If you’re an IT contractor, running your own business or an employee with a side hustle, you must have adequate liability insurance coverage to protect you and your business from financial losses.
In the event your advice or work cause damage to hardware, software or systems or injury to a third party, you may become liable for damages – placing your business, your reputation and even your home at risk.
Liability insurance can protect you but often costs thousands of dollars per year. Or, if you’re contracting and your contract provider covers you under their insurance, they may take a percentage of your fee.
The ACS liability insurance suite includes:
Professional Indemnity (Errors & Omissions Liability Insurance) – $10 million
Public Liability & Product Liability (General Combined Liability Insurance) – $20 million
Certified Professional (CP) members, whose taxable gross consulting fees for the previous financial year were $250,000 or less
Other members, whose taxable gross consulting fees for the previous financial year were $125,000 or less
Once your practice takes off and you exceed the earnings caps detailed above, you will need to upgrade your insurance.
Certain other activities not covered, such as underground mining components and technology in manufacturing plants. It’s wise to study the ACS member insurance policy closely.
The Professional Indemnity component covers you for liability you incur to third parties when your own activities cause a data breach.
To make sure you are covered if your own systems are breached – causing financial loss to your clients or third parties – you need to hold a specific Cyber Insurance policy.
The ACS insurance suite only provides essential forms of liability insurance. You may also need to consider taking out other insurance, such as cybersecurity and workers’ compensation insurance.
If you exceed the consulting fee cap or are looking for additional products, please contact ACS insurance partner Insurance House, or your broker.
Call Steve Rawlings on +61 3 5483 1073 or +61 407 668 943 or email Steve.Rawlings@insurancehouse.com.au
Would you like to become an ACS member and enjoy complimentary liability insurance?
Please note, some tech roles such as cybersecurity require additional coverage while others may fall outside the scope of our policy. For full details including Policy Schedule, Wording, and Certificate of Currency, please download the documents below:
Become an ACS Certified Professional (CP) or Certified Technologist (CT) and gain industry-wide recognition for your skills and knowledge.
For full policy details including policy schedule, wording, and certificate of currency, please contact member.services@acs.org.au