Freelancer and Contractor Insurance
Please use the links below to find out more about our Contractor Insurance Products and other services we can provide. If you already have the information you need and know which products you require please visit the Qdos Contractor Insurance Shop for Freelance Contractors.
Products & Services
Products and services for freelance contractors that are available from Qdos include:
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Provides protection against the cost of defending claims where it is alleged that a client has suffered financial loss as a result of your error, omission or negligence. More info
Tax Liability Cover (TLC35)
Not only covers representation costs in dealing with HMRC, but also additional tax, NIC, interest and penalties arising from a status enquiry. More info
Employers Liability and Public Liability
Provides indemnity for your legal liability for injury or death to employees or third parties and damage to third party property as a result of negligent acts by you or your employees. More info
Jury Service Cover and Legal Protection
Comprehensive legal protection for UK freelancers, including £500 per day jury service cover, contract dispute representation and debt recovery. More info
Freelancer Tax Protection
Insurance cover for representation costs in the event of an IR35, PAYE, VAT, HMRC full or aspect enquiry. More info
Contract Reviews
Provides a detailed and comprehensive look into your contracts, detailing every clause and whether it lies outside IR35. More info
Contract Assessment Bundle
Three IR35 contract assessment in a one year period. This product (formerly Freelance Club Plus) is provided free of charge with any other policy purchased. More info
Contractor Sickness Cover
Provides monthly payments in the event of an insured person being unable to work through their disablement (accident or sickness). More info
Qdos is the UK's leading authority on IR35 status issues and to date has won over 1,300 disputes against HM Revenue & Customs, resulting in tax savings of over £36m for our clients.
We have used our experience to tailor a unique range of tax insurance products and consultancy services, which are designed to help the freelance contractor fight their battle against IR35 especially in the wake of the managed service company (MSC) legislation changes.
For total peace of mind, Qdos also provides a wide selection of insurance cover which includes employers and public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
Qdos Status Services and Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance
Qdos has been operating for over twenty years in the area of ‘Business Compliance Services’. This is achieved by combining two essential specialist components, namely consultancy services and Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI). This has evolved even further over the last five years so that there are now three branches of Qdos:
- Qdos Consulting Ltd – providing consultancy services in areas such as Taxation, Employment Law and Health and Safety. In addition, we offer general legal advice through our Earl Shilton office.
- Qdos Broker and Underwriting Services – Providing all supporting LEI cover Qdos products and also bespoke wholesale insurance solutions to Brokers and Affinity Groups.
- Qdos Status Services – Providing specialist tax and insurance (now including Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance) to the ‘freelance’ community centered around their self employed status requirements.
As its product ranges have expanded it has moved into other areas of complementary products such as
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance, which is available through their on-line shop.
Qdos evolved from a mixture of specialist tax advisors and consultants who were also experienced in LEI. Initially they were engaged by underwriters who entered into ‘run-offs’ for
tax insurance schemes, caused by poor wording, failure to market products properly and using claims handlers with insufficient tax knowledge.
The resultant exposures were significant, although we were successful in reducing potential losses – and eventually salvaging all schemes enabling re-entry into the market.
It highlighted the essential requirement for both insurance and related product expertise when promoting LEI, whether this be directly to business, or through intermediaries such as Affinity Groups and Brokers. It is through this that we have consistently been able to provide quality assured products to insured clients and deliver profitable schemes to underwriters. This is also the case in respect of
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance, where careful selection of the appropriate product and underwriter has been essential.
We have top level expertise in each of the required disciplines, ranging from expert Tax and VAT consultants, Employment Lawyers and Health and Safety advisors, through to a team of experienced underwriters and broker specialists. Qdos are regulated and have a dedicated compliance team.
Qdos Status Services has particularly been involved in
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance, because of its dealings within the
Freelance Contractor community. It forms one of the integral parts of service within this sector affording both protection for the business and supporting any issues regarding status.
In terms of providing quality assured products, our MGA arrangements allow us to write policy wordings to our requirements ensuring they are both current and meet the demands of clients. It has also enabled us to immediately address any changes in legislation or practice and bring innovation, such as ‘
Tax Liability Cover’ to the market. This can also apply to
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance where old established wordings had to be adapted to the contractor market.
Qdos, Accountants and Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance
Qdos have traditionally been involved providing products to accountants ranging from providing
specialist tax advice,
training and
Tax Protection Insurance. It is clear that there is a connection between these services and
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance in that all of the above can both prevent and mitigate claims.
In the area of
Freelance Contractors this is particularly relevant, because as a specialist area mistakes can be costly and have an effect on premiums.
In some cases we have been brought in by an accountant or underwriter where a
PI Insurance claim has already been notified following an HMRC Investigation. Our role here is to reopen the case and overturn or mitigate the assessment.
Going forward Qdos has taken the decision to launch its own
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance product to accountants, which we hope to launch in April. As with our other products, this will not simply be Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance, it will include other unique services to protect all parties in the chain.
As far as we are concerned,
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance is no different to any other service we have changed and developed. We see our role as product innovators, thus changing what is already out there to meet the current day demands.
Qdos, underwriters and Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance
It has to be said that at first many underwriters were concerned about our wish to offer
PI Insurance to the Freelancer community. To them this was unchartered waters and there were potential risks attached. Through our understanding of their business activities the specific tax issues they worked within we were able to pursued them to support our insurance program.
We are pleased that our views have been proved correct and that three years on our
PI Insurance book is growing rapidly as a vital component to other Freelancer services.
PI Insurance going forward
We see the future of our
Contractor Professional Indemnity Insurance services developing even further in the coming years. Not only do we want to provide the most competitive rates we want to increase our distribution channels and combine the product with other relevant services.
As indicated above we are shortly to launch
PI Insurance to the accountancy market, but there are numerous other sectors where this product can reach once we have had chance to improve on both price and coverage.