Customer help |
Your questions answered
For information about your business insurance before you buy or when you're covered, we're here to help.
Save 10% on your business insurance when you buy online – get a business insurance quote
Read more
You can get useful information in seconds by looking at our frequently asked questions. Whether you need a helping hand finding your way around your AXA Account or want to know more about business insurance policies or procedures, we're sure you'll quickly find the answer you're looking for here. Help yourself…
-
I'm starting a new business – what business insurance do I need?
It all depends on what your business will do.
Firstly, if you have any employees, you are legally required to have employers' liability insurance.
If you come into contact with people and their possessions, either in your own premises or elsewhere, public liability insurance covers you in case your business activities cause accidental damage or injury to a third party.
If you provide a service or offer advice to clients, professional indemnity insurance covers your business in case a claim for negligence is made against your work.
Many new business owners also think about insuring their business equipment or own tools, and taking personal accident cover in case an injury stops them from working.
If you work from home, you should check whether your home insurance covers any business activity or equipment. And if you drive your car in connection with your work, you should also make sure your car insurance includes business use. Specialist commercial property insurance and commercial vehicle insurance is available for businesses too.
These are just some of the main types of business insurance available. There are many more ways to protect your business, such as cover in case your workplace, stock or equipment is damaged; cover in case anything you make or sell doesn't work properly or causes damage or injury; cover in case you can't work because of illness or damage to your workplace… the list goes on.
We understand there's a lot to think about, but we hope this very quick overview gives you some good ideas about the insurance that's right for you.
Not sure what business insurance you need? Use the AXA Business Insurance Wizard
Get a business insurance quote
For information on setting up and successfully running your own business, you will also be able to look at our small business guides.
-
How can I work out what my business income will be?
When you get a quote you'll need to let us know, as accurately as possible, how much you expect your business to earn in its current financial year (or in your first year of trading if you are a new start-up).
It is important that the figure that you indicate is your expected gross business income before any deductions, such as tax, wages, rent, purchases, dividends, expenses, etc.
If you are already trading, it is useful to take a look at your figures from previous years and see how your current year compares. Based on your past work, your current earnings and any contracts you already have for this financial year, you should be able to give us an acceptable forecast for your turnover.
If you're insuring a new start-up, your business income for your first year's trading should be based on your business plans and should take into account the clients or contracts which you have already, and how much income you expect them to generate.
Get a business insurance quote online
Not sure what business insurance you need? Use the AXA Business Insurance Wizard
-
What should I do if I can't find a suitable description for my business when I get a business insurance quote?
If your job title or business type is not shown in the A to Z menu, it's a good idea to look in the categories which show a number of occupations from the same industry.
There may not be an exact word-for-word match for how you describe your business, but one of those listed may be close enough to what you do.
The profession you choose is the starting point. We'll ask you a number of questions to understand your business in more detail to provide the business insurance you require.
But if you can't see a suitable occupation to describe your business, or you're not sure which one to choose when you get a quote online, we're happy for you to call us to talk things through.
Get a business insurance quote
Not sure what business insurance you need? Use the AXA Business Insurance Wizard
-
Do I need to have any information in front of me when I get a quote?
Most of the questions we'll ask you when you get a quote can simply be answered based on what your business has done and expects to do in future.
It may be useful for you to have numbers to hand, such as the date you started trading and your turnover from the last financial year. We ask you to be as accurate as possible when telling us your previous and expected business income.
If you arrange employers' liability insurance, you'll need to let us know your Employer Reference Number (ERN), which is also known as an Employer PAYE Reference. It's easiest to do this online when you get a quote, or you can send it to us in writing after setting up your employers' liability insurance.
Get a business insurance quote
Not sure what business insurance you need? Use the AXA Business Insurance Wizard
-
What cover level should I choose for my business?
When you get a business insurance quote with AXA you can select a cover level you feel is right for your business. You may find some of the information below useful but ultimately the cover level you choose is your decision.
Professional indemnity insurance
- We will pay up to the cover level you choose for any number of separate breach of professional duty claims made against you during the policy period.
- A professional body or a client may have rules on the cover level you need, so this should be your minimum requirement.
