Get a commercial insurance quote

What you need to get commercial insurance quotes

Most of a quote comes down to five things, and having them ready is the difference between a three minute form and a week of back and forth.

• •What the business actually does day to day. Not the industry label, the work. A contractor who only does interior painting and one who reroofs houses are priced differently.
• •Annual gross receipts. Total revenue before expenses. New businesses give a reasonable estimate; carriers expect that and it does not disqualify you.
• •Employee and subcontractor counts. Payroll drives workers compensation, and whether your subs carry their own coverage changes your general liability.
• •Claims in the last five years. Carriers pull loss runs anyway, so disclosing up front avoids a re-quote later.
• •Any contract requirements. If a general contractor or venue is demanding one million per occurrence with them named as additional insured, that requirement shapes the whole quote.

What actually gets quoted

“Commercial insurance” is a category, not a policy. A typical small business quote covers some mix of these.

• •General liability. Third party bodily injury and property damage. The foundation, and the coverage most contracts require.
• •Business owners policy (BOP). General liability and property bundled, usually cheaper than buying them separately. Available to most small businesses under a size threshold.
• •Commercial property. The building if you own it, plus equipment, inventory, and tenant improvements if you lease.
• •Workers compensation. Required in most states once you have employees. Rated on payroll and class code.
• •Commercial auto. Vehicles owned or used by the business. A personal auto policy generally excludes business use.
• •Professional liability (Errors and Omissions). For businesses selling advice or a service rather than a product.
• •Cyber liability. If you store customer data, take payments, or run on cloud software.

Why two similar businesses get different quotes

Rating is more granular than most people expect. The same trade, in the same city, with the same revenue, can land at different premiums because of these.

• •State. Regulation, litigation climate, and required minimums vary widely.
• •Class code. How the carrier categorizes the work, which is often more specific than the business name suggests.
• •Prior losses. Frequency matters more than severity. Three small claims often look worse than one large one.
• •Subcontractor use. Uninsured subs are one of the most common reasons a general liability quote gets surcharged or declined.
• •Years in business. New ventures have no loss history to price against.

How long it takes

Straightforward risks in a carrier's appetite can quote in minutes. Anything that needs a human underwriter, elder care, gaming, anything with a heavy claims history, runs longer because a person reads the submission rather than a rating engine pricing it.

The form above routes you to whichever path fits. If your business and state are eligible for a real time quote, you can often bind and get a certificate the same day.