Professional indemnity: how much cover do you need?

Choose a level of cover based on your biggest likely claim. Many agencies require £1 million; work on high-value contracts may need more.

Typical levels

£500,000 suits most general translation work. £1 million is the usual minimum for agencies and public-sector contracts. Legal, medical and financial specialists often choose £2 million.

Claims-made cover

Most policies only cover claims made while the policy is in force, so keep cover going for a few years after you stop working, or buy run-off cover.

Good to know

• Save copies of quotes, invoices and client emails for at least 6 years for HMRC.
• The members' forum has an active business board where colleagues share experiences of agencies and clients.
• Members can book a free 30-minute call with one of our partner accountants each year.

Downloads

• Late payment letters (Word, 37 KB)
• Starting out as a freelancer (PDF, 520 KB)

Page last reviewed 27 December 2025