General liability insurance and benefits in New York
General liability insurance protects your small business if someone sues you for bodily injury, advertising injury, or property damage. And if you own a small business in New York, you almost certainly need it. Why? Well, let’s start with a word that strikes fear into the heart of any small business owner: lawsuit. Liability lawsuits are more common than you think—4 out of 10 small businesses will face a legal battle in the next ten years—and when they happen, they can be enormously expensive to fight. When you’re sued, you can spend thousands of dollars (or even hundreds of thousands of dollars) on legal help as well as the cost of a settlement.
Here’s an example: Let’s pretend that a new client visits your business and, as they’re walking in the door, they trip on a cord and fall. When they stand up, you see that their head is injured and that they need medical help. You offer to help—and apologize repeatedly—but they leave quickly and mention something about calling their doctor. You don’t hear anything about the incident for a few weeks, but one day you get an official-looking letter in the mail. It’s from a lawyer. The injured client is suing your business for $200,000 for bodily and emotional injury.
Right here is where you’re either going to be very glad you purchased liability insurance—or very mad at yourself that you didn’t. Without general liability coverage, your business will be on the hook to pay for all the lawsuit costs: court fees, lawyers, and a financial settlement. (And if you did purchase liability coverage? You can breathe a sigh of relief. Your insurer will provide legal and financial support—so you can get back to your business.)
The moral of the story: General liability coverage is a necessary investment for just about every New York small business (and it easily pays for itself when you’re the target of a liability suit). Get a quick estimate on what you’d pay for liability coverage with our 60-second rate calculator.
How much is general liability insurance in New York?
The price you’ll pay for your general liability coverage depends on factors such as your industry and your location, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer that will be true for every business. For reference, Huckleberry customers have paid as little as $33 per month for their general liability policies.
Most common industries getting general liability insurance:
Here’s why you should get your New York State small business insurance from Huckleberry
- It’s affordable. You can save as much as 32% on your business insurance coverages.
- It’s fast. 95% of New York small business owners get covered in about 5 minutes.
- No paperwork (the process is 100% online).
- We explain everything in simple English.
Common questions about general liability in New York
You’re not legally required to get a general liability policy in New York. But you should seriously consider purchasing one anyway, because fighting a liability lawsuit on your own can be outrageously expensive. (Plus, many large clients will ask to see proof of liability coverage before they’ll hire your company—they don’t want to depend on a business that might get sued out of existence!)
Liability claims are small business killers. They’re time-consuming, stressful, and can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. And when you consider that almost half of all small businesses will fight at least one liability lawsuit in the next decade, it’s easy to see why getting a commercial liability policy is a no-brainer decision. Especially if you don’t have an in-house lawyer or tons of cash.
Going without liability insurance isn’t worth it, especially when you can get covered in about five minutes.
Most businesses are eligible for liability coverage, so it’s likely that your business is, too. That said, it’s easy to check your company’s eligibility! Just answer a few easy questions here. It’ll only take a minute, and you’ll also get a general idea of what you might pay for liability coverage.
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