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Insurance for small to medium businesses

A complete business insurance solution tailored to fit small and medium businesses. Right here. Under one policy.

What is business insurance?

Regardless of what kind of business you run, you’ll most likely need some form of business insurance to help protect yourself, your clients and your income when things go wrong.

Business insurance can help cover:

  • Your premises and assets – cover for material loss, damage, glass breakage, theft, machinery and electronic equipment
  • Your clients – public and product liability insurance cover for keeping your customers safe when on your premises or using your products and services
  • Your advice and reputation – professional indemnity cover for specialist advice (eg assessments, valuations)
  • Your commercial vehicle or fleet – business vehicle insurance
  • Your goods when you transport them
  • Your income when an event (natural or otherwise) stops you from operating your business
  • Yourself and your employees – staying safe with personal injury cover.

Cover we can arrange

Material loss or damage

If a fire or storm damages your premises, this can help cover loss of or damage to your business assets – like buildings, contents and stock. Flood cover is typically excluded from standard products.

Glass

Does your business have physical premises? This can help cover the costs of replacing internal or external glass – such as a window with an advertising sign that is accidentally broken or damaged.

Theft

Theft may be calculated or petty. No matter the circumstance, it’s always a blow. This can help cover the loss of your contents and stock due to theft at your premises.

Machinery breakdown

Even the most well-maintained equipment sometimes becomes faulty. This can help cover the mechanical breakdown of machinery equipment at your premises – like air-conditioning units and refrigeration equipment.

Business interruption

Business interruption insurance can help cover loss of income and increased costs of operating due to an insured event. An ‘event’ refers to property loss or property damage.

Electronic equipment

In today’s world, every business relies on technology. This can help cover the breakdown of electronic equipment at your premises – such as computers, photocopiers, POS – to keep your business humming.

Portable contents

Every industry relies on portable business tools, be they laptops or wrenches. This can help cover loss or damage to portable contents – otherwise known as general property – both on and away from your premises.

Tax audit

Sorting out your taxes? This can help cover accountants’ fees in connection with an audit of your business conducted by an authorised authority – such as the Australian Taxation Office.

Money

Does your business need physical cash on hand for cash transactions? It may be a necessity, but it can be a risk. This can help keep your business’s money safe while it’s on your premises or in transit.

Why use a broker?

Choosing business insurance means navigating through products, coverages and policy terminology – with a sales pitch as your only guide. An experienced broker will spot your unique set of risks, match you to the right choice, and advocate for you on price.

Why Marsh?

Why should you choose Marsh to arrange your insurance solutions?

Trusted by 130 associations

We are proud to be the endorsed insurance broker for more than 130 Australian industry groups and member associations, developing insurance solutions that help meet the risk and insurance needs of businesses across a variety of industries.

Local expertise

Our Australia-wide network of brokers have spent years at the coalface supporting business owners manage their unique risks in a fast-changing market. They keep ahead of the latest market insights both local and global and break down the jargon into your language.

Claims support

Handling an insurance claim can quickly become overwhelming, not least when your time is stretched to the limit keeping your business going in the backdrop. We help take the load off and manage, negotiate and settle claims with insurers on your behalf.

Award-winning experts

Marsh is a recognised industry leader, winning Large Broking Company of the Year numerous times at the Australian Insurance Industry Awards.

Tailored advice

Our experts understand your business’s unique risks. They can help you find the most comprehensive cover that’s right for your business.

Making it easy for SMEs

Our brokers will do the leg work to help you find the cover you need to run your business or secure the lease for your small or medium business.

Related insurance solutions

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Professional indemnity cover

Protect your business against claims of misleading advice, breach of duty and negligence with professional indemnity cover.

Public liability cover

Protect your business against third-party accidents and costly legal fees. Let us arrange the right cover for your needs.


Management liability cover

Protect your business – and your team – against management and operational risks with management liability cover.

 

Allied health insurance

Arranging cover options for more than 700 allied health modalities, we’re here to support the vitality of your health service.

Retail insurance

Whether you’re online or in-store, let Marsh service your insurance needs – so you can stay focused on your customers.

Event insurance

Let Marsh cater to your industry’s unique insurance needs – so you can keep your focus on the celebrations.

Frequently asked questions

The insurance you will need or should consider for your business will depend on a few different factors – for example, the nature of your business, the services you provide, the assets you have, the risks associated with running your business, and the regulatory requirements of your industry or sector.

Some of the key risk insurance program options for businesses to consider include material loss or damage to property, glass breakage, theft, machinery breakdown, business interruption, electronic equipment, portable contents, tax audit, and money cover.

When it comes down to it, there’s no one-size-fits-all business package that suits all types of businesses – it’s all about finding the options that adequately cover the risks in your business suit you. So before you sign for a business insurance policy, make sure you first seek advice from a broker who understands your business and its risks.

