General Liability Insurance for Small Businesses
Affordable General Liability coverage for third-party injuries, property damage, and active job site risks. Get insured and protected today, for as low as $20.75/month.*
Over 1 million customers worldwide.
Buy instantly online.
Written by
What is General Liability Insurance?
Business insurance generally includes several types of policies designed to protect your business from financial losses due to accidents, lawsuits, property damage, and more.
How much is general liability insurance?
The cost of general liability insurance varies by industry and is determined by a number of factors including business size, industry, location, and claims history.
From
$20.75
/month*
What does general liability insurance cover?
General liability insurance can help cover:
- Third-party accidents
- Bodily injuries
- Third-party property damage
- Legal defense costs
Who needs general liability insurance?
Any business, regardless of size or industry, can benefit from general liability insurance.
We recommend at least general liability insurance for any type of small business owner, including sole proprietors, LLCs, home-based businesses, independent contractors, freelancers, and more.
Simply Business gives you access to top insurance carriers.
What Does General Liability Insurance Cover?
General liability (GL) insurance for small businesses can help cover the costs of claims, medical bills, legal expenses, and more — which can run into tens of thousands of dollars.
If you interact with clients in any way, we typically recommend having a general liability insurance policy. This business insurance also can typically help cover your employee or employees if they cause damage. However, it doesn’t cover injuries to your employees.
Third-party property damage
General liability policies can help cover expenses if you accidentally break, damage, or destroy a client’s personal property, though it typically excludes items that are in your care, custody, or control.
Third-party injuries
A GL policy can help cover claims and legal expenses if you’re sued as a result of your business’s advertising, marketing, or social media activities.
Personal & advertising injury
General liability policies can help cover costs in the event your business is obligated to pay damages for libel, slander, and other personal and advertising injuries.
Legal defense cost
General liability can cover legal defense costs for covered claims, including attorney’s fees, court costs, witness fees, and settlements or judgments up to policy limits.
What’s Not Covered by General Liability Insurance?
A general liability policy won’t help with these occurrences:
- Auto liability
- Expected or intentional injury or damage
- Damage to your own property
- Damage to a customer’s personal property stored in your care, custody, and control
- Professional services
- Workers’ compensation or injury to your employees
- Damage to your work
What Some Customers are Paying for General Liability2
California
Electrician
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Occurrence limit: $1M
- Aggregate limit: $2M
- Deductible: $0
- Quoted May 2026
$67
/month
Texas
Lawn care services
- Sole proprietorship
- Occurrence limit: $1M
- Aggregate limit: $2M
- Deductible: $0
- Quoted May 2026
$47
/month
Ohio
Handyperson
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Occurrence limit: $1M
- Aggregate limit: $2M
- Deductible: $0
- Quoted May 2026
$116
/month
2These examples are real insurance quotes generated on the dates above. They are for illustration purposes only. Your coverage options and pricing may differ based on the information you provide us about your particular business, the state you operate in, the number of employees, and other factors.
Who Needs General Liability Insurance?
Sole proprietors, partnerships, LLCs, and more. General liability is a coverage we recommend for just about any business.
Handyperson From $41.67/month*
Lawn care services From $29.17/month*
Housekeeping From $20.83/month*
General contractorFrom $68.75/month*
E-commerce & online retailers From $21.58/month*
What Other Types of Insurance Do I Need?
Business insurance usually refers to one or more coverages suited to your type of small business. Here are the foundational insurance policies we most often recommend, and how they can help protect your small business:
Workers’ CompFrom $38.91/month*
Professional LiabilityFrom $25.83/month*
Business Owner’s Policy From $33.75/month*
Inland MarineFrom $20.83/month*
Business Personal PropertyFrom $25.83/month*
Errors & OmissionsFrom $33.75/month*
How to Get General Liability Insurance Online
Start your quote
Answer a few questions about your business in one form.
Review quotes
Compare quotes side by side from top-rated insurers and customize your coverage.
Get protected in minutes
Choose your policy, and get instant proof of insurance – all online, and all within 10 minutes.
General Liability in Practice: Customer Q&As
Coverage can vary by policy. Whether it applies depends on the specific circumstances of the occurrence and your policy’s terms, conditions, and exclusions. Talk to your agent to review.
Does general liability provide coverage if I am sealing driveways?
General liability (GL) can help protect you from common risks of sealing driveways. It covers third-party bodily injury and property damage — like if a customer trips over your equipment or overspray damages their garage door.
GL typically won’t provide coverage for:
- Work vehicles: Commercial auto insurance covers that.
- Tools and equipment: Contractor’s equipment and small tools insurance — also known as inland marine insurance — covers that.
Does general liability cover cleaning for AirBnb?
Yes, we offer General Liability coverage for cleaning businesses — including housekeeping, maid, and janitorial services. A couple of things to keep in mind: If cleaning is your primary business, select housekeeping, maid, or janitorial services as your trade or profession. If you’re cleaning short-term rental properties, like Airbnb or Vrbo, just make sure to indicate you’re doing “commercial work” on your application.
Does general liability cover assembly?
If your business assembles furniture or similar items, then general liability insurance can help protect you. If that’s your main service, select house furnishings Installation as your trade or profession when you apply.
Answers to More General Liability Insurance Questions
General liability insurance generally offers financial protection from claims involving third-party property damage and injuries (e.g., to customers), as well as accidents.
Professional liability insurance can often cover claims involving unintentional negligence or mistakes that you or an employee may have made while performing your work.
Learn more about the differences between general liability and professional liability.
General liability cost is largely determined by the type of work you do, the types of risks you’re exposed to, and the amount of coverage you choose.
Some other factors can include where your business is located, how many years of experience you have, and your annual revenue.
We can help find the coverages and prices for your business in just 10 minutes.
General liability insurance is usually tax-deductible since the IRS considers your policy payments to be a business expense. Keep track of all the payments you make for your policy, which will be important when you file your taxes early next year.
Keep in mind that you should always seek out the advice of an accountant or tax professional when filing your business taxes. That will make it certain your general liability policy payments will be counted as deductibles.
To file an insurance claim, contact your insurance company as soon as possible, and have the following items ready:
- Date, time, and location of the incident; brief description; parties involved.
- Photos or videos, receipts, and correspondence.
- Any formal documentation of the incident.
- This could include police reports, estimated damages, proof of loss and value, or medical cost.
We recommend general liability insurance for home-based businesses, as standard homeowners’ or renters’ policies typically won’t cover business-related liabilities.
As your business grows, your current policy may not automatically cover new risks, making it crucial for you to update your coverage. Growth factors like hiring employees, buying equipment, or expanding services often require updating your policy to ensure you remain fully protected.
Small business insurance is what we do. Whether it’s covering you for accidents and mistakes, meeting workers’ comp requirements, or protecting your tools and equipment, we can help find the coverage you need for your carpenter business.
We provide customized coverage options and quotes from top-rated small business insurers — all in just 10 minutes. More than 1 million small business owners worldwide trust us with their insurance, and we consistently earn high customer ratings and reviews.
We have more general liability FAQs here.
State Business Insurance Guides
Find out what’s required in the state or states where you operate:
Written by
*The displayed price for each product is a monthly estimate calculated from the 10th percentile of relevant policies sold by Simply Business (e.g., General Liability data is used for General Liability estimates). This estimate uses data from relevant policy sales between July–December 2025. Final price and payment terms, which may include an initial down payment, are subject to change based on your state, selected insurance provider, and specific business details.
Page last updated: