Do I need employers’ liability insurance?
If you have employees, it’s a legal requirement in the UK to have a minimum of £5 million employers’ liability insurance in place for your business – even if you only have the one employee.
This still applies even if your business is run with the support of volunteers, apprentices or work experience students – they have the same rights as full time staff, and so you will still be legally required to have employers’ liability insurance in place.
Employee Reference Number (ERN)
When taking out employers’ liability insurance, your insurer may also ask you to provide your Employee Reference Number (ERN), so make sure you have this to hand when you get a quote.
The ERN is the unique number given to businesses that register with HM Revenue and Customs as an employer.
Employers’ liability insurance is usually provided on a ‘claims occurring’ basis, which means that your policy will cover any claim that occurs during the period of insurance, regardless of when the claim is made.
The ERN is to help your insurer identify and settle claims that are raised after your insurance policy period has ended, or if the business is no longer trading.