All you need to know about insurance for personal trainers
As a personal trainer, it is your responsibility to make sure you have the right insurance to cover your clients and gym equipment, and protect yourself against any potential loss of earnings. Find out what type of insurance you need in this guide.
Key takeaways
Personal trainers should consider various types of insurance, to protect against potential accidents, injuries, and legal claims.
Personal trainers should also consider gym equipment insurance, commercial property insurance, personal accident cover, and income protection.
Sole traders, obtaining personal trainer insurance is highly recommended, and online trainers should ensure their policies cover virtual sessions.
Do I need personal trainer insurance?
With any profession where you're working with the general public, it's crucial to have the right insurance in place.
This is especially true for personal trainers, where potential accidents and injuries can happen at any moment. Personal trainer insurance can help protect you against incidents such as clients hurting themselves during a session or tripping over gym equipment.
It can also help protect you financially against any loss of earnings if you injure yourself and you're unable to work, as well as provide cover for your equipment and any other employees that may work for you.
What types of insurance do personal trainers need?
If you're employed as a personal trainer by a gym, your workplace will most likely have insurance already in place on your behalf. Make sure you check this with your employer to know what cover you have.
However, if you're self employed, it is your responsibility to purchase personal trainers insurance for yourself and any employees you have.
Here are some of the main types of insurance you will need as a personal trainer:
Personal trainer public liability insurance
Public liability insurance protects you if a member of the public is injured or if their property is damaged while you're working (e.g. causing damage to client's home or being responsible for someone tripping over your equipment).
If this happens and someone claims that you are liable for damages or injury, you may be required to pay them compensation. That's where public liability insurance can help. Your insurance will cover your legal fees associated with fighting the claim and may even help cover the cost of compensation payments.
Professional indemnity insurance
Part of your job as a personal trainer is providing clients with professional advice. However, if a client was to suffer significant injuries as a result of the advice you gave them, they could make a claim against you.
Professional indemnity insurance pays for a specialist solicitor to defend you and covers any compensation or damages you have to pay, plus any additional legal fees.
Employers' liability insurance
Do you employ one person or more in your personal trainer business? Then you are legally required to take out employers' liability insurance.
If any of your employees suffer an injury at work and want to claim compensation, this type of insurance can help you pay this and protect your business from any financial loss.
Gym equipment insurance
As a personal trainer, you rely on a range of expensive equipment to give your clients the best workout possible. Transporting this equipment to their houses or a gym space and keeping it locked up overnight both come with risks.
Protecting your gym equipment with business contents insurance will compensate you for any loss, stolen, or damaged equipment.
Some policies also offer 'new for old' policies, so your equipment would be replaced with a brand new equivalent following a successful claim.
Commercial property insurance
If you have business premises where you train clients on-site, commercial property insurance can help protect you against any financial loss if there is a fire, flood, burglary, or other damage to the property.
Personal accident cover
Even the best personal trainer can experience accidents, whether it's minor muscle injuries that require physiotherapy, or serious accidents with broken bones or life-changing injuries.
Personal accident cover can help you cover the cost of any treatment or provide compensation if you suffer permanent disablement as a result of an accident that happened during one of your workout sessions.
Income protection insurance
Running your own personal trainer business can be stressful if you have an accident and are unable to work. Income protection insurance can help support you financially for a set period of time, until you are fit enough to return to work.
Is business insurance a legal requirement for personal trainers?
Personal trainer business insurance isn't a legal requirement, but most gyms will require you to provide proof of public liability insurance before allowing you to use their facilities.
However, if you're employing people to work for your business, it is a legal requirement to have employers' liability insurance.
Although insurance is optional if you're a sole trader and using your own facilities, it is highly recommended that you take out personal trainer insurance to help protect you against any incidents that may occur when training your clients.
Do I need insurance if I'm an online personal trainer?
Whilst you may not be physically in the room with your clients, it's still imperative that you invest in personal trainer insurance if you're an online coach.
Training online comes with its own set of risks and challenges, where you may still be liable if an online client injures themselves.
Most policies cover online training and coaching, but check with your provider to ensure this is definitely covered in your policy.
How much does insurance cost for personal trainers?
The cost of insurance for personal trainers varies based on how much cover you need for your business. For example, a sole trader and online personal training coach will not need as much insurance as someone who has multiple employees and owns or rents their own facilities.
It's best to take some time to do your research and figure out what type of cover works best for your business. Once you know what you're looking for, you can compare business insurance quotes in minutes with MoneySuperMarket to find the best price and policy to suit your needs.
