shines when you need more than GL — for example, a business owner’s policy (GL + equipment/property), commercial auto, or workers’ comp once you hire help. Expect a more traditional quote process than the app-first options.
biBERK — best for price shoppers who want a big name
biBERK is Berkshire Hathaway’s direct-to-consumer business insurer. Selling direct (no agent commission) keeps prices competitive, and the financial backing is about as strong as it gets. Its website is less polished than NEXT or Thimble, but it’s worth one comparison quote.
Our pick: Quote ERGO NEXT first if you work year-round, or Thimble if your jobs are occasional. Then get one comparison quote from Hiscox, The Hartford, or biBERK. Fifteen minutes of comparing can easily save $100+ a year for the same coverage.
How to buy general liability insurance (step by step)
1. Check what your clients require
Look at your contracts (or ask) for the required limits (usually $1M / $2M), and whether they need to be named as an additional insured or want a waiver of subrogation. Buying the wrong limits means buying twice.
2. Gather your basics
Your business name (or your own name, if you’re a sole proprietor), ZIP code, a plain description of what you do, estimated yearly revenue, and whether you have employees.
3. Get two or three quotes for the same coverage
Use identical limits and deductibles so you’re comparing apples to apples. Pick the most specific profession on each insurer’s list — “photographer,” not “consultant” — because a wrong category can lead to a denied claim.
4. Read the exclusions before you pay
Look specifically for vehicle exclusions, any exclusion for your type of work, and whether equipment coverage is included or extra.
5. Buy, then send your certificate
Most online insurers email your certificate of insurance right after you pay. Send it to the client, save a copy, and set a calendar reminder a month before renewal — renewal prices can jump, so re-shop every year.
6. Track it as a business expense
Log the premium in your bookkeeping so it lands on your Schedule C at tax time. Our guide on how to track business expenses shows simple ways to do it.
FAQ
What is the best general liability insurance for freelancers?
For most freelancers, ERGO NEXT is the easiest year-round choice: fast online quotes and an instant certificate of insurance. Thimble is better if you work occasional jobs, since it sells coverage by the hour, day, or month. Get one comparison quote from Hiscox, The Hartford, or biBERK before buying.
How much does general liability insurance cost for a freelancer?
Most solo freelancers pay about $20 to $50 a month for a standard $1 million / $2 million policy, with independent contractors averaging around $29 a month. On-site trades like handywork cost more than desk-based work. Because premiums are tax-deductible, your real after-tax cost is often a third lower.
Does general liability insurance cover me while driving for Uber or DoorDash?
No. General liability policies almost always exclude accidents involving vehicles you drive. Rideshare and delivery drivers need a rideshare endorsement or commercial auto coverage instead. Read our rideshare insurance guide to see where Uber and DoorDash’s own coverage leaves gaps.
What’s the difference between general liability and professional liability?
General liability covers physical harm: injuries to other people and damage to their property. Professional liability (errors and omissions) covers financial harm from your work — a mistake, missed deadline, or bad advice that costs a client money. Remote, desk-based freelancers often need professional liability more than general liability.
Is general liability insurance tax-deductible for freelancers?
Yes. Business insurance premiums are an ordinary business expense you deduct on Schedule C. That lowers both your income tax and your self-employment tax. In the 22% bracket, a $420-a-year policy saves roughly $145 in federal taxes. See our 2026 write-off list for other deductions.
