Errors and Omissions Insurance FAQs

An E&O policy defends you and your employees from wrongful acts, which means any actual or alleged breach of duty, negligent act, error, omission or personal injury committed by you in the performance of your professional services. It excludes malicious or intentional acts, and other restrictions are outlined in the restrictions clause of the contract. The definitions portion of the contract should give you a clear idea of what is covered. Defense costs are covered up to the policy's specified limit. Also, any special or specific types of coverage are outlined in the declaration section to give you further clarification. For example, this could be marketing consulting services if your specific industry is marketing, or it could be IT consulting services if your specialty is information technology.

Not all E&O policies cover work that was performed prior to the policy's effective date, and some may not cover temporary employees. If these issues are applicable to you, inquire about them before choosing a policy. As with other types of insurance, those who have a history of E&O claims may be subject to higher premium costs.

As a rule, if you are a professional who provides a service to a client, E&O insurance is beneficial even if laws or licensing boards do not require it. E&O insurance is useful whenever you or your employees provide a service that a client could claim is inadequate or tied to negligence.

For example, if you are a real estate agent, you may find yourself facing a lawsuit if a homeowner finds defects in their new property after closing. This homeowner may allege you did not disclose the defects and try to collect based on the diminished value of the home.

To illustrate another example, imagine that you are hired as a branding consultant to help revive a struggling company. If the innovative techniques that you employ are not enough to keep the business open, the company’s owner may try to blame you and file a lawsuit.

No matter how baseless both claims are, they can tie you up in legal fees –something that can be avoided with the purchase of an E&O insurance policy. 

Even if you already own a Business Owners Policy, you are not protected from lawsuit-related costs. E&O insurance is necessary for proper protection against professional liability claims.

• Architects
• Accountants
• Consultants
• Insurance Agents
• Home Health Aides
• Nutritionists/Dieticians
• Occupational Therapists
• Psychologists
• Social Workers
• Therapists

With E&O insurance, you can strengthen your company's reputation by demonstrating that you are well-prepared and risk-averse. E&O insurance also shows that you have high standards and hold your workers to them as well. In addition, it shows that you realize the potential for human errors and care enough about your company to protect it in the event of a mistake. Although many professionals never have to file an E&O claim, having the policy provides valuable peace of mind.

Hiscox offers E&O insurance for many industries in addition to commercial general liability and Business Owners Policies. If there is a possibility of your company being accused of performing poor work or being negligent, you can request a quick E&O premium quote by selecting your profession and state here or speaking to one of our knowledgeable representatives.