Contractor Business Insurance — Carrier Comparison

You landed here looking for insurance for your contracting business. Below is a quick reference of the major carriers serving small contractors in 2026, with notes on which trades each is strongest for. None of these are sponsored — links go directly to each carrier's site.

Disclosure: COIPulse is a SaaS product for property managers who track contractor COIs (the other side of the transaction). We don't sell insurance, but we built this page because a lot of tradespeople land on our site looking for it. If we partner with any of these carriers in the future, we'll add affiliate disclosure and may earn a commission — never affects your price.

Major contractor insurance carriers

Hiscox

Solo and small contractors (1-10 employees)

Typical GL range: $300K – $2M per occurrence

Strong for trades like handyman, painting, flooring, landscaping. Online quote in ~10 minutes. A.M. Best A rating.

NEXT Insurance

Tech-friendly contractors, instant COI delivery

Typical GL range: $300K – $2M per occurrence

Issues COIs instantly via mobile app — useful when a property manager asks for proof on the spot. Covers most trades except high-risk roofing.

Thimble

Per-job or short-term coverage

Typical GL range: $1M / $2M aggregate typical

Buy by the hour, day, or month. Useful for one-off jobs without committing to annual premiums. Limited trade coverage compared to traditional carriers.

Coverwallet

Comparing multiple carriers in one quote

Typical GL range: Varies by carrier

Broker, not a carrier. Pulls quotes from Travelers, Liberty Mutual, Chubb, etc. Good for contractors who want choice and have time to compare.

Insureon

Higher-risk trades (roofing, electrical, HVAC)

Typical GL range: $500K – $5M per occurrence

Established broker with strong carrier relationships in trades that other digital-first carriers won't quote. Quote process is slower (1-2 days).

Embroker

Larger contracting businesses (15+ employees)

Typical GL range: $1M – $10M per occurrence

Tech-forward broker focused on growth-stage businesses. Strong if you're a GC managing multiple sub-contracts and need umbrella coverage.

What property managers usually require

If you're buying insurance because a property manager asked for proof, here's what they typically want to see on your COI before letting you on the job:

•General Liability (GL): $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate is the standard floor for most trades
•Workers Compensation: required by law in most states if you have employees
•Additional Insured endorsement: usually CG 20 10 (ongoing operations) and CG 20 37 (completed operations) — your carrier needs to add the property owner's name as Additional Insured
•Waiver of Subrogation: common requirement, prevents your carrier from suing the property owner if a claim happens
•Carrier rating: A.M. Best rating of A- or better is the typical floor. All carriers above meet this standard.

Wait — you're actually a property manager?

If you landed here because you're a property manager trying to track COIs from contractors, COIPulse is the SaaS that does that. AI extraction, expiration chasing, endorsement scoring — free for up to 15 vendors.

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