Business Insurance Cost: What You Can Expect To Pay

How Much Does Business Insurance Cost?

Business insurance is a blanket term for the multiple types of insurance a business needs to protect its employees and its assets. Therefore, the total cost depends on the types of insurance policies you choose or bundle together. 

What can you expect to pay per year? The median cost for each of these common types of business insurance on a monthly basis is approximately:

• Workers’ Compensation costs $68 a month or around $816 a year for a liability insurance policy.
• General Liability Insurance costs $46 a month or $552 a year.
• Professional Liability Insurance costs $42 or around $504 a year.
• A Business Owners Policy is an average cost of $62 a month or $74 per year.

Median liability insurance costs are used versus average costs. Why? Because averages take into account outliers that may be far more expensive or incredibly cheap. The median cost gives you a more accurate picture of what the cost of a liability policy may be. Please note that these are just estimated costs—the final liability insurance costs for your small business insurance is always determined by the details of your business. For example, a business with hundreds of employees will pay more for a workers’ compensation premium than a small business with a handful of employees.

Key Factors That Affect Your Business Insurance Costs

So what are the factors that impact your small business insurance cost? The cost of business insurance varies depending on your industry/profession, how many employees you hire, how much liability coverage you desire, past claims, and more.

• Your Profession: The more risk of injury your profession entails, the higher insurance costs you’ll pay. For example, the owner of an auto garage has a far higher risk of third party or employee bodily injury than the owner of a grocery store. So the average cost of their general liability policy will be higher.
• Number of Employees: As mentioned earlier, the number of employees on your payroll impacts the small business insurance cost. You can expect to pay more per year the more employees you hire. Did you know there’s a way to calculate a projected workers’ comp rate? The calculation looks like this: Workers’ Classification Code Rate x Experience Modification Number x (Payroll/$100) = Insurance Premium
• Coverage Needs: The coverage limits and deductibles you choose for your insurance policy will impact the overall premium of your business insurance policy. An aggregate limit of $2 million will cost more than a limit of $1 million. Likewise, choosing a lower deductible of $500 will come with a higher premium and you will pay less for a $1,000 deductible.

Miscellaneous factors that also impact the cost of small business insurance:

• Goods and services sold: If your business sells food, customers are at risk of illness, which may increase the average cost of general liability insurance.
• Your property and its age: An older property is at an increased risk of property damage and will likely cost more to insure.
• The equipment you use: Does your business use heavy machinery? What about expensive equipment? This will impact your general liability insurance cost as well as the premiums for workers' compensation insurance.
• The location of your business: If your business is in a high-crime area or perhaps in a wildfire zone, you're at increased risk and will likely pay a higher premium for commercial property coverage.
• The classification of your business (LLC, Corporation, etc.): A sole-proprietor may be at higher risk for bankruptcy than a partnership.
• Business Size: Larger businesses, in terms of revenue and assets, tend to face higher premiums due to increased exposure to risk.
• Your previous claims history: If your small business has an extensive claims history, this will increase the cost of your business liability insurance.

How Can You Save Money On Business Insurance?

Insurance for a business doesn't have to break the bank. But small businesses often find themselves overpaying for general liability insurance, commercial auto insurance, and other policies. What are some ways small business owners can save money and pay less for commercial insurance? How do you get low-cost insurance? Here are a few ideas:

1. Take a deep look at your insurance policy(s) with an agent to determine if you’ve got the proper policy limits. If you’re paying for a policy with higher aggregate limits than necessary, it can inflate how much you're paying.
2. Your agent can also help you determine if there is an overlap in coverage between policies or if you’re paying for insurance that isn’t necessary for your small business.
3. If your business can afford to pay a higher deductible in the case of a covered loss, this can reduce your monthly premiums. 
4. You can sometimes reduce workers' compensation premiums by implementing safety programs, risk management procedures, and training for your employees. 
5. Consider bundling separate insurance policies (such as general liability insurance and commercial property insurance) under a business owners policy. It can often reduce costs and many insurance companies offer a customized business owners policy to suit your needs.
6. Find out if your commercial auto insurance offers safe driving discounts. Conduct background checks and obtain driving histories on employees. An employee with a poor history can increase your rates significantly. 

DO NOT cut corners in an effort to reduce your montly costs. You want to be sure your small business has ample coverage to protect you in case of a disaster. The last thing you need is to be underinsured. 

Did You Know Your Credit Report Impacts Your Insurance Rates?

Many business owners are totally unaware that their business insurance rate is affected by their credit report.

Statistics show that people who have high credit scores file fewer claims than those with low credit scores and that they are less likely to have traffic accidents and traffic violations. Additionally, and more intuitively, much of the history provided in a credit report can be indicative of whether a specific business will pay its business insurance premiums on time or at all.

For that reason, federal law allows an insurance company to look at items from your credit report. Business insurance companies do not have to notify you that they are utilizing your credit report, so most of the time, you won't even realize it.

How Your Credit Score Is Used to Determine Policy Coverage

Insurance companies may take into account the areas of your credit report which apply to the insurance industry. Some of the items your business insurance company will look at in this regard are:

• The number of credit cards your business has
• Outstanding loans or any debt your company has
• Whether or not you pay your monthly bills on time
• Whether or not any of your bills have gone to collections
• The length of your businesses credit history

NOTE: It is against the law for an insurance company to deny insurance coverage based on a lack of credit history. 

So what can’t an insurance company use to determine business insurance coverage and rates? They are NOT allowed to look at: 

• Your available credit limit
• The number of credit inquiries
• Type of credit history 
• Who issues the credit/debit cards

Review your credit report from time to time to be sure that the information provided there is correct. A business credit report can be corrected or updated if it contains errors. 

Let us help you protect your business with business insurance and keep your mind at ease. At Tivly, our goal is to help you find protection for your business as efficiently as possible by matching you with the right insurance provider. Simply give us a call at 877-907-5267 or complete the form above and one of our specialists will contact you right away.

Reviewed By: Andrea McKinney, MBA, Licensed Agent

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