A Small Business Insurance Checklist
The core policies most Suffolk County small businesses need to consider, from general liability to workers' compensation.
What You Need to Know
New Suffolk County business owners often assume one policy covers everything, but commercial insurance is usually a stack of a few specific coverages, not a single product.
General liability is the baseline most leases and client contracts require, covering claims from third-party injury or property damage. A Business Owner's Policy, or BOP, bundles general liability with property coverage for your equipment and space, usually at a lower combined cost than buying each separately.
If you have even one employee, New York requires workers' compensation regardless of your business size. This is not optional and is one of the first things worth confirming is in place correctly.
From there, the right add-ons depend on what you do. A contractor needs commercial auto for work vehicles. A consultant or anyone giving professional advice should look at professional liability. Any business handling customer data should at least price out cyber liability, since the cost of a breach response is often far higher than the premium.
The fastest way to know if you are missing something is to have an independent broker review what you have against what your industry typically carries, rather than guessing policy by policy.
Get a second opinion from a real, licensed broker.