A client is nicked by a razor and claims
A cut from a straight razor, a burn from a hot towel or a reaction to beard dye can each turn into a claim. Depending on how your policy is written, public liability or treatment risk cover pays it.
Specialist insurance broker for barbers
Barbershop Insurance for Australian Barbers and Shop Owners
We help shop owners, employed barbers, chair renters and mobile barbers compare and arrange public liability, tools cover, shop contents cover and more. Tell us about your shop and a broker will contact you with your options.
Frans du PlessisBroker since 1992 · NIBA Western Australian Broker of the Year 2023
- 4.9 81 Google reviews of Grace Insurance
- 160+insurers we can approach
- 2 to 12quotes you can usually choose from
Awards and listings for Frans du Plessis, who founded Grace Insurance in Perth in 2015
WinnerNIBA (National Insurance Brokers Association) Western Australian Broker of the Year 2023Frans du Plessis
ListedInsurance Business Elite Brokers 2026Frans du Plessis
ListedInsurance Business Hot List 2026Frans du Plessis, one of 54 leaders across Australia and New Zealand
Barber insurance in Australia
What Insurance Does a Barber Need in Australia?
Most barbers need public liability, which pays injury and property claims from clients and the public, plus cover for their tools. Add treatment risk, cover for harm a shave or colour causes, if you offer those. Shop owners add contents cover for chairs and stock, and employers must hold workers compensation, which pays staff who are hurt at work.
| Cover | Shop owner | Chair renter | Mobile barber |
|---|---|---|---|
 Public liabilityClaims from clients and the public who are hurt, or whose property is damaged, plus your legal costs. | |||
 Professional indemnity and treatment riskClaims that a service caused harm, such as a razor cut, a hot towel burn or a reaction to beard dye. | if you shave or colour | if you shave or colour | if you shave or colour |
 Tools and equipmentTheft of or damage to your clippers, scissors and styling tools. | |||
 Shop contents and fit-outRepairing or replacing chairs, mirrors, stock and the fit-out, meaning the benches and plumbing you put in, after damage the policy covers. | – | – | |
 Workers compensationWages and medical costs for an employee hurt at work. | once you employ staff | – | – |
Does the law say you must have it?
Employers must hold workers compensation, and each state and territory sets its own rules. Public liability is required by law only for certain occupations in some states and territories, so for most barbers the law leaves it to you.
Your lease, the shop you rent a chair in or a venue can still make it a condition of working there. If you are a sole trader, workers compensation does not cover you, so look at personal accident and illness cover for yourself.
Barbershop insurance claims
Common Barbershop Claims and the Cover That Pays
A razor nick, a slip, a theft and a leak are common barbershop claims, and the cover that pays depends on what happened.
Someone slips on clippings and breaks a wrist
Public liability pays their claim and your legal costs, up to the limit you choose: $5 million, $10 million or $20 million.
Your clippers are stolen from the car
Tools and equipment cover, which insurers call general property, pays for the clippers, scissors and styling tools you carry between the shop and your clients.
A pipe bursts and the shop has to close
Contents and fit-out cover pays to repair or replace the chairs, mirrors, stock and fittings. Business interruption covers the income you lose while the shop is closed.
Check where treatment risk sits
Some policies include treatment risk inside public liability and some list it separately. If you shave, colour or use chemicals, ask us to show you where it sits on your quote before you agree to it.
Barber insurance covers
Eight Covers We Arrange for Barbers
We arrange each of these for barbers, shop owners and chair renters. Pick the ones that fit how you work and we will go through each one with you.
Public Liability
Covers claims from clients and the public for injury or damage to their property, with limits of $5 million, $10 million or $20 million.
Professional Indemnity
Covers claims that a cut, shave, colour or other service you gave caused harm or loss.
Tools and Equipment
Insurers call it general property. It covers your clippers, scissors and styling tools against theft and damage.
Shop Contents and Fit-out
Covers your chairs, mirrors, stock and fit-out, the benches and plumbing you put in, whether you own or lease.
Business Interruption
Covers the income you lose while the shop is closed after damage your policy covers, such as a fire.
Workers Compensation
Covers wages and medical costs for employees hurt at work. Each state and territory sets its own rules.
Cyber
Covers the costs that follow a hack or data breach, such as an attack on your booking system or client list.
Personal Accident and Illness
Helps replace your income if an injury or illness stops you working, which matters most when you are self-employed.
Who Arranges Your Barbershop Insurance?
- 24/7Claims line
Grace Insurance's claims line, 0411 234 878, is open 24 hours, 7 days.
