Protection for your expertise and advice

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional Liability Insurance — also called Errors & Omissions (E&O) — covers claims that your professional services or advice caused a client financial harm through a mistake, oversight, negligence, or failure to deliver. Unlike general liability, which covers physical injury and property damage, E&O covers the work itself.

Who needs Professional Liability (E&O)?

Consultants and advisors of all types
Accountants, bookkeepers, and tax preparers
IT professionals and software developers
Marketing agencies and designers
Real estate agents and brokers
Insurance agents and financial advisors
Architects and engineers
Healthcare professionals

What's covered

Professional Negligence

Claims that you failed to use reasonable care or skill in providing your services, resulting in client losses.

Errors and Omissions

Mistakes in your work or forgetting to do something you should have done. For example, a tax preparer missing a deduction.

Misrepresentation

Claims that you provided inaccurate information or advice that led to financial harm.

Breach of Contract

Allegations that you failed to deliver services as promised in your contract.

Defense Costs

Legal fees to defend against claims, even frivolous ones. Often the most valuable part of the policy.

What's not covered

Intentional wrongdoing or fraud
Criminal acts
Bodily injury or property damage (covered by General Liability)
Employment practices claims
Prior known incidents before policy start
Contractual guarantees of results

Examples by industry

Health & Beauty

A skincare treatment you recommend causes a bad reaction; professional liability covers the claim that your service caused harm.

Food & Restaurants

A nutrition consultant's meal plan is blamed for a client's health issue; professional liability covers the negligence claim.

Cleaning & Maintenance

A client claims your maintenance oversight led to costly damage; professional liability responds to the service-failure claim.

Professional Services

Your accounting error causes a client a tax penalty; professional liability (E&O) covers the resulting claim.

Retail & E-commerce

An e-commerce consultant's strategy is blamed for lost sales; professional liability covers the alleged advice error.

Transportation

A logistics planner's routing mistake causes a client major delays and losses; professional liability responds.

Technology

Your software has a bug that causes a client to lose data; professional liability (E&O) covers their damages.

Home Services

A home inspector misses a major defect the buyer later discovers; professional liability covers the claim.

Creative & Media

A designer misses a contracted deadline, costing the client a launch; professional liability covers the dispute.

Real Estate

An agent is accused of failing to disclose a property defect; professional liability covers the claim.

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Part of the Knack guide

Learn Professional Liability (E&O) alongside every other coverage in our full guide.

Open in the full guide

Related coverages

Often purchased together

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