How to Get Handyman Business Insurance

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NerdWallet Small Business helps you get the right coverage based on partnerships with more than 20 national carriers. Get quality customer service and guidance through our partner, Turbo.
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NerdWallet Small Business helps you get realtime quotes from 30+ insurers, and instant access to your Certificate of Insurance (COI) through our partner, Coverdash.
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1. Evaluate your risks
- Accidents that cause injury to someone.
- Damage to someone’s property.
- Theft of or damage to tools and equipment.
- Accidents or damage to business vehicles.
2. Decide which types of insurance you need
General liability insurance for handyman businesses
- Bodily injury: Third-party injuries that occur as a result of your business operations. If a client trips and falls over your tool box, this policy would help pay for any associated medical, legal or settlement costs.
- Property damage: Damage to the property of a third-party caused by your business. If you’re installing curtains in a client’s window and accidentally shatter the glass, your general liability policy would help cover the costs to replace it.
- Personal or advertising injury: Claims of libel, slander or copyright infringement made against your business. If you create marketing materials for your business, unknowingly using a trademarked phrase, and the owner of the trademark sues, this insurance would cover associated legal and settlement costs.
Additional handyman insurance options
Type of insurance | What it covers |
Employee medical expenses for illness and injuries sustained while on the job. Most states require employers to have workers' compensation for their employees. If your employee falls off a ladder while hanging a painting on the wall, their medical expenses would be covered by workers’ comp. | |
Vehicles used for business purposes. Covers accident-related costs that result from injuries or property damage. If you’re delivering materials to a job site and accidentally sideswipe another car, this policy would cover damage to the vehicle and any injuries the driver sustains. | |
Damage to business assets, equipment and inventory caused by certain hazards, accidents or weather events. Commercial property insurance would cover the cost to replace tools and supplies if they were destroyed by an electrical fire in your workshop. | |
Tools and equipment insurance | Repair and replacement of stolen, damaged, broken or vandalized tools and equipment. Can cover equipment on the job, stored in a workshop or in your vehicle. If your truck is broken into while parked at a client’s house and your tools are stolen, this policy can help cover the costs to replace them. |
Claims against your business for errors or oversights, professional negligence, breach of contract or failure to deliver a service on time. If you recommend and install a series of light fixtures for a client and the client later sues you, claiming the fixtures led to a drop in customers, your professional liability insurance would cover associated legal or settlement costs. |

NerdWallet Small Business helps you get the right coverage based on partnerships with more than 20 national carriers. Get quality customer service and guidance through our partner, Turbo.
via Turbo

NerdWallet Small Business helps you get realtime quotes from 30+ insurers, and instant access to your Certificate of Insurance (COI) through our partner, Coverdash.
via Coverdash
3. Shop for coverage
Contact insurance providers directly
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Use an online marketplace
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Work with a broker
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4. Choose a provider
- Coverage: What is covered under the policies the provider offers? What isn’t covered? Are there add-ons available that may be useful to your handyman business?
- Liability limits: What is the maximum loss that the provider will cover under the policy? For example, Thimble offers two policy options for general liability insurance for handyman businesses. You can choose a $1 million or a $2 million liability limit, based on your needs and level of risk.
- Cost: How much will the policy cost? Is there a deductible? If so, how much is it? Can you save money by bundling multiple policies into a BOP?
- Customer experience: What is the process to file a claim or make a payment? Is customer service readily available? Can you easily get a certificate of liability insurance or add an additional insured to your policy?
- Reviews: Is the insurance provider well-reviewed? What have other businesses reported about their experience with the provider? You can check the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website to see how many complaints have been filed against providers.