- 2 to 12 quotesChoice
We usually bring you 2 to 12 quotes, so you can compare covers and prices.
- CAR 1008568Authorised representative
We are Corporate Authorised Representative 1008568 of Community Broker Network Pty Ltd, which holds Australian Financial Services Licence 233750.
- Pay monthlyInstalments
You can pay your premium, the price of your policy, by the month instead of paying it all at once.
Barbers, shop owners and chair renters
Who We Cover
We arrange cover for the people behind the chair, whether you own the shop, work in it or rent a chair in it.
Shop ownersWe arrange cover for your premises, fit-out and staff, and for the public who come into your shop.
BarbersWe arrange cover for the work you do in the chair and the tools you use.
Chair rentersThe shop's policy usually does not cover you. You need your own.
Mobile barbersWe arrange cover for the tools you carry and the work you do in clients' homes.
Hairdressers and salonsWe arrange the same covers for hairdressers and hair salons.
Your broker
Who Is Behind Barbershop Insurance?
Barbershop Insurance is the barber arm of Grace Insurance, an Australian-owned brokerage that Frans du Plessis founded in Perth in 2015. Frans has worked in insurance broking since 1992.
He wrote Grace's guide to hairdresser and barber insurance in 2019 and updated it in December 2024. Frans works with a team of more than 20 brokers across Australia and New Zealand.
Frans du Plessis · Founder and Director, Grace Insurance
- Qualifications
- He holds a Diploma in Broking and is a Fellow CIP, short for Certified Insurance Professional.
- Licence
- He is Authorised Representative No. 1008569, meaning a licensed business authorises him to give insurance advice.
- Recognition
- He won NIBA's Western Australian Broker of the Year award in 2023. Insurance Business listed him on its 2026 Elite Brokers list and its 2026 Hot List.
The award and the two listings are Frans's own, not Grace Insurance's or ours.Frans's profile at Grace Insurance →
Barber insurance quote
How Do I Get a Barber Insurance Quote?
Fill in the quote form or call us, and tell us how you work. We take your details to insurers, contact you with your options and arrange the one you pick. We aim to reply within 24 hours.
Tell us how you work
Fill in the form or call us. Say whether you own a shop, work in one, rent a chair, travel to clients or run a salon, and which covers you need.
We go to insurers
We can approach more than 160 insurers and ask 2 to 12 of them to quote. Fewer insurers quote on some specialist liability covers, so you may see fewer options.
We explain your options
For each option we set out what it covers, what it leaves out, the limit and the price. If any word on the policy is unclear, ask us.
You choose, we arrange it
Pick the option that suits you and we arrange it with the insurer. We can then get your certificate of currency for you.
Barber insurance cost
What Affects the Cost of Barber Insurance?
Your premium, the price of your policy, is set by the insurer and confirmed on your quote. The main things that decide it are the services you offer, the size of your team and the limit you choose. Your claims history, where you work and what your kit is worth count too.
The services you offer
Clipper cuts, razor shaves, colour and chemical work carry different risks, so the insurer asks which you do.
Your team and turnover
More staff and a higher turnover, your yearly sales, mean more work to insure, and once you employ staff you also need workers compensation.
The liability limit
You choose a $5 million, $10 million or $20 million limit. Check what your shop lease asks for before you pick.
Your claims history
The insurer asks about any claims you have made before and takes them into account when it sets the price.
Where you work
Your state counts, and so does whether you work in your own shop, from a rented chair or at clients' homes.
What your kit is worth
The more your clippers, chairs and fit-out would cost to replace, the more there is for the policy to insure.
You do not have to pay it all at once
Through premium funding, a finance company pays the insurer for you. You repay it weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or every six months.
Barber insurance claims
What Happens If I Need to Make a Claim?
Call Grace Insurance's claims line on 0411 234 878, open 24 hours, 7 days. We are your advocate: we help you prepare and lodge the claim and deal with the insurer for you. The insurer assesses the claim and decides what the policy covers.
Grace Insurance claims line
24 hours, 7 days
Or email claims@graceinsurance.com.au
Do not book repairs until the insurer agrees, unless the work stops more damage. Keep the invoice and photos if you do.
How claims work →Have these ready when you call
- Your policy number, shown on your policy schedule, the list of your covers.
- The date and time it happened, or the date and time you first found it.
- Photos of the damage, taken before you clean up or move anything.
- Receipts or bank records for any damaged or stolen tools and stock.
- A police event number if anything was stolen or the shop was broken into.
- Names and phone numbers of anyone involved, including a hurt client.
