Once you’re a qualified electrician, starting an electrical contracting business is a popular option. Whilst it’s not exactly difficult, there are plenty of steps to go through, so we’ve put together this guide to make life easier. Some of the topics we’ll run through include licensing, business structures, insurance, accounting and marketing. State Licensing BeforeRead More

Becoming a subcontractor is a very popular option in the building industry. Many tradies will complete their apprenticeship, get a couple of years under their belt, then go out on the own as a subcontractor. Why do it?  Some people see extra money, extra freedoms and perhaps a bit of variety if you’re subcontracting toRead More

There are so many tradesman insurance businesses around now, and a great way to sort through them is to check their reviews. Sure you can look at how cheap their premiums are, how fancy their website looks, how many followers they have on Facebook, but nothing works better than genuine reviews. So how do youRead More

For any self-employed tradesman, public liability is going to be the most commonly required form of insurance. For any business it’s important to keep costs down, so naturally you’ll want to keep your public liability insurance cost down too! In this guide we’ll take a look at what makes up the cost of your cover,Read More

Pretty much all self-employed trades need public liability, but perhaps none more so than electricians. For starters, it’s mandatory for your electrical contractors licence in some Australian states. Secondly, as an electrician there are plenty of risks involved in your trade, and working without insurance would be madness. What is public liability? Unlike many typesRead More

If you’ve ever taken out public liability insurance, you’ll know that one of the questions asked is about your turnover. We find that most tradies know what makes up their turnover, but for some it isn’t so clear. So to clear it up once and for all we’ve put together this handy guide. Turnover definitionRead More

There are two different times that a tradie will be comparing insurance quotes. The first is when you’re taking out a policy for the first time, and the second is when your policy is up for renewal. When comparing tradies insurance policies at renewal time, what do you need to look out for?  In thisRead More

Many tradies figures once they take out public liability insurance, they are pretty well looked after if something goes wrong on site. There are a few exceptions, such as having your tools knocked off or injuring yourself, which most people know are covered by tool insurance and income protection. But when it comes to damageRead More

When starting out as a self-employed tradie, something to consider is your business structure. Most tradies will go with the sole-trader option to start with, but it’s definitely not the only option. Let’s take a look at some of the more common business structure options. Sole trader This is the most popular option amongst tradies,Read More

Tradies having their tools stolen is becoming all too common in Australia. Sometimes it’s a couple of power tools taken from the back of the ute, and other times it’s the whole ute plus the trailer! Either way there isn’t much worse than walking out to your driveway in the morning to see that yourRead More

For many trades, working at heights is all part of the job. Whether or not you work at heights will also be a question asked of you when taking out insurance. Your answer can impact upon the cost of your insurance, or whether the insurer will even offer you cover at all. Not all insurersRead More

No tradesman likes spending their money on insurance, but it does soften the blow if you can find the cheapest public liability insurance available. We’ve put together a guide to help you compare policies and find the most competitive quotes for your trade business. If you don’t want to spend time reading and just wantRead More

The first step towards self-employment for a tradie is generally subcontracting. When you go from being on wages to subcontracting there are a few things you’ll need to do and be aware of. Aside from tax and accounting issues, one of the big ones is insurance. So what types of tradesman insurance does a subbieRead More

As a tradesman you probably don’t have a lot of time for filling out forms or sitting on the phone, let alone undergoing a medical. For this reason, the idea of quick and easy income protection or life insurance without having to answer any medical questions is very appealing. But is it too good toRead More

We talk a lot about how important insurance is for tradies, but the best way demonstrate this is by looking at some real life examples. The following case studies involve real claims that the author has been involved in. Damaged Louvers – Public Liability An electrician was undertaking work on a building which featured motorisedRead More

If you already have some trade insurance in place that is fantastic, but it shouldn’t be treated as set-and-forget. It’s important to review your cover periodically to ensure that your cover is still appropriate, as things can change with your business as well as your coverage. A great time to review your insurance is atRead More

All tradies love a good tax deduction, and why not? No one wants to pay more tax than they have to. One area in which tax deductions are fairly easy to obtain for tradesmen is their insurance. We’ve put together a list of the various insurance types used by tradies, and how you can obtainRead More

Most tradesmen looking for insurance are subcontractors, whose insurance needs are fairly straightforward. But what if you’re running a more complex trade business, such as one that employs multiple staff or operates from a workshop or other premises? In this case your needs will be more broad, and you’ll need to start looking a moreRead More

Most tradies will have some level of life insurance within their superannuation. This is definitely a good thing, but unfortunately many tradespeople (and most of the general public) confuse ‘having life insurance’ with ‘having sufficient life insurance’. So how much life insurance should you have? In this guide we’ll try to answer that, and we’llRead More

When subbies are told that they need income protection insurance before they can enter certain work sites, often they will ask why it is necessary. After all, income protection isn’t exactly cheap, so being forced to pay for something that you might not want isn’t too particularly appealing. Unfortunately many of the companies they areRead More

Using a tradesman insurance broker for your trade insurance needs is the smartest option for tradies wanting to save time and money. Here at tradesman insurance we have access to a network of financial advisers and insurance brokers throughout Australia who can assist you. Whether it’s public liability, income protection or tool insurance, our tradesmanRead More

How can you judge what the best tradesman insurance is? Some may say that the cheapest tradesman insurance is the best tradesman insurance, but that would be very wide of the mark. The best tradesman insurance will be different for each tradie, and will depend on your own unique circumstances as well as your needsRead More

Whatever your trade is, there is one tool that all tradesmen need – insurance. Tradesmen are exposed to more risks than almost any other occupation, and because many of you are subcontracting or running your own business, you are financially exposed to those risks yourself. Tradesman insurance is a great way to protect against theseRead More

Plenty of tradies need public liability cover, but do you know how much you need to hold? The minimum amount of cover available is $5 million, but depending on your business you may find yourself needing anything up to $20 million. So how do you know how much public liability insurance you should have? Cover AmountsRead More

Many people find their way to our website via Google each month by asking certain questions. One of the most common questions asked is ‘what is trade insurance?’ In this article we will try to answer that very question for you. Answer… There is no single form of insurance known as ‘trade insurance’. Instead itRead More

It’s a fair enough question for a tradesman to ask: Why do I have to take out public liability? It is the most commonly required form of insurance on the worksite, but many tradesmen are left in the dark as to why they actually need it. In this article we will take a look atRead More

When it comes to insurance that protects tradies in the event of injury there are a few options. Some of the common terms you may come across include the following: Worker’s Compensation Work Cover Income Protection Disability Income Insurance Sickness & Accident Insurance Accident & Illness Insurance Injury & Illness Insurance Although each of theseRead More

Most tradies choose to only take out the minimum levels of insurance in order to get themselves onto the worksite. In most cases this means public liability and income protection, but there are other forms of insurance out there which are definitely worth considering. The form of insurance we’ll be looking at today is lifeRead More

Many tradesmen around Australia operate as subbies, and will therefore need subcontractors insurance. The most popular forms of insurance when becoming a subcontractor are public liability and income protection, along with a few other forms of cover such as tool insurance. There is sometimes a misconception that a subcontractor doesn’t need their own business insurance,Read More

We all take care in our work. Whether we’re building a house or (in our case) helping out a tradie with their insurance, we never plan on anything going wrong. But no matter how careful we are, how long we’ve been doing it for or how qualified we are, sometimes we simply stuff up andRead More