Professional indemnity insurance for Irish businesses
DigiCare is an independent broker regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. We compare professional indemnity cover from a panel of insurers and match the exact limit your contract or professional body requires.
Reviewed by the DigiCare broking team · Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland · Last reviewed July 2026
- Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland
- Independent broker, multiple insurers
- Cover from €250,000 to €2 million and above
- Matched to your profession and limit
What is professional indemnity insurance?
Professional indemnity insurance (PI or PII) covers the legal costs and compensation you may have to pay if a client says your professional advice or work caused them a financial loss. It pays your legal defence costs and any damages, up to the cover limit you choose.
This is not the same as the "indemnity insurance" people buy during a property purchase. That property or deed-of-indemnity cover deals with a defect in a title or a missing planning or building-control document, and it is a conveyancing product. Professional indemnity is business cover for professional negligence: the financial harm your own advice or work might cause a client.
In the United States the same cover is called errors and omissions insurance (E&O), so an American client or contract may ask for "E&O cover" when they mean professional indemnity. A claim is triggered by professional negligence: a mistake, an oversight or poor advice that leaves a client worse off. Even a claim you go on to beat costs money to defend, and PI pays those defence costs as well as any settlement.
What professional indemnity insurance covers (and what it does not)
A standard Irish PI policy pays your legal defence costs and any compensation a client is awarded, up to the limit you choose. Defence costs alone can run to thousands even when a claim fails. Wording varies between insurers, so read your own policy schedule before you rely on it.
What's covered
- Professional negligence: a mistake or bad advice that causes a client financial loss
- Errors and omissions in your professional work
- Loss of, or damage to, client documents and data, whether paper or digital
- Unintentional infringement of intellectual property or copyright in client work
- Defamation, libel or slander arising from your work
- Unintentional breach of confidentiality
- Legal defence costs
- Compensation or damages awarded to the client
What's not covered
- Deliberate, dishonest, fraudulent or reckless acts
- Bodily injury or damage to a third party's property: that is public liability insurance, not PI
- Injury or illness suffered by your own staff: that is employers' liability insurance
- Known circumstances, prior claims, or work done before your policy's retroactive date
- Regulatory fines and penalties, and cyber-attacks beyond the policy's data cover
Claims-made basis: PI is written on a claims-made basis. A claim is covered if it is made against you while the policy is live, for work you did after the retroactive date. Tell your insurer or broker as soon as you know of a circumstance that could lead to a claim, because late notification can void the cover.
Who needs professional indemnity insurance in Ireland?
Professional indemnity insurance is not universally required in Ireland. It is mandatory for several regulated professions, each under its own regulator's rules, and it is very often a condition of a client contract or public-sector tender before you can sign. The Central Bank of Ireland regulates insurance and the intermediaries who arrange it. Last reviewed: July 2026.
Solicitors
Minimum €1,500,000 for each and every claim, excluding defence costs (S.I. 429/2020). The pre-euro £350,000 figure still quoted in some older notes is long out of date.
Insurance and reinsurance intermediaries
€1,564,610 per claim and €2,315,610 in aggregate each year, in force since 9 October 2024 under the EU IDD (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/896).
Chartered accountants
Members in public practice must hold PII under chapter 6 of the Public Practice Regulations. Check the current minimum with your body.
Architects
Registered under the Building Control Act 2007. The RIAI Code expects adequate and appropriate cover; the RIAI's stated minimum view is €650,000.
Chartered surveyors
Claims-made cover on the RICS Republic of Ireland approved minimum policy wording, from a listed insurer, with run-off.
Property services providers
Must hold PI for a PSRA licence under the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011 (S.I. 699/2024).
Even if no regulator covers your line of work, many clients, frameworks and public-sector tenders make PI a condition of the contract, often €1 million or €2 million before they will sign. If you are reviewing all your cover together, see our business insurance options.
How much professional indemnity cover do I need?
Most Irish businesses choose €1 million to €2 million of professional indemnity cover. The limit of indemnity in the market runs from about €250,000 to €2 million or more. Always check the minimum your professional body or client contract sets before you buy.
- 1
€250,000 to €500,000
Lower-risk sole traders and freelancers, or where a smaller client contract sets the bar
- 2
€1 million to €2 million
The most common choice for Irish SMEs, consultants and many regulated professions
- 3
€2 million and above
Larger contracts, public-sector frameworks and higher-risk advisory work
Regulator minimums: Some regulators set the floor for you. Solicitors must hold at least €1,500,000 for each and every claim (Law Society, S.I. 429/2020). Central Bank-regulated insurance intermediaries must hold €1,564,610 per claim and €2,315,610 in aggregate. Confirm your own body's current terms before you renew.
Aggregate vs any-one-claim: Watch how the limit applies. An "each and every claim" limit resets for every separate claim in the policy year; an "aggregate" limit is the most the policy will pay in total across all claims that year. For regulated work, your professional body may specify which basis it accepts.