Barber insurance broker
Why Use a Specialist Barber Insurance Broker?
Barbershop Insurance is the barber arm of Grace Insurance, an Australian-owned brokerage. We arrange your cover and explain it before you buy. The insurer takes on the risk, called underwriting: it decides whether to offer you cover, on what terms and at what price.
Your options, side by side
Tell us what you do and we will contact you with your options. You choose the covers and the limits.
A certificate for your landlord
Your landlord can ask for a certificate of currency, and we can get it for you.
Cover for owners and renters
A shop owner, a barber and a chair renter each need different covers, so we arrange yours around the way you work.
Going direct, a comparison site or a broker
| Going direct to an insurer | A comparison site | A broker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose policies you see | Only that insurer's own policies. | Policies from the insurers the site lists. | Usually 2 to 12 quotes, from the more than 160 insurers we can approach. |
| Who explains the cover | The insurer's staff, about their own policy. | The site's summaries and the policy documents. | We do, before you buy. |
| Who helps when you claim | You deal with the insurer's claims team. | You deal with the insurer that issued the policy. | We are your advocate and deal with the insurer for you. |
Licence, reviews and complaints
Can I Check Who I Am Dealing With?
Yes. We are Corporate Authorised Representative 1008568 of Community Broker Network Pty Ltd, which holds Australian Financial Services Licence 233750. Grace Insurance has its own Google reviews, Community Broker Network follows the brokers' code of practice, and complaints can go to AFCA, a free complaints service.
Grace Insurance on Google
4.9
Grace Insurance, the brokerage we are part of, is rated 4.9 from 81 Google reviews. The reviews come from all of Grace's clients, not only barbers.
Read Grace Insurance's Google reviews →A code brokers follow
Our licensee, Community Broker Network, is a principal member of NIBA and has adopted the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice. The code sets out how brokers must treat their clients.
Financial Services Guide →Free complaints service
Community Broker Network is a member of AFCA, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. AFCA handles complaints about financial firms, and its service is free to customers.
How to make a complaint →
Guides for barbers
Barber Insurance Guides
Each guide answers one question in full, with the covers, limits and rules that apply to barbers.
Reviewed by Frans du Plessis
Founder and Director, Grace Insurance
Barber insurance FAQ
Barber Insurance Questions
A shop owner usually starts with public liability, cover for the fit-out and stock, and cover for the clippers and tools. Add business interruption, which pays the income you lose while closed after damage the policy covers. Once you employ staff, workers compensation is required by law.
There is no set price. The insurer prices your policy on what you do, your staff, your turnover and your limit, plus your claims history, location and kit. Your price is confirmed on your quote, and you can pay it by instalments.
Public liability is required by law only for certain occupations in some states and territories, so for most barbers the law leaves it to you. Landlords, shopping centres and shop owners renting out chairs commonly ask for it. Without it, an injury claim from a client is yours to pay.
Yes, because the shop's policy usually does not cover you and a claim from one of your clients would land on you. Get public liability in your own name and cover for your clippers and scissors. The shop owner can ask to see your certificate of currency.
It pays claims from clients and the public who are hurt, or whose property is damaged, because of your business, plus your legal costs. It does not cover your own tools, your own injuries or your employees' injuries. Those need tools cover, personal accident and illness cover, and workers compensation.
It depends on how your policy is written. Some public liability policies include treatment risk, cover for harm caused by the service itself, and some leave it to a separate professional indemnity policy. If you shave, colour or use chemicals, ask us to show you where treatment risk sits on your quote.
Yes, if you employ anyone, with a few state exemptions for very small wage bills. Casual and part-time staff and apprentices count as workers, and each state and territory runs its own scheme. It does not cover you as a sole trader, so look at personal accident and illness cover.
You can choose $5 million, $10 million or $20 million. Start with your lease or chair rental agreement, because a landlord, shopping centre or shop owner can set the minimum you must hold. If nobody sets one, we can talk you through the difference in price between the limits.
Unless you employ staff, the law usually leaves it to you, but you still work on clients every day. Public liability covers claims from clients in their homes and at venues. Tools cover, which insurers call general property, protects the kit you carry in your car.
Usually a certificate of currency, a short document from your insurer that proves your policy is active and shows your covers, limits and dates. Your lease may also set a minimum public liability limit, so check it before you choose. Once your policy is in place, we can get the certificate for you.
Barbershop insurance quote
Get a Barbershop Insurance Quote
Tell us how you work and which covers you need, and we aim to reply within 24 hours.
1800 556 777Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm Perth time
