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Commercial Umbrella Insurance 

Protect your business from the unexpected. Commercial umbrella insurance safeguards against large, unforeseen events that could damage your financial stability and reputation.

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What Is Commercial Umbrella Insurance?

Commercial umbrella insurance, also known as business umbrella insurance, provides an additional layer of liability protection by helping to cover costs that exceed your other liability coverage limits. From potential multimillion-dollar lawsuits to catastrophic car accidents, a commercial umbrella policy offers business owners extra reassurance and protection against devastating financial losses.

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Need to File a Commercial Umbrella Claim? 

Call us at 800.243.0210, option 3, to report your claim — we’re here to help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 
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What Does Commercial Umbrella Insurance Cover?

A commercial umbrella policy from Westfield typically covers:

  • Bodily Injuries* – Medical costs, loss of income, and funeral expenses for anyone injured in an accident caused by your business operations.
  • Property Damage* – Expenses relating to the repair or replacement of someone else’s property that was damaged by your business or employees.
  • Lawsuits* – Attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses from legal actions brought against your business by customers, clients, or employees.

While commercial umbrella insurance can cover a wide range of scenarios, it should be noted that it does not cover losses that are the result of an intentional act. 

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Businesses That Benefit

Who Needs Commercial Umbrella Insurance?

If you think a claim could exceed your liability limits, commercial umbrella insurance may be right for you. Even with thorough employee training and safety procedures, accidents still happen. And if you have insufficient coverage, the financial impact could be detrimental to your business. Here are some of the industries that could benefit from a commercial umbrella policy:

How Does Commercial Umbrella Insurance Work?

While your general liability or commercial auto insurance helps cover many situations, a lawsuit or judgment could exceed your policy limits. That’s where commercial umbrella insurance comes in. To better understand how a commercial umbrella policy works, let’s look at a couple examples.

  • A customer enters your retail business and has a serious slip-and-fall accident that results in major injuries and multiple surgeries. Your business is found liable, and the customer sues for $1.5 million, but you only have $1 million in liability coverage. A commercial umbrella policy could help cover the remaining $500,000. 
  • An employee driving a company vehicle causes an accident that damages several other vehicles and results in serious injuries and property damage totaling $3 million. Your business policy includes $1.5 million in general liability coverage and $500,000 in commercial auto coverage. A commercial umbrella policy could help cover the remaining $1 million. 
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Choosing Coverage

How Much Commercial Umbrella Insurance Do I Need?

A small business’s umbrella insurance needs will look different than a multi-location enterprise. That’s because the amount of coverage you need depends on the value of your assets and your risk exposure. Businesses that operate heavy machinery, use company vehicles, interact directly with customers, or work on other people’s property may want to invest in higher coverage limits due to their greater risk of being sued.

A good rule of thumb is to have enough insurance to replace your company’s total assets. A Westfield agent can assist you in determining the right amount of coverage for your business.

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Explore Other Add-On Coverage Options

General Liability

Coverage for when bodily injury or property damage happens on your premises, regardless of whether you’re legally responsible.

Commercial Auto

Protection for the vehicles your business owns, hires, or borrows and the employees who drive them. 

Commercial Property

Coverage for your buildings, your business property, and the personal property of other people.

Commercial Cyber

Insurance that provides first- and third-party coverage against losses like data breaches, extortion, and ransomware. 

Crime Insurance

Protection against theft of money or property inside or outside your premises under certain circumstances.

Equipment Breakdown

Coverage for the cost to repair or replace equipment and any property damaged by the equipment breakdown.

Inland Marine

Coverage for property that is movable or used in multiple locations, such as equipment, tools, and goods in transit.  

Workers’ Compensation

Coverage that pays for the medical care, rehabilitation costs, and lost income of employees who are injured on the job.

Business Interruption

Coverage that keeps the cash flowing and helps you meet your obligations while working to get back in business.
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Commercial Umbrella Insurance Quotes

All it takes is one large lawsuit or accident to impact your business operations and future earning potential. Find reassurance and an additional layer of liability protection with a commercial umbrella policy from Westfield. 
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Commercial Umbrella

Frequently Asked Questions

The terms commercial umbrella insurance and excess liability insurance are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are not the same policy. While similar, these coverages differ in scope and flexibility.

  • Excess liability insurance typically provides additional coverage for only one of your liability insurance policies, such as a general liability insurance policy, and only kicks in when that policy reaches its limit.
  • Commercial umbrella insurance usually provides additional coverage for several of your liability insurance policies and activates when specified underlying policies reach their limit.

The cost of a commercial umbrella policy depends on many factors, such as:

  • Amount of underlying coverage
  • Business size
  • Industry
  • Limit amount
  • Risk profile

The best way to find out the cost of commercial umbrella insurance is to get a quote. Contact a Westfield agent to get started. 

Commercial umbrella insurance is usually not available as a standalone product. That’s because an umbrella policy complements your existing liability policies. As a result, insurance providers typically require you to have your primary liability coverage with them in order to add a commercial umbrella policy. 

*Please review your actual policy language to see applicable coverages, limits, and exclusions.