Employers' liability insurance

You must get Employers’ Liability (EL) insurance:

  • as soon as you become an employer
  • to cover you for at least £5 million
  • from an authorised insurer

EL insurance will help you pay compensation if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of the work they do for you.

You do not need EL insurance if you only employ either:

  • a family member (this could be your husband, wife, civil partner, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father, step-mother, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, step-son, step-daughter, brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister)
  • someone who is based outside of England, Scotland and Wales

You can be fined £2,500 every day you are not properly insured.

Check to see if your insurer is authorised by looking at the Financial Conduct Authority register or contact the Financial Conduct Authority.

You may want to use an insurance broker to help you buy EL. You can find a list of insurance brokers on the British Insurance Brokers’ Association website.

Display your EL certificate

You must do both of the following:

  • display your EL certificate where employees can access it (for example at your workplace, on your website or work intranet)
  • show it to inspectors when they ask

If you do not, you could be fined £1,000.