Best Janitorial Business Insurance

NEXT earned our top spot for the best small business insurer for janitorial companies due to its excellent coverage and affordability. We recommend comparing quotes from our other top picks, including The Hartford, Nationwide, Thimble and Simply Business.

*We based all scores on a janitorial business with two employees across professional liability, general liability, workers' comp and BOP policies.

Thimble offers competitive janitorial insurance at an average monthly cost of $51. For specific coverage needs like professional liability and workers' compensation, The Hartford and NEXT provide more affordable options than Thimble's general rates.

Janitorial business insurance costs are the following for the four most popular coverage types:

• General Liability: $138 on average per month, ranging from $111 to $160 depending on the state
• Workers' Comp: $49 on average per month ranging from $42 to $57, depending on state
• Professional Liability (E&O): $50 on average per month, ranging from $42 to $58 depending on the state
• BOP Insurance: $202 on average per month, ranging from $166 to $23,7 depending on the state

Commercial janitorial businesses need comprehensive coverage. While general liability and workers' compensation form the basic foundation, tools and equipment insurance protects your valuable assets. 

Professional liability, commercial auto insurance (if you operate vehicles) and surety bonds are frequently required to satisfy client contracts and state regulations.

Here's why these coverages are essential and the recommended coverage amounts for each policy type for commercial janitor businesses:

• General liability insurance: Third-party bodily injury and property damage claims are common risks for janitorial companies. A client's employee could slip on a freshly mopped floor, or cleaning chemicals could damage expensive office furniture. For commercial janitorial operations, industry experts recommend $2 million per occurrence with a $4 million aggregate limit to adequately protect against claims in commercial facilities.
• Workers' compensation: State law mandates this coverage once you hire employees. Janitorial work involves physical labor that puts workers at risk for back injuries from lifting, chemical burns from cleaning solutions and slip-and-fall accidents on wet surfaces. This insurance covers medical expenses and lost wages when employees suffer work-related injuries. State requirements and your total payroll determine coverage limits.
• Professional liability insurance: Errors and omissions coverage protects your business when clients claim your cleaning services were inadequate or caused damage through negligence. If a client alleges your team failed to properly sanitize a medical office or damaged sensitive equipment during cleaning, this policy responds. Commercial janitorial companies should carry minimum limits of $1 million per claim with a $2 million aggregate to meet most client contract requirements.
• Tools and equipment insurance: Your vacuum cleaners, floor buffers, carpet extractors and specialized cleaning equipment represent a significant investment. Equipment breakdowns or theft can halt operations and cost thousands to replace. Coverage limits between $25,000 and $50,000 are appropriate for most commercial janitorial operations, depending on your equipment inventory value.
• Commercial auto insurance (if you use vehicles for business): A $1 million combined single limit policy that includes liability, comprehensive, and collision coverage meets most client requirements and protects your business adequately. This coverage is essential if your team drives company vehicles or uses personal vehicles for business purposes.
• Surety bonds (janitorial bonds): Commercial clients often require janitorial bonds before awarding cleaning contracts. These bonds guarantee you'll complete services as agreed and protect clients if employees steal property or cause intentional damage. Bond amounts vary by contract size, but commercial janitorial companies should expect requirements between $25,000 and $100,000 for most commercial properties. Larger facilities or government contracts may require higher bond amounts.

Here's a step-by-step method for finding the best and cheapest business insurance for your janitorial company.

NEXT is the best insurer for janitorial business insurance, while Thimble offers the cheapest option overall. We also recommend getting quotes from The Hartford, Nationwide and Simply Business. For the best deal, consult agents and similar businesses, research costs and companies and compare multiple quotes.

We answer frequently asked questions about janitorial business insurance:

We selected the best business insurer for janitorial companies based on the following criteria:

• Affordability (50% of score): The lower a company's costs compared to the competition based on our base profile for four core coverage types, the better the company performs.
• Customer service (30% of score): We scored providers on overall customer satisfaction using industry studies, customer review forum ratings and public forum sentiment analysis from sites like Reddit.
• Coverage (15% of score): We scored business insurance providers for this category based on the flexibility, payment and actual coverage options.
• Financial stability (5% of score): Using financial stability industry ratings from companies like AM Best and Moody's, we created an overall rating to judge how likely companies are to pay out claims compared to the competition.

All pricing in this article is based on the following base profile to represent the vast majority of small businesses in all states:

• Three-person business with two employees
• Coverage: $1 million per occurrence and $2 million total per year for all but BOP, which includes the same coverage plus $5,000 of business property coverage
• $150,000 in payroll
• $300,000 annual revenue