When it comes to insurance for photographers, there’s a lot for you to think about. Not only do you have to ensure you have cover in place to protect your expensive photography equipment, you also need to consider additional cover to protect you and your family financially if you’re unable to work. Not sure where to start? We’re here to help! If you’re interested in learning more about photographer insurance Australia, we’re here to share some of the most common policies that you should consider.
#1 Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance will protect you financially if you cause damage to property or injury to a person as the result of your actions at work. It also covers your legal bills if you need to hire a lawyer as part of the claims process. As a photographer, you may be wondering how this cover applies to you. After all, what are the chances of someone getting hurt while you’re taking photos? Unfortunately, accidents can happen and it can take something small for you to find yourself with a liability claim in progress.
If you have clients visiting your home or office to discuss their project, all it would take is for them to trip over in your office for you to be at the receiving end of an expensive liability claim. Another risk that you could face could be damaging the property of a third party while you’re carrying out a photo shoot. In all of these potential situations, public liability insurance provides financial protection against claims of this nature.
#2 General Property Insurance
As a photographer, you carry around expensive, specialist equipment as part of your job. For this reason, it’s easy to see why you need to protect your transportable items. Not only would it be very difficult from a work perspective if something happened to your camera, it could also be expensive to repair or replace. For this reason, general property insurance is essential.
General property insurance offers financial protection for your transportable items, such as your camera and laptop, if they’re lost, damaged or stolen. When you consider how much repairs or replacements would cost on your photography equipment, it’s easy to see why this form of cover is so important. Make sure you get an accurate estimate of the replacement costs of your equipment – people often underestimate how much each item is worth which can you leave you short at claim time.
#3 Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Working as a photographer has a lot of advantages – it means you can choose your own hours and projects. However, it also means that many photographers don’t have anything to fall back on when they’re unable to work. For example, how would you cope financially if you were suddenly unable to work due to a serious injury or sudden illness? Personal accident and illness insurance means that you’ll continue to receive a portion of your income if you find yourself unable to work due to injury or illness. These payments will continue until the end of the benefit periods, which is usually two years, or until you can return to work.
Having personal accident and illness insurance in place means that you’ll continue to receive an income during your recovery period so you can maintain your lifestyle and keep up with expenses. This allows you to recover properly without having to return to work before you’re ready due to a lack of income.
#4 Tax Audit Cover
Tax audit cover is something that not many contractors think about but it’s an important consideration. No matter the size of your business, you’re subject to random tax audits from the Australian Tax Office. A lot of people assume that this is only an issue for larger companies but many small businesses also find themselves on the receiving end of an audit. This process can be stressful and time consuming when you have to complete it yourself but can be expensive if you hire a professional to help. That’s where tax audit cover comes in.
Tax audit insurance will cover the costs of hiring a professional, such an accountant or lawyer, to complete the tax audit on your behalf. This means that you don’t have to deal with the tax audit your process yourself and have financial cover for the associated costs.
#5 Life Insurance
Life insurance is an important consideration for all contractors, not just photographers. Life insurance provides your loved ones with a lump sum payment in the event of your death and it can be used however your nominated beneficiaries see fit. This payment is often used for things like paying off debt, clearing the mortgage, rent payments, education costs and general living expenses.
When considering whether life insurance is right for you, think about how your family would cope financially without your income. Are you the primary breadwinner? What outstanding debt would be left behind? Would your family keep up with regular expenses with ease? Consider your unique situation to help decide how much cover you require with your life insurance – for example, if you have a young family, you’re likely to require more cover than someone with adult children.
Contractor insurance package
At Contractor Cover, we offer insurance for photographers to ensure that you’re covered while you’re working. We understand the unique risks that photographers face and we’ve made life easy by bundling together the most common forms of insurance cover for contractors into one convenient package. We’re backed by one of the largest insurers in the world to ensure quality cover at a competitive price.
If you’re looking for photographer insurance Australia, contact Contractor Cover today on 1300 438 268 or fill in our online enquiry form.
