A small cut, spilled acetone, an allergic reaction, a stolen kit. Accidents, mistakes, and other incidents like these can happen to even the most experienced nail technicians. And that’s what nail tech liability insurance is designed to deal with.
Your Quick Guide to Insurance for Nail Techs
- Nail tech insurance is designed to protect you from the financial consequences of claims and lawsuits
- Most nail techs need both general liability and professional liability coverage, since they cover different “uh-oh” moments
- Two of the most common add-on coverages are: Tools & Supplies Coverage (for your essential equipment) and Additional Insureds (when a salon owner, landlord, or venue requires it)
- Need proof of coverage fast? Grab your COI (Certificate of Insurance) and share it with anyone who asks
What Is Nail Tech Liability Insurance?
Nail tech liability insurance is designed to protect you financially if a client gets hurt, their property is damaged, or they claim your services caused them harm. Personal car and health insurance cover things you experience; liability insurance applies to incidents that affect others.
Liability insurance covers third parties
First party = You
Third parties = Not you
(Second party = Us, your insurance company)
What Kind of Insurance Do Nail Techs Need?
At a minimum, nail techs need general liability insurance and professional liability insurance.
You need general liability to cover things like slip-and-fall and property damage accidents. You need professional liability to cover service-related mistakes. Plus, these are the two types of insurance most salons and landlords require you to have.
Essential Coverages
While general and professional liability cover the majority of potential incidents nail techs face, there are several other essential coverage types. The following coverages are included in Beauty & Bodywork Insurance’s (BBI) standard nail tech policies:
Pro tip: Professional liability insurance is also known as errors and omissions insurance, or E&O insurance.
Coverage Breakdown: What Each Essential Coverage Type Covers
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General liability |
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Professional liability |
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Personal and advertising injury |
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Products-completed operations |
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Damage to rented premises |
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Medical expense |
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Additional Insurance Coverages for Nail Techs
Depending on your business and services, you may need additional coverage to fill in gaps, like tools and supplies or cyber liability insurance. The following coverages are available as optional add-ons with BBI:
Pro tip: If your business is growing and you want to hire other techs or open your own nail salon, BBI also offers liability insurance for salon owners and workers compensation insurance.
Coverage Breakdown: What Optional Coverage Types Actually Cover
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Tools and supplies coverage (inland marine) |
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Cyber liability |
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Sexual abuse and molestation (SAM) |
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Additional insureds |
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Coverage Limits and Policy Structure: What They Are & Why They Matter
Coverage limits and policy structure are essentially the “rules” of how your policy pays claims.
Coverage Limits
Coverage limits refer to the total amounts that an insurance policy can pay. There are two kinds of limits: aggregate and per-occurrence.
- Aggregate limit = the maximum total your policy will pay for all covered claims during one policy period
- Occurrence limit = the max amount your policy will pay for one individual claim
For example, BBI has a general and professional liability aggregate limit of $3 million, and a per-occurrence limit of $2 million. This means the most we can pay for any one claim is $2 million, and the most we can pay for all these types of claims combined is $3 million.
Policy Structure
Most liability policies follow one of two possible structures: claims-made or occurrence-form.
Claims-made policies essentially have a limited time period for reporting claims. To be accepted, claims must occur during the policy period and be reported within a specified time period.
Occurrence form policies don’t have this restricted reporting time. As long as the original incident happened while the policy was active, it can be reported at any time (even if the policy has since expired).
Pro tip: Occurrence form policies are the preferred policy type for most beauty and bodywork professions. Nail tech general liability policies with BBI are occurrence form policies.
How Much Does Nail Tech Insurance Cost?
Nail tech insurance with BBI costs as low as $9.99 per month or $96 per year. Your final insurance costs depend on a combination of things, like how big your business is or the add-on coverages you choose.
The potential costs of not having liability insurance? Paying for real-life nail tech claims like these on your own:
- Nail supplies stolen from tech’s car: $567
- A cut from a cuticle trimmer during a pedicure: $622
- A client’s property damaged by an LED curing light: $1,880
- A client tripping and falling while leaving the salon: $3,434
- An infection caused by an ingrown nail procedure: $12,038
Why Nail Techs Choose BBI
Unlike other insurance companies, BBI does not adjust your rates based on where you live.* BBI’s affordable, customizable, and highly-rated coverage makes us the best value on the market for nail tech insurance.
We also provide a quick and easy online purchasing process, so you can get a quote, coverage, and certificate of insurance (COI) today. Our online dashboard makes it simple to get your policy documents, add or update coverages, and add additional insureds at any time.
Plus, BBI nail tech policies go where you go. So, if you work in multiple locations or from your home and in a salon, you’re still covered.
*Currently not for sale in Missouri.
Quick-Start: Get Covered in 10 Minutes or Less
Getting nail tech liability insurance is quick and easy with BBI’s online checkout process.
- Go to the checkout page and select “Nail Tech”
- Provide basic business information
- Opt in or out of additional coverages
- Choose your policy start date and review your coverage choices
- Choose annual or monthly payments and input payment info
A few seconds after processing payment, you’ll receive an email confirmation and instant access to your COI through your online dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nail Tech Liability Insurance
Do I Need My Own Insurance if I Work in a Salon?
It depends on the salon, but in many cases, yes. If you’re an independent contractor, booth renter, or work in multiple locations, you may be required to carry your own liability insurance and list different salon owners as additional insureds.
Do I Need Insurance if I Work from Home?
Yes. Most homeowner policies won’t cover incidents or equipment related to your business activities. If they do provide any coverage for those things, it’s likely limited.
Does Nail Tech Insurance Cover Mobile or Home-Based Services?
BBI’s coverage is designed to follow you wherever you work: in a salon, at home, or at client homes, as long as you’re offering services you’re qualified to provide.
