Skip to main content
Monday–Friday · 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET·independent · Insuring businesses nationwide
Published January 2026 6 min read
What general liability can help cover
General liability can help with covered third-party bodily injury, property damage, and personal or advertising injury claims. A customer may trip in your office, an installer may damage a homeowner’s floor, or a competitor may allege that ad copy disparaged its product. Coverage depends on the policy terms, exclusions, limits, and facts of the claim.
What professional liability can help cover
Professional liability, also called errors and omissions or E&O, can help with covered claims that professional work caused financial harm. Examples can include advice that produces a loss, an IT migration configured incorrectly, or a design that contributes to a budget overrun. The policy’s definition of professional services, exclusions, limit, and claim-reporting terms matter.
When service firms may compare both
A service firm can have premises, hired and non-owned auto, or personal and advertising injury exposures alongside its professional-services exposure. Whether it needs one policy or both depends on its work, contracts, locations, vehicles, and the policy terms available. The two lines address different types of covered claims rather than duplicating one another.
Related coverage
Want a quote on the coverage discussed in this guide? Start with general liability, workers' compensation, or commercial auto — or browse all commercial coverages and industries we serve.
Keep reading
More commercial insurance guides
Cost benchmarks
General Liability Insurance Cost: How to Compare Coverage and Price
What general liability can help cover, what can change the premium, and how to compare policy terms before choosing a quote.
Cost benchmarks
Workers' Compensation Insurance Cost: What Drives the Rate
How estimated workers’ compensation premium becomes final premium, how classifications work, and what to review at audit.
Cost benchmarks
Commercial Auto Insurance Cost: Vehicles, Drivers, and Operations
How vehicles, drivers, authority, and policy choices shape commercial auto coverage and cost.
Next step
Let's find insurance for your business
Tell us about your business. We’ll shop our insurance markets for competitive quotes and help you compare coverage, price and the support you need from your agency.