Commercial Crime Insurance: What Does It Cover?

Updated: August 26, 2025

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Key Takeaways

Commercial crime insurance provides financial protection when criminals steal money, commit fraud or forge documents targeting your business.

Coverage includes employee theft and computer fraud but excludes owner crimes and data breaches, which need separate policies.

Your coverage amount depends on business size, annual revenue, valuable property and employee access to financial accounts.

What is Commercial Crime Insurance?

Commercial crime insurance covers you when criminals steal from your business. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' 2024 Occupational Fraud Report found that organizations lose 5% of their revenue to occupational fraud annually, with the median loss reaching $145,000 per case. Commercial crime fills the gaps that standard policies leave behind.

You can purchase commercial crime insurance coverage as a standalone policy or add crime protection as an endorsement to your business owner's policy (BOP). Coverage works on a 'named perils' basis, meaning it only covers specific criminal acts listed in your policy.

What Does Commercial Crime Insurance Cover?

Commercial crime insurance covers losses when criminals steal money, forge documents or commit fraud, but excludes certain scenarios that require different coverage types. These examples show when coverage applies, with reimbursement coming after you pay your policy deductible:


An employee steals cash from the register.	✅	A restaurant cashier pockets $50 from each transaction over six months, totaling $15,000 in theft covered under employee dishonesty provisions.
The business owner embezzles company funds.	❌	A CEO transfers $100,000 to personal accounts because crime insurance excludes theft by owners, partners or senior management from coverage.
Hackers infiltrate your system to wire funds electronically.	✅	Cybercriminals access an accounting firm's banking portal and transfer $25,000 to overseas accounts, which computer fraud coverage would reimburse.
A customer pays with a forged company check.	✅	A contractor receives a $5,000 forged check from someone impersonating a regular client, covered under forgery provisions of the crime policy.
Hackers steal customer credit card data from your database.	❌	Cybercriminals breach a retailer's system and steal 10,000 customer records, but data theft requires separate cyber liability insurance.
Criminals physically rob your business at gunpoint.	✅	Armed thieves steal $8,000 in cash and equipment from a jewelry store during operating hours, covered under robbery provisions.
An employee makes honest accounting mistakes.	❌	A bookkeeper accidentally miscategorizes $20,000 in expenses, causing financial losses that aren't covered because they lack criminal intent.
Your CFO falls for a fake email requesting wire transfers.	✅	A finance manager wires $15,000 after receiving an email appearing to be from the CEO, which is covered if the social engineering endorsement is purchased.
Business operations halt during the crime investigation.	❌	Police investigate employee theft for two weeks, shutting down operations and costing $30,000 in lost revenue, which requires business interruption insurance.

How Much Commercial Crime Insurance Do I Need?

Commercial crime insurance isn't required by law for most businesses, but companies offering employee retirement plans must carry ERISA fidelity bonds. For everyone else, the decision comes down to protecting your business from financial losses.

Your coverage needs depend on several key factors:

1
Business size and employee count
The more employees you have, the higher your theft risk. Insurers also consider whether staff work at one location or multiple offices.
2
Annual revenue and cash flow
Higher revenue businesses need more coverage since criminals target companies with more available funds to steal.
3
Valuable property and equipment
Businesses with expensive inventory, equipment or significant cash on hand need higher coverage limits to protect these assets.

Who Needs Commercial Crime Insurance?

All businesses can be victims of crime, but certain industries face higher risks and should strongly consider commercial crime insurance coverage. High-risk industries include:

Financial services and accounting firms

When your employees handle client funds daily, employee dishonesty coverage protects against embezzlement. If your bookkeeper transfers client money to personal accounts, crime insurance reimburses those stolen funds.

Retail and hospitality businesses

Cash registers and valuable inventory make tempting targets. Crime coverage pays for employee theft from registers plus external burglary of merchandise, protecting your profit margins from both internal and outside criminals.

Health care practices

Beyond expensive medical equipment, you're vulnerable when staff process patient credit cards and insurance payments. Computer fraud coverage helps if criminals hack your payment systems to steal funds electronically.

Technology companies

High-value servers and client database access create double exposure. Coverage protects against equipment theft, while computer fraud provisions cover losses if employees misuse client information for financial gain.

Even if your industry isn't considered high-risk, you should still consider commercial crime insurance if your business handles significant cash transactions, stores valuable inventory or equipment or gives employees access to financial accounts and sensitive customer information. These create opportunities for both employee theft and external crime that could impact your bottom line.

Commercial Crime Insurance Policy: Bottom Line

Commercial crime insurance covers you when criminals steal from your business or commit fraud against you. It protects against employee theft and computer crimes, but you'll need other coverage for data breaches and crimes by owners. Your coverage amount depends on your business size, revenue and how much access employees have to your money.

Commercial Crime Insurance Coverage: FAQ

MoneyGeek answers the most frequently asked questions about commercial crime insurance to help you make informed coverage decisions:

What is commercial crime insurance?

Commercial crime insurance shields you financially when criminals steal money, commit fraud or forge documents targeting your business. This coverage works on a "named perils" basis, meaning it only covers specific criminal acts listed in your policy.

Does business insurance cover theft?

Standard business insurance typically doesn't cover employee theft or many criminal acts. Commercial crime insurance fills these gaps by covering employee dishonesty, computer fraud and forgery that general liability and business property policies exclude.

What's the difference between commercial crime insurance and fidelity bonds?

Fidelity bonds typically offer lower limits and cover specific employee positions. Commercial crime insurance provides broader coverage with higher limits for multiple criminal acts, including computer fraud and forgery.

How much does commercial crime insurance cost?

Commercial crime insurance costs depend on your business size, annual revenue, employee count and valuable property exposure. Businesses with more employees and earning higher revenues usually pay more due to increased theft risk.

Does commercial crime insurance cover cryptocurrency theft?

Basic commercial crime policies may not cover cryptocurrency theft. You'll likely need specific endorsements for digital currency protection, similar to how social engineering fraud requires additional coverage beyond standard computer fraud provisions.

Who handles claims for commercial crime insurance?

Your insurance company handles crime insurance claims, whether you have standalone coverage or add it as an endorsement to your business owner's policy. Contact your insurer immediately when you discover any criminal acts to start the claims process.

Is commercial crime insurance required by law?

Commercial crime insurance isn't legally required for most businesses. However, companies offering employee retirement plans must carry ERISA fidelity bonds, which you can add as an endorsement to commercial crime policies.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, is MoneyGeek's resident Personal Finance Expert. With over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, he conducts original research and creates tailored content for all types of buyers. His insights have been featured in publications like CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.

Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!

Passionate about economics and insurance, he aims to promote transparency in financial topics and empower others to make confident money decisions.

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sources

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. "Occupational Fraud 2024: A Report to the Nations." Accessed August 23, 2025.

Commercial Crime Insurance