Site icon AdvisorSmith

Personal Trainer Insurance

Business Insurance for Personal Trainers

Get a quote on Business Insurance

As a personal trainer, you help clients increase their fitness. Personal trainers may work independently or through a gym, and they may visit clients’ homes or operate from a studio space with their own equipment. This opens you up to liability if clients are injured or property is damaged, so it’s important to consider purchasing insurance policies to provide financial protection in the case of an injury or lawsuit. 

What insurance coverage do I need as a personal trainer?

There are many types of insurance coverage to consider, but these policies are particularly relevant to personal trainers:

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides protection for incidents of third-party property damage, bodily injury, personal injury, or advertising injury. This is a particularly important coverage for personal trainers to consider since they work in-person with clients. There’s always a chance that clients may visit a gym or other location for a training session and sustain an accidental injury, and if you provide personal training services at client’s homes, you could unintentionally damage their property. In addition, general liability insurance’s personal and advertising injury component can cover third-party non-physical injuries and reputational damage from libel, slander, copyright infringement, and more.

It’s important to note that general liability insurance only covers accidental bodily injury, such as situations where a client slips and falls. If a client believes they have been injured because of negligent training or advice by their personal trainer, you would need professional liability insurance to cover this claim. 

Examples:

Professional Liability Insurance

When you work as a personal trainer, clients trust your advice and guidance to help them improve their fitness. Since serious injuries can occur as a result of working out, professional liability insurance is a critical type of coverage for personal trainers. If a personal trainer suggests exercises that aren’t appropriate for a client’s abilities or pushes them beyond their limits and causes a physical injury or psychological trauma, the trainer could be held liable for damages. If you are sued because of your professional advice or services, professional liability insurance will cover your legal fees and any settlements or judgments against you. 

Many personal trainers and fitness centers require users to sign a liability waiver. When they are compliant with state laws and created under legal advice, these waivers can decrease your liability in some situations; however, they cannot prevent all lawsuits or remove all liability, and they may not hold up in court, so it’s critical to have insurance policies to protect you. 

Example:

Commercial Property Insurance

Some personal trainers may own or rent studio space or own expensive fitness equipment for clients’ use. If you rely on expensive equipment or a physical studio location, it’s a good idea to purchase property insurance to protect the value of your property. If an unexpected disaster occurs, commercial property insurance will reimburse you for losses or pay for repairs. Commonly covered perils include fire, windstorm, hail, vandalism, and explosion.

Commercial property insurance covers the following:

Example:

Business Owner’s Policy

A business owner’s policy (BOP) combines general liability, property, business income, and extra expense coverage into a single convenient package. This could be a good way for personal trainers to obtain a wide range of insurance at a lower cost than buying each policy individually. A BOP may be a suitable choice for personal trainers who operate a small studio location and would like to protect their property and business income in the event of a disaster.

To qualify for a BOP, your company would typically be required to operate from a physical business location, employ fewer than 100 people, and make less than about $5 million in sales per year. Exact requirements can vary based on the insurer.

Example:

Additional Coverages

Pricing and Quotes

Pricing for personal trainer insurance will vary based on the type of insurance coverage and the risk profile of your business. Insurers consider factors such as:

Businesses with higher risks will have higher premiums than those deemed lower risk. For example, a personal trainer with a history of frequent claims will face higher premiums. Premiums also rise as you increase the limits of insurance. Different insurance companies have different models for rating risks, so it is worth comparing pricing across different insurers.

In order to get an accurate estimate on pricing, it’s best to get a quote from a reputable insurance company. Below we’ve highlighted a few of our trusted partners who offer coverage for personal trainers:

ProviderGeneral LiabilityProfessional LiabilityBusiness Owner's Policy
Embroker??????
CoverageSmith??????
CoverWallet??????
Hiscox??????
Thimble??????

Business Insurance and Coronavirus

COVID-19 has had a major impact on businesses such as gyms, and many personal trainers may be unsure about how their business insurance will handle this situation. It’s important to understand that you cannot purchase a new policy to cover coronavirus-related losses that have already occurred; insurance policies will not cover losses that have already been discovered. 

For businesses that have business income or business interruption coverage, the losses you’ve suffered from having to temporarily cease business operations due to COVID-19 are, in most cases, not covered. These policies typically only cover losses caused by a direct physical loss or damage, like a fire or theft. Some business interruption policies will include coverage for losses caused by “communicable or infectious diseases,” but this is rare.

How workers’ compensation insurance handles coronavirus cases varies widely depending on the state. If you have employees who contract coronavirus on the job, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation payments in some states. 

If your business continues operating and a client or other third party sues you claiming that they contracted coronavirus after visiting your business, some commercial general liability policies will provide coverage, depending on your individual policy and the laws of your state. 

Consult our FAQ on coronavirus and business insurance for more information.

Final Word

Working as a personal trainer can expose you to a number of potential liabilities, from accidental injury or property damage to clients who sue you because they are unhappy with your professional services. Whether you work independently or own your own studio, it’s crucial to obtain a range of business insurance that will protect you and your employees from the financial consequences of unexpected events. This will give you peace of mind that you will be able to continue operating your business even if a major disaster occurs. 

Exit mobile version