Barber insurance FAQ
Barber Insurance Questions
Whether you own a shop, rent a chair or travel to clients, insurance can pay if a client is hurt or your tools are stolen.
For a question about your own shop, call a broker on 1800 556 777 or ask on the quote form.
Cover is subject to the policy terms and the insurer's acceptance.
Reviewed by
Founder and Director, Grace Insurance. Diploma in Broking, Fellow CIP. In insurance broking since 1992.
The basics
Do Barbers Need Insurance?
Yes, in most cases. Workers compensation is required by law once you employ staff, apart from a few employers with very small wage bills. The law usually leaves public liability up to you, but landlords and shop owners will often ask for it before you start cutting.
No, not for most types of cover. The main cover the law requires is workers compensation, which employers must hold under their state or territory's rules. Some states require public liability for certain occupations, but for most businesses it is a choice, though a lease often makes it a condition.
No, having an ABN does not on its own mean you must hold insurance. What you need depends on how you work. You need workers compensation if you employ staff, and public liability if your lease, your shop owner or a venue asks for it.
You need it before you see your first paying client, because a client can be hurt on your first day. A landlord will usually want to see your certificate of currency, the insurer's document showing your cover is active, before you open. When you take on staff, your state or territory sets the deadline for registering for workers compensation.
How you work
Chair Renters, Mobile Barbers and Staff
Yes. The shop owner's policy usually covers the owner's business, not yours, so a claim from one of your clients falls on you. You need your own public liability, and cover for your own clippers and scissors is worth adding.
Yes, usually, for the work you do for your employer in their shop. Clients you see privately, at home or on your days off, are your own business. Your employer's policy usually will not cover those clients, so you need your own public liability for that work.
As a mobile barber, you usually need public liability for the homes, offices and events you cut at. Add tools cover for the kit you carry, which insurers call general property cover. A home or car policy may not cover tools used for work, so check yours before you rely on it.
Yes, if you employ anyone. Full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal staff, apprentices and family members you employ all count as workers. Each state and territory sets its own rules, and a few employers with very small wage bills are exempt in some states.
Yes, it can, depending on the arrangement and your state's rules. In New South Wales, a renter is more likely to count if you direct their work, pay them weekly or hourly, or supply their tools. If they count, your workers compensation needs to cover them.
Covers and limits
What Does Barber Insurance Cover?
Public liability pays claims, and your legal costs, when your business injures a client or member of the public or damages their property. A client slipping on hair clippings and breaking a wrist is the kind of claim it pays. It pays up to your limit, the most the insurer pays for one claim.
You can choose a limit, the most the insurer pays for one claim, of $5 million, $10 million or $20 million. Check your lease or chair rental agreement first, because a landlord, shopping centre or shop owner can set the minimum limit you must hold.
Not always. Some policies cover harm caused by the cut, shave or colour itself, and some leave it to treatment risk cover. Treatment risk is sold as part of professional indemnity, the cover for claims about your work, or added to public liability. Check your quote includes it before you buy.
Products liability pays claims that something you sold or supplied, such as a pomade, beard oil or shampoo, injured someone or damaged their property. It is normally sold with public liability as public and products liability. Check both appear on your policy schedule, the document that lists your covers.
Public liability does not cover your own injuries, injuries to your staff or damage to your own property. Workers compensation covers injured staff, and property cover protects your tools, fit-out and stock. The full list of what a policy leaves out, called the exclusions, is in your policy wording, the document that sets out the full terms.
Claims
How Do Barber Insurance Claims Work?
Call Grace Insurance's claims line on 0411 234 878, open 24 hours, 7 days, or email claims@graceinsurance.com.au. Barbershop Insurance is the barber arm of Grace Insurance, so the claims line is Grace's. We lodge the claim with your insurer, follow it up for you and tell you where it stands.
Have your policy number, the name on the policy, the date, time and place, and what caused the damage and how bad it is. Add your ABN and GST details, contact details for anyone involved, and any letters or court papers. For theft or vandalism, you also need the police event number.
No, do not admit liability, which means saying or writing that the injury was your fault, even if you think it was. Look after the client and write down what happened and who saw it. Report it to us within 24 hours so the insurer can deal with the claim.
No. Do not book repairs or buy replacements until the insurer agrees, and keep the damaged items in case the insurer wants to inspect them. Take photos first, and send repair or replacement quotes and any receipts with your claim.
Certificates and cost
Certificates, Cost and Paying
A certificate of currency is a document from your insurer showing your policy is active. It lists your name, the covers, the limit and the policy dates. Landlords, shopping centres and shop owners ask to see one before you start, and if we arranged your policy, we can request a copy.
Yes, each time your policy renews, because a certificate of currency only shows the current policy dates. Ask for a new one and give it to your landlord, shopping centre or the shop owner you rent a chair from.
Your premium, the price of the policy, is set by the insurer and confirmed on your quote. It depends on the covers and limits you choose, your turnover, your staff and the services you offer. Where you work, what your tools and fit-out are worth and any past claims count too.
Yes, through premium funding: a finance company pays the insurer for the whole year. You repay the finance company weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or every six months. Ask for premium funding when you ask for your quote.
About us
About Us as Your Broker
No, we are an insurance broker: we ask insurers to quote, help you choose and arrange the cover. The insurer underwrites the policy, meaning it decides whether to offer cover and on what terms. It then issues the policy and decides any claim.
A broker asks several insurers to quote, so you can compare covers, limits and prices side by side instead of calling each one. We can approach more than 160 insurers, contact you at least 30 days before renewal, and are on your side in a claim.
Barbershop Insurance is the barber arm of Grace Insurance, an Australian-owned brokerage founded in Perth in 2015. Grace's founder and director, Frans du Plessis, has worked in insurance broking since 1992. He won the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) Western Australian Broker of the Year award in 2023.
Yes. We arrange insurance as Corporate Authorised Representative 1008568 of Community Broker Network Pty Ltd, which holds Australian Financial Services Licence 233750. Being a Corporate Authorised Representative means the licence holder authorises us to arrange insurance under its licence.
Tell us what you do, where you work, your services, your staff and what your tools and fit-out are worth. Send it on the quote form or call 1800 556 777, and we aim to reply within 24 hours. We then usually bring you 2 to 12 quotes, explained in plain English.
Still have a question?
Ask a Broker About Your Shop
Ask your question on the form or call 1800 556 777. A broker will contact you with an answer and your options.
1800 556 777Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm Perth time
