Do massage therapists need insurance?

As a massage therapist, you’re working to improve the health of your clients. You might be helping them heal from injury, trauma or illness. But what if a client has unrealistic expectations of massage therapy? Or worse, claim your treatment or advice injured them? 

Massage therapists need insurance for these situations. Keep reading on to find out:

• What type of insurance does a massage therapist need?
• What affects the cost of your insurance?
• Do you need a qualification to purchase cover?

Insurance can help to mitigate the risks specific to massage therapy. Be it injury, illness or damage claims from your clients or even third parties. There are a few different types of insurance you can consider for these unfortunate situations.

1. Public liability insurance

Public liability insurance is necessary for anyone who works with members of the public. This type of insurance covers you if someone claims compensation from you due to something you did or failed to do that caused them to suffer injury or property damage.

Compensation claims can be very costly to settle, so this type of insurance is crucial. As well as paying the compensation awarded, your liability insurer will help you deal with the potentially complex legal arguments in compensation claims. 

Public liability insurance doesn’t cover you for claims resulting from your treatment activities. So treatment liability insurance is probably necessary for massage therapists as well.

2. Treatment liability insurance/ professional indemnity insurance

Treatment insurance is essentially professional indemnity insurance. It can protect you from a claim for compensation from a client because they are unhappy with the service or advice you gave. Treatment insurance includes legal defence costs and compensation settlements if the claim is directly related to your professional activity.

For example, you recommend your client to do daily stretches at home after your massage session and give them an exercise routine. But a month or so later, you receive a claim from your client that the exercises you recommended have caused a permanent injury and left them unable to go to work.

3. Equipment cover

If you’re a self-employed massage therapist, you can’t work without proper equipment. You can get an insurance policy that covers your expensive massage table and other equipment against damage and theft.

For example, it is also possible to get cover for taking your equipment with you if you are operating a mobile massage business. 

4. Personal accident insurance

Personal accident insurance can cover you if you have an accident that results in an injury that prevents you from working. Typically, this type of insurance can cover medical expenses, temporary disablement and hospitalisation. 

This cover can also help pay your bills while you’re unable to work. The money you’re entitled to would usually be paid out in weekly instalments in case of a temporary injury or as a lump sum in cases of permanent disability.

5. Vehicle insurance

If you’re driving between multiple locations for work-related reasons, you need business car insurance. This type of insurance covers everyday driving and specific aspects of your work-related driving. 

You should declare business use to your existing car insurer and check if you need to update your policy.  But if you’re only commuting to and from a usual place of work, business car insurance is probably not necessary. 

When you’re self-employed, you should be able to claim vehicle expenses, including insurance costs and mileage, as a business expense in your Self Assessment tax return. Learn more about how to claim mileage allowance here.

The cost, premiums and excess of your massage business insurance depend on your unique situation. Have a look here to find out how much public liability insurance can cost. Your premiums can vary depending on many factors, for example:

• the type of cover  
• amount of cover
• your turnover 
• types of therapies you carry out
• your previous claims history 
• your location

Your insurer could charge you a higher insurance rate if they view you as high risk. You may be able to save money on your insurance if you:

• Belong to a professional organisation, such as the Federation of Holistic Therapists or The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. 
• Buy all of your business insurance from one source as a package. You may save money as opposed to buying each type of coverage separately. 
• Pay for the whole year upfront, as monthly payments usually include interest charges.

Your insurance may require you to hold a UK qualification for the types of treatments you carry out. Many insurance providers may not ask for proof of your qualifications when you buy the cover, but they will probably ask you to declare that you hold suitable qualifications. 

You’ll have to provide your qualifications in the event of a claim, and your insurance might be void if you don’t. Click here for government guidance on what you need to do to become qualified as a massage therapist.

Deliberately giving false information may lead to your policy being invalid. In addition, if your provider finds any of the information you provided not to be true and accurate, it could affect your ability to make a claim.

When you apply for insurance or make a claim, it can be beneficial if your finances are organised, and you can provide accurate information to your insurer quickly and easily.

Thousands of business owners are using the Countingup app to save time on their financial admin and focus on growing their business. 

Countingup is the business current account and accounting software in one app. It automates time-consuming bookkeeping admin for self-employed people across the UK.

With automatic expense categorisation, receipt capture tools and cash flow insights, you can confidently keep on top of your business finances and save yourself hours of accounting admin, so you can focus on doing what you do best. Find out more here.