Business insurance can be a valuable tool to help provide financial protection for your business against various risks and liabilities. However, because all businesses are different, it’s not as simple as just purchasing a policy and being done with it. There are a number of steps involved in making sure your business policy is fit for purpose:

  1. Assess your risk before you sign up for anything: This involves identifying potential hazards and the like likelihood and severity of risk events. Understanding the specific needs of your industry and operations as they evolve overtime is critical.
  2. Choosing cover that’s right for you: This can be trickier than what you may think because policy wording – the terms and conditions, exclusions and inclusions – is often technical and complicated. However, you should base your decision on your risk assessment and the requirements of your business and industry.
  3. Purchasing an insurance policy and managing cash-flow: In doing so you may need to weigh up the costs of different insurance solutions against the type of cover you get. Depending on the cost, you may wish to secure insurance premium funding to pay monthly instalments rather than a lump sum.
  4. Renewals: When it comes to renewing your insurance policy, you should start reviewing your policy and requirements well ahead of the policy renewal date – especially if you’re working with a broker, so as to give them ample time to find the best cover at the best price, 3 months ahead is bet practice.
  5. Claims process: In the event that you need to make a claim with your insurance provider, you’ll need to notify the insurance company at the time of the event, providing documentation and evidence of the loss or liability. Your insurer will assess the claim and determine how much you will be compensated. Broking companies – like Marsh – typically provide claims services to businesses requiring support.

While having an ABN (Australian Business Number) doesn’t mean you must have insurance, you should consider it if you have risks to manage – it will all depend on the nature of your business, the risks involved, and any legal requirements.

Even as a small business or sole trader, the claims made against you can be costly. If you don’t have the funds to cover expenses such as legal costs, compensation, and replacing lost or stolen goods, then you should consider purchasing some form of business insurance. Of course, you will need to assess which type of insurance is right for you.

A sole trader can range from someone running their own pet sitting business to a management consultant for large corporations. Find out if Marsh can arrange insurance for your profession or occupation on our Business listing page.

Business insurance is an integral part of doing business. Without the right protection, you risk losing everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve to one event – be it a storm, fire or burglary.

The most common business package policies include:

  • Property insurance (including business interruption insurance) 

  • Glass insurance 

  • Theft insurance 

  • Money insurance 

  • Public liability insurance 

  • Product liability insurance.

Many insurers offer other cover, such as machinery breakdown and electronic equipment.

The important thing to remember is this: we can tailor your business insurance package to your needs.

Most likely. Your operating licence should state whether you need public and product liability insurance.

Your suppliers and any third parties you do business with may require you to provide evidence of this insurance as part of various processes.

Those processes might be lease agreements, tender processes for contracts, or even credit line negotiations.

The cost of your business insurance depends on a few factors. These can include the:

  • Size of your business

  • Size of your workforce

  • Type of business activities you carry out 

  • Property you want to insure 

  • Location you operate from.

Your insurer will also consider your fire and security protections, plus any claims history if you’ve had insurance before.

You can also obtain quotes that have a higher excess amount. This can provide some premium savings.

Discuss all these factors in-depth with your Marsh advisor.

There are various exclusions under each section of the policy. It’s important to familiarise yourself with these and ask your Marsh advisor questions.

No. Workers compensation is not included.

When it comes to purchasing business insurance, there’s no one-size-fits-all. In fact, there are as many different types of business insurance cover options as there are businesses. Whether your operation is large or small, whether you work with a team or on your own, whether you work out of a commercial premises or work from home – every business needs business insurance, but not every business needs the same business insurance products or coverage.

There’s a lot to consider, which is why it’s important to seek professional advice from an expert business insurance specialist who can work with you to arrange the right cover, quickly and easily – so you can rest assured that you’re not going to pay more than you have to for your insurance cover.

LCPA 23/099

Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 31 081 358 303, AFSL 238369) (“Marsh”) arranges the general insurance (i.e. not the Discretionary Trust Arrangement) and is not the insurer. This page contains general information and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. For full details of the terms, conditions and limitations of the covers, refer to the specific policy wordings and/or Product Disclosure Statements available from Marsh on request. Marsh makes no representation or warranty concerning the application of policy wordings or the financial condition or solvency of insurers or re-insurers. Marsh makes no assurances regarding the availability, cost, or terms of insurance coverage. Any statements concerning actuarial, tax, accounting, or legal matters are based solely on our experience as insurance brokers and risk consultants and are not to be relied upon as actuarial, accounting, tax, or legal advice, for which you should consult your own professional advisors. The Discretionary Trust Arrangement is issued by the Trustee, JLT Group Services Pty Ltd (ABN 26 004 485 214, AFSL 417964) (“JGS”). Any advice or dealing in relation to the Discretionary Trust Arrangement is provided by JLT Risk Solutions Pty Ltd (ABN 69 009 098 864, AFSL 226 827) (“JLT”). JGS and JLT are businesses of Marsh McLennan. The cover provided by the Discretionary Trust Arrangement is subject to the Trustee’s discretion and/or the relevant policy terms, conditions and exclusions.