The Hartford is the best insurance company for independent contractors, based on Investopedia’s research into 16 insurers. An independent contractor or freelancer is anyone hired to do a specific job for a person or company, but isn't an employee. Because of that, they need to get their own business insurance to cover business liabilities. Our list of the best business insurance for independent contractors considers 31 data points for each company, including customer complaints, coverage limits, digital features, and financial strength.
Best Independent Contractor Insurance Companies of 2025
- Best Overall, Most Coverage Options: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: The Hartford
- Best Customer Service Record: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Travelers
- Best for Temporary Coverage, Best Digital Experience: Thimble
- Best for Handy Workers: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Huckleberry
- Also Great for Coverage Options: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Nationwide
Best Overall, Most Coverage Options : The Hartford
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The Hartford
- Customer complaints: More than expected for company size
- General liability coverage limit: $4 million
The Hartford provides a strong suite of insurance for independent contractors with the✃ highest liability limits in Investopedia’s review.
Tied for most coverage types in Inves🧸topedia’s review
Covers home-based businesses
Highest general and professional liability limits
More complaintꦗs than expected for l🥃iability coverage
No live customer service chat
The Hartford provides several protections for independent contractors, including general and professional liabili🐓ty insur♛ance, cyber liability insurance, and business interruption insurance. The Hartford’s coverage for home-based businesses may appeal to freelancers with home offices.
You can get up to $4 million in general liability coverage and $5 million in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:professional liability coverage, the highest limits among the insurers I🍨nvestopedia reviewed. These coverage limits are a significant advantage for independent contractors, as they provide strong financial protection against expensive lawsuits from work-related accidents or professional negligence claims.
澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Liability insurance protects against claims from injuries or dam𝔉age to other people’s pro𝐆perty. It pays for legal costs and settlements when the insured is lawfully responsible.
The Hartford’s general liability coverage includes protections that may be especially important for 1099 contractors. These protections include coverage for costs arising from accidental damage to someone’s property, lawsuits related to reputation harm (like slander or li♓bel), and malicious prosecution. They also shield against legal costs from advertising injury, such as unintentional copyright infringement.
However, The Hartford has more customer complaints for its liability coverage than expected for a company of its size. Numerouꦛs complaints can indicate issues with claim processing or customer service. Also, the company does not offer live customer service chat.
Th👍e Hartford was founded in 1810 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.
Best Customer Service Record : Travelers
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- Customer complaints: Fewer than expected for company size
- General liability coverage limit: Not disclosed
Travelers has an excellent�💛� customer complaint record. The company is financially strong and offers a wide array of contractor coverage options.
Few customer complaints about liability coverage
Financially strong
Wide selection of coverage options
No online quotes
Travelers stands out for its strong customer complaint record and financial stability. For independent contractors, this 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:financial strength suggests Trav🌊el෴ers is likely to pay out claims, even very large ones.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) compiles a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:complaint index 🌼that lets you compare 🧔the number of customer complaints received by insurance companies.
Independent contractors can choose from a wide selection of coverage types. Options include general liability for client injuries, professional liability for service-related errors, or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:commercial auto for business vehicles. You can easily obtain a certificate of insurance online from Travelers. This feature simplifies demonstrating proof of insurance to clients or lan💝dlords, which is often required for contract work.
However, Travelers doesn’t offer online quotes. You must contac🧸t an agent to get pricing information.
Trave🌼lers w⭕as founded in 1864 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.
Best for Temporary Coverage, Best Digital Experience : Thimble
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Thimble Insurance
- Customer complaints: More than expected for company size
- General liability coverage limit: $1 million
Thimble is well-suited for independent contrac🐭tors seeking flexible, short-term liability ins༒urance online.
Offers short-term coverage
Online quotes and claims, with coverage in minuಞtes
Online certificate of insurance
High complaint rate for liability coverage
Other companies handle claims
Lower coverage limits than competitors
Thimble offers the advantage of short-term liability insurance for independent contractors. You can purchase coverage by the job, month, or year, makin𓄧g Thimble ideal for people with project-based ꦍwork who need insurance only when actively working.
Thimble is one of only two companies in our review that offer short-term coverage. The company also streamlines the insurance process with fast online quotes, claims, and certificate🥂s of insurance.
A 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:certificate of insurance (COI) is a document from an insurance company verifying your coverage. It summarizes your policy’s details, such as your name, the policy’s dates, coverage types, and limits. Clients often want to see a certificate of insurance before hiring a contractor.&nbs🦄p;
Thimble’s consultant and freelancer policy includes general and pr💦ofessional liability insurance. General liability covers bodily injury, property damage, advertising injury, and related legal and medical costs. Professional liability protects against client claims of errors, omissions, or inadequate services, and covers ass🍌ociated costs.
