Side work
Is my side work covered by my employer’s professional liability policy?
Written and reviewed by Michael LaBarbera, licensed insurance agent
Usually you should not assume so: an employer's professional liability policy generally covers work you perform for the employer, not independent side work for your own clients. Review who is insured, which services are covered and whether separate contracts or stamping responsibilities fall outside the policy.
Why is side work often outside the employer policy?
Firm policies typically insure the firm and its employees for services performed on the firm's behalf. Moonlighting for your own clients, under your own contract, is a different named insured and a different set of services. Read the definition of insured and professional services, or ask the firm's agent.
Can an individual buy their own coverage?
Some markets write individual practitioners, but not every program does. The Hartford small-firm guide, for example, states that individuals employed by design firms are not eligible. An agency market review identifies which carriers will consider individual side work.
What should you do before taking side work?
Check your employment agreement, confirm whether your employer permits outside work, and get coverage in place before you start. Our side-work decision tree walks through the questions.
What sources support this answer?
General information, not legal advice. Policy wording controls; carriers are quoted through our agency and no endorsement is implied.
Related guides and tools
Follow-up questions
Does stamping drawings on the side change things?
It can increase exposure because the stamp signals professional responsibility. Confirm coverage before sealing outside work.
Will my employer's policy cover me after I leave?
Only for covered work performed for the employer, subject to its terms; not for your later independent work.
More buyer questions
- Do architects need professional liability insurance?
Most architecture firms carry professional liability insurance because clients, owners and contracts commonly ask for it and because design-error allegations can arise years after a project closes.
- Is my side work covered by my employer’s professional liability policy?
Usually you should not assume so: an employer's professional liability policy generally covers work you perform for the employer, not independent side work for your own clients.
- Does general liability cover design errors?
Generally no: general liability is not a substitute for professional liability when the allegation is a design error.
- What is a retroactive date?
A retroactive date is the prior-acts boundary on a claims-made policy: services performed before that date may fall outside coverage even when the claim arrives during the current policy.
Request a quote
Get quotes from multiple carriers with one application
Start with your contact details — it takes about four minutes. A licensed agent reviews your firm and emails your options, usually within one business day.