General Liability

By Sylvia Rosen

We regularly survey BuyerZone users to find out how much they paid for their purchases. Here's a look at the prices for general liability insurance that other companies paid. Learn how to get your own customized business insurance quote.

Since most business owners see liability insurance as a must - and since many states require businesses to carry it - many business owners buy general liability insurance while their firms are still extremely small businesses, often just one employee. We've separated the responses below into rates for single employee companies and those with more than one.

There are a couple of main trends to notice in these responses. First is that the most common limit is $1 million per year with a $2 million aggregate cap. You'll see some responses below for higher and lower amounts, but that seems to be fairly standard.

Second is that the actual general liability rates are fairly low: most are below $1,000 per year. For the amount of protection a liability insurance policy gives you, that's definitely a cost of doing business that you should be able to live with.

• Liability insurance rates for sole proprietorships and single employee corporations


• Liability insurance rates for companies with 2 or more employees

Liability insurance rates for sole proprietorships and single employee corporations

• "$1,200 a year for $2,000,000 liability." - Maintenance services, Chicago, Illinois


• "$350 for $1M general commercial liability insurance for a year." - Architect, Columbia, South Carolina


• "$168/year = $1,000,000 in liability coverage." - Retail, Liverpool, New York


• "$425 - 1 year business liability ($1,000,000 each occurrence, $2,000,000 Aggregate, $300,000 premises, etc.)" - Consulting, San Francisco, California


• "$500,000 coverage, $1,000,000 aggregate for $542 for 12 months." - Landscaper, Philpot, Kentucky


• "$324/yr for $1 million liability." - Information Services, Houston, Texas


• "$500, $2/$4 mil coverage with all fees covered above settlement." - Psychologist, Walnut Creek, California


• "$350 commercial liability insurance $1M / $2M." - Consultant, Moorestown, New Jersey


• "$819 a year for $2,000,000 liability. Not sure on brand name." - Entertainment, Palm Desert, California


• "$325 - for one year of $1,000,000 in General Liability insurance." - Education, Greeley, Colorado


• "$220 a year, $1m coverage, $2m aggregate, also loss of income, equipment, etc." - Retailer, Nashville, Tennessee


• "$710/year includes $6,000 bond and $2 million liability." - Contractor, Issaquah, Washington


• "$1,300 for $1,000,000 coverage with $2,500 deductible." - Software publisher, Glen Ellyn, Illinois


• "$995 annual premium, $2,000,000 limit." - Contractor, Sarasota, Florida


• "$19,000 for $3,000,000 GL." - Consultants, Warrenville, Illinois

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Liability insurance rates for companies with 2 or more employees

• "$5,000,000 insurance for $1,260." Photography Studio, Pasadena, California


• "Fortunately, I was able to secure general liability insurance and a $10,000 bond for the total cost of $1,400. I thought this gave me the greatest value. " Repair services, Los Angeles, California


• "$900 per year, 1 million per year, 2 million max, coverage for tools, partial house." Construction, Livonia, Michigan


• "$300/year, $2 million in coverage." Retail food products, Portland, Oregon


• "It was the basic general liability insurance and the supplier provided the contract in a timely manner. I also purchased equipment coverage from them for a nominal fee. The price for GL was $425, plus $75 for equipment coverage. " Software, San Jose, California


• "Paid $530, $2,000,000 liability coverage, $40,000 equipment coverage." Photography studios, Allen, Texas


• "$836, includes $1,000,000/$2,000,000 coverage plus $1,000,000 for other vehicles." Business service provider, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania


• "I found a company that specialized in insurance for my industry. I pay $1150/yr. It includes $2 million coverage and I can co-insure my clients for large projects. " Telecommunications contractor, Brigham City, Utah


• "$268 annually for general liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 total." Food retailer, Jacksonville, Florida

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Want more information on buying liability insurance? Read our General Liability Buyer's Guide.

Information was provided by BuyerZone users. Quotes have been edited for clarity only.