Thimble has received a higher-than-expไected number of complaints about its liability business. Additionally, its liability coverage limits for independent contractors are only $1 million, far lower than those of competitors like The Hartford.
Thimble operates as an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:insurance broker, meaning it doesn’t underwrite policies or handle claim❀s directly. Instead, Markel Insurance Company or National Specialty Insurance Company issue these liability policies. As a result, your experience filing a claim may differ from your initial purchase experience.
Also, Thimble doesn’t offer employment practices liability insurance. Independent contractors who hire employees or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:subcontractors have to look e⛦lsewhere for protection against claims of discrimi👍nation, harassment, or wrongful termination.
Thimble was founded in 2018. Jersey City-based🐭 Arch Insurance acquired Thimble in 2023.
Best for Handy Workers : Huckleberry
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Huckleberry
- Customer complaints: Fewer than expected for company size
- General liability coverage limit: $4 million
Huckleberry is a solid choice for handymen and handywomen w♒ho perform home repairs, carpentry, or plumbing, due to its low complaint rate, high liability limits, and c🍨onvenient online tools.
Few customꦦer complaints for com🔜mercial liability business
High coverage limits f🎃or general and professional꧑ liability insurance
Convenient digital tools
Few protections for transported property
No surety bonds
No online claims
Huckleberry offers several advantages for independent contractors 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:working in trades such as home repair, carpentry, and plumbing. It offers robust coverage and convenient 🤪digital tools. Additionally, its commercial liability business has a low rate of customer complaints for an insurer of its size.
The company provides up to $4 million in general liability coverage and $2 million in professional liab🧸ility coverage, among the highest limits Investopedia found for traꦡdespeople. High coverage limits are crucial if you perform home repairs because they protect against expensive lawsuits from accidents causing bodily injury or property damage, or claims of negligence, mistakes, or misrepresentations in their work.
Huckleberry also streamlines the insurance process for by offering easy online quotes and digital insurance certificates. These offerings allow for quic♔k proof of coverage, which clients often require for jobs. You can also access customer service support through a live online chat.
However, Huckleberr✱y has some limitations. If you need surety bonds to obtain licenses or permits, you must find another provider, as Huckleberry doesn’t offer them. You also can’t file claims online.
Clients in construction or contracting may require 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:surety bonds 𒉰to guarantee project completion or payment to subcontractorඣs.
Huckleberry is a broker that partners with insurance companies, including AmT✨rust, Markel, Employers Holdings, and Chubb, so your customer experience may vary depending on which insurer issues your policy.
Huckleberry is ownedꦆ by Paychex, which was founded in 1971 and is based in Rochester, New York.
Also Great for Coverage Options : Nationwide
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Nationwide
- Customer complaints: More than expected for company size
- General liability coverage limit: $2 million
Nationwide may a💮ppeal to independent contractors because of its extensive coverage options—comparable to The Hartford’s—and its suitability for home-based businesses.
Tied💖 for most coverage options, including for home-based businesses
Online claims and quotes
High complaint rate for liability coverage
Nationwide is a strong choice for independent contractors, particularly those who operate a home-based business. Nationwide offers a wide range of coverage types, al🅺lowing independent contractors to get all their insurance from a single company.
A 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:business owner's policy (BOP) from Nationwide can include up to $1 million of cyber liability and employment practices liability coverage. Cyber liability is important for protecting against data breaches,ꦡ as even solo independent contractors may handle sensitive data.
Nationwide allows for online quotes and claims, but does not offer dඣigital certificates of insurance.
Nationwide🙈 was founded in 1926 😼and is based in Columbus, Ohio.
Why You Should Trust Us
Investopedia launc♕hed in 1999 and has helped readers find the best independent contractor insurance since 2020. Our unbiased, in-depth reviews are based on thorough research into each insurance company to help you make informed decisions for yourܫ business.
How We Chose the Best Independent✤ Contractor Insuraꦉnce Companies
To find the best independent contractor insurers, we first researched industry data, market share, and customer search trends to pinpoint key features and top insurance providers. We evaluated 16 companies across 31 criteria, sorte𒉰d into six categories. We conducte✅d the research between April 1 and April 15, 2025.
Our research included financial strength ratings from AM Best and complaint data from the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:💜National Association of I🅘nsurance Commissioners. W𒈔e also looked at coverage types, coverage limits, and digital features.
We ranked each com🔯pany according to the following categorie🤪s and weights:
- Plan types: 34%
- Customer complaints: 20%
- Financial strength: 20%
- Coverage limits: 14%
- Digital features: 8%
- Discounts: 4%
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澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Michela Buttignol / Investopedia
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