How much does professional indemnity insurance cost in Ireland?
There is no single price for professional indemnity insurance in Ireland. Cover for a low-risk sole trader can start from around €150 to €350 per year, and rises with your profession's risk, your turnover and the limit of indemnity you choose. Higher-risk professions and higher limits cost substantially more, so the surest figure is your own quote.
Low-risk sole trader / freelancer
€250,000 limit
Monthly
€13 to €29
Annual
€150 to €350
Digital / creative professional
€1 million all-risk PI
Monthly
from about €14
Annual
from about €170
Regulated or higher-risk profession
€1 million to €2 million+
Monthly
Quoted individually
Annual
Quoted individually
What drives your premium
- Your profession and the risk of the advice or work you do
- The limit of indemnity you choose (higher limits cost more)
- Your annual turnover or fee income
- Your claims history
- The excess you agree to carry, and your retroactive date
Irish non-life insurance premiums carry a 3% government stamp duty levy plus a 1% Insurance Compensation Fund levy, 4% in total in 2026, added on top of the premium. PI premiums are normally a tax-deductible business expense. Confirm current levy rates with Revenue.
Professional indemnity insurance by profession
The risk that drives a PI claim looks different in every line of work. Below is the specific exposure each profession insures against, plus the regulator that makes cover mandatory where one applies. Tell us your trade and we will match the cover and the limit it needs.
Missed limitation dates, conveyancing errors and negligent advice. Mandatory minimum €1,500,000 each and every claim.
Solicitors
Law Society of IrelandTax errors, missed filings and negligent financial advice. Mandatory for members in public practice.
Accountants
Chartered Accountants IrelandDesign and structural-defect claims, including fire-safety exposure. Adequate and appropriate cover expected.
Architects
RIAIDesign or calculation errors that cause loss or rework. Often a contract requirement on larger projects.
Engineers
Engineers IrelandValuation and survey errors. Mandatory claims-made cover from a listed insurer.
Surveyors
SCSIDisputed advice, project overruns and code or IP defects in client systems. Contracts usually require €1m to €2m.
Consultants / IT consultants
Professional indemnity vs public liability vs employers' liability
Professional indemnity covers financial loss caused by your advice or work. Public liability covers physical injury or property damage you cause to a third party. Employers' liability covers staff who are injured or fall ill through work. Many businesses need more than one.
What it covers
Professional indemnity
Financial loss from negligent advice, service or work
Public liability
Third-party bodily injury or property damage
Employers' liability
Injury or illness suffered by your employees
Who needs it
Professional indemnity
Anyone giving advice or professional services; mandatory for many regulated professions
Public liability
Businesses with customer or public contact
Employers' liability
Any business that employs staff
Legally required?
Professional indemnity
No, except specific regulated professions
Public liability
No
Employers' liability
Effectively required: every Irish employer owes staff a duty of care under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005
How claims work: claims-made policies and run-off cover
PI is a claims-made policy. You are covered for claims made while the policy is live, for work done after your retroactive date. If you stop trading or retire, claims can still arrive for past work, so keep cover in force or buy run-off cover for that tail. Solicitors who cease practice must carry six years' run-off, now provided automatically by the last insurer (S.I. 312/1995).
- 1
Retroactive date
Earliest date of work your policy covers
- 2
Policy period
Claims made now for later work are covered
- 3
Run-off tail
Covers past work after you stop trading
- 1
Retroactive date
Earliest date of work your policy covers
- 2
Policy period
Claims made now for later work are covered
- 3
Run-off tail
Covers past work after you stop trading
Get a professional indemnity insurance quote
Tell us your profession and the cover limit you need. As an independent broker regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, DigiCare compares professional indemnity cover from a panel of insurers and matches the exact limit your contract or professional body requires.
DigiCare is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Registration reference shown in the footer; complaints route through the FSPO.
Chapter VI
Professional indemnity insurance FAQs
- Is "professional indemnity insurance" the same as "indemnity insurance"?
- No. Professional indemnity insurance is business cover for financial loss caused by your professional advice or work, also called errors and omissions or E&O. "Indemnity insurance" on its own usually means the property or deed-of-indemnity cover used in conveyancing in Ireland, a completely different product.
- Is professional indemnity insurance mandatory in Ireland?
- Not for every business. It is mandatory for specific regulated professions, including solicitors (minimum €1,500,000 each and every claim), Central Bank-regulated insurance intermediaries, chartered accountants, architects and surveyors, and it is often required by client contracts and public-sector tenders.
- How much does professional indemnity insurance cost in Ireland?
- Cover for a low-risk sole trader can start from roughly €150 to €350 a year; higher-risk professions and higher limits cost substantially more. Price depends on your profession, limit of indemnity, turnover, claims history and retroactive date, so it is quoted individually.