Before we get you the answers on how much business insurance policies cost, think about how much it would cost if you didn’t have insurance.

There are business insurance benefits that far outweigh the costs. And the cost factors vary by the types of business insurance you need.

Let’s detail the types and average small business insurance costs.

How Much is Business Insurance

Choosing the right type of insurance policy is an important part of the process. Start by making a list of your risk exposure.

Do clients often visit your place of business? Does most of your business take place online? Do you operate out of your home? Do you need to insure vehicles? Do you have employees?

Every business situation is different. Let’s look at the basics:

Professional Liability Insurance Cost

Professional liability insurance is also called Errors and Omissions. This type of small business insurance is needed by owners who offer professional services, such as accountants, dieticians, financial advisors, lawyers, and more.

Average monthly cost: $50

General Liability Insurance Cost

You need general liability insurance if you have products. Someone could get injured by your product, or your product could cause personal or property damage. The cost for general liability may vary according to the policy limits for how much coverage you require.

Your general liability insurance also covers you if a client or customer suffers a personal injury at your place of business during normal business operations.

Average monthly cost: $50

Workers Compensation Insurance Cost

If you have employees, worker’s compensation insurance is a legally required business insurance policy no matter what your number of employees, one or 50. It’s a small business insurance cost that can’t be avoided. If you have employees, they could have workplace injuries. Workers Comp insurance will cover you if an employee suffers bodily injury and has claims related to medical costs.

Average monthly cost: $78 a month, or $900 per employee.

Commercial Property Insurance Cost

People operating a business from home often overlook commercial property insurance. Most basic homeowner’s insurance policies don’t cover the cost of specific business equipment you have in the home, such as computers, software, and production equipment.

If you own or lease a location for your business, commercial property insurance will cover you for business equipment, as well as stored inventory/products. Coverage also includes physical damage to the actual building. Costs vary widely depending on the type of business. For example, insurance rates for a specialty paint maker will be different than the average cost of an annual premium for a clothing manufacturer.

In addition to working with hazardous materials (such as flammable paints and glues), there are other factors that would determine whether or not your business has a higher risk of operations.

Average monthly cost: $100 to $2,000.

Business Owners Policy BOP

With a business owner’s policy, you can combine general liability insurance, professional liability insurance, and commercial property insurance. Increasingly, an insurance company may combine more coverage by allowing you to add cyber liability insurance to provide more comprehensive coverage.

The typical price of a BOP is less than the total of the policies if taken individually from an insurance provider.

Average monthly cost: $300 to $3,500

Cyber Liability Insurance Cost

If you’re a small business owner who’s conducting any aspect of your business electronically, you need this type of insurance. If you have a data breach, you could expose customer information – such as payment info, addresses and phone numbers, etc. – to the web.

Cyber liability coverage includes the cost to recover data and restore your system. It will also help you pay for legal costs if you are sued for a data breach.

Average monthly cost: $145

Umbrella Insurance Cost

In addition to a BOP, an insurance company may offer a CPO, or Commercial Property Owner’s policy. Small business owners who have a fleet choose this type.

The CPO will include Commerical Property Insurance but also allow you to “umbrella” commercial auto insurance. Many factors affect how much the annual premium will be – such as the number of vehicles, use of the vehicles, and size of the vehicles (for example, van or tractor-trailer).

Average cost: $1,000 to $3,000 annually per $1 million valuation; smaller businesses can expect to pay about $700 annually.

Commercial Auto Insurance Cost

Are you using your personal vehicle for your business? In other words, is the family mini-van being used to deliver candles or cupcakes, etc?

You should be keeping track of your mileage, as a business expense. You’ll need to determine how much of your annual mileage is personal, and how much is commercial, to determine whether or not you need a commercial auto policy.

If you don’t have commercial auto and you have an accident that’s business-related, you may have some explaining to do.

Average monthly cost: $140, depending on the type of vehicle.

Disability Insurance

Often overlooked, getting disability insurance may be one of the wisest financial decisions you’ll make. Some of your business costs will be covered should you become injured or sick. This is important insurance for someone who may be likely to be seriously injured on the job, such as contractors, landscapers, etc.

The annual cost is typically about 4% of your income.

Hazard Insurance

This is another insurance that’s frequently overlooked. Often commercial property policies (as well as homeowner’s policies) don’t include coverage for natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Also, commercial property insurance may not include the outside of your business, such as signage and landscaping. Hazard Insurance picks up that slack.

Average monthly cost: $60-$200

Factors Affecting Small Business Insurance Cost

Here are factors that affect small businesses’ insurance costs:

Business Assets
Number of Employees
Claims History
Professional Services Offered
Geography/Location
Number of Years in Business
Type of Business
Need for Vehicle Insurance
Home-based or physical location
Types of coverages needed

How to Reduce the Cost of Small Business Insurance Premiums

Many business owners have become savvy about ways to save money on business insurance coverages. And that leads us to our first tip on how to reduce cost.

Seek expert advice from other small business owners
Group policies under one umbrella
Take steps to minimize risk
Save by adding safety measures such as alarm systems and updated software.

Choosing the Right Insurance Company for Your Business

Although many insurance providers offer free estimates, your time isn’t free. It’s likely that you could literally spend hours researching different insurance companies.

Try to whittle down your search by:

Listing the types of business insurance coverage you need.
Networking with other small business owners.
Working with an independent insurance agent or insurance company with small business insurance experience, who can wade through the choices and report back to you.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, “How Much Does Business Insurance Cost?” was first published on Small Business Trends