- We will pay the costs of defending a claim against your business on top of the cover level you choose.
- If a claim against you is successful, it is likely the legal costs of the person making the claim against you will need to be paid, as well as any compensation.
- Some professional bodies specify a minimum of at least 2 ½ times the annual turnover of the business to be insured.
- For reassurance you may wish to select as high a cover level as you can afford.
- If the cover level you choose is lower than the amount required to settle a claim, you or your business will be liable to pay the difference.
Public liability insurance
- We will pay up to the cover level you choose for any number of events which result in one or more public liability claims being made against you during the policy period.
- If a number of claims are made relating to the same event, the cover level is the maximum we will pay in total to settle all the claims.
- A client may insist you have a certain cover level before they will allow you to work for them.
- If a claim against you is successful, it is likely the legal costs of the person making the claim against you will need to be paid, as well as any compensation.
- For reassurance you may wish to select as high a cover level as you can afford.
- If the cover level you choose is lower than the amount required to settle a claim, you or your business will be liable to pay the difference.
Employers' liability insurance
- £10 million is the only cover level available with AXA employers' liability insurance.
- This is double the minimum cover level required by law for businesses with employees.
Get a business insurance quote
Not sure what business insurance you need? Use the AXA Business Insurance Wizard
Do you have another question? Search the full list of business insurance answers
Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Try using just one key word – such as claim or change or employee for example. You could also type in single words like what, why or how to bring up a list of questions. If you still can't find an answer you can tweet us or email our help team. We aim to get back to you within 24 hours, although we usually respond a lot sooner.*
*We will respond during office hours, which are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Watch more
See some of your questions answered in our business insurance video guides. We know that sometimes it helps to have things explained face to face. These quick videos help make business insurance as easy to understand as possible – it's like having your own insurance expert online at any time.
Learn more
AXA has a range of small business guides providing useful information on risk management. If you're a start up, insurance guides and case studies on how businesses like yours have become successful could be invaluable. Even if you're a well-established small business, insurance information and handy hints can always come in useful from time to time.
Not sure what you need?
AXA. Your business insurance
Professional
indemnity insurance
Up to £5 million cover for your business in case a claim is made against your work. It’s protection and peace of mind if you provide advice or services to clients.
Public
liability insurance
Up to £10 million legal liability cover in case a claim for accidental injury or property damage is made against your business by a third party.
Employers’
liability insurance
Legally required if you employ people. AXA gives you £10 million legal liability cover and great peace of mind.
Some insurers are only interested in getting business insurance premiums. We're not one of them. We value our status as one of the world's leading names in financial protection and risk management. So if that means that businesses like yours can benefit from our experience, we're happy to help.
AXA Business Insurance Wizard – the easy way to choose your business insurance
If you're not sure what company insurance you need, the exclusive AXA Business Insurance Wizard offers handy hints about how each cover option can protect your business. Insurance for your business really can be this straightforward.
If you're a start up, insurance may not be something you've thought about yet. Just a minute using the AXA Business Insurance Wizard and you can find out what businesses like yours select, and can understand how AXA could protect you.
Even if you're an established company, insurance hints and tips are always helpful. The AXA Business Insurance Wizard could add to your business insurance know-how in no time at all.
Info you can watch online
Our quick video guides help explain things you may need to know about business insurance in bite-size chunks. From professional indemnity insurance ‘retro cover' to whether you need employers' liability insurance, from tips for choosing the cover level that's right for you to how public liability insurance protects your company, insurance information has never been so easy to understand before.
And with many ways to get your business insurance questions answered – including Twitter, email and regularly updated frequently asked questions – AXA business insurance customers can rely on expert support at the click of a button.
Info you can save and print
Our downloadable fact packs have been designed to give sole traders and small businesses practical guidance to identifying and managing risks. They could help to cut the number of claims made against businesses like yours. And by helping to minimise the risks faced by your company, insurance costs could be reduced too.
We understand that if you're a start up, insurance is just one of the many things you need to think about. Even if you're a well-established small business, insurance information and handy hints can always come in useful from time to time. You can find this, and more, in expert small business guides, only with AXA.
