Personal Trainer Liability Insurance: Cost & Quotes From $11

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If you’re a fitness instructor or you’re thinking of becoming a fitness instructor, then you’re bound to have fitness or personal trainer insurance coverage sooner or later. Whether you do one-on-one classes or group classes, in-person training, or online fitness classes, most legal professionals will recommend that you maintain at least a basic personal trainer insurance.

In today’s article, we’ll explain some of the reasons why all licensed personal trainers and fitness instructors should be covered under a business insurance policy just like dance instructors. Also, we'll go over the various types of fitness training-related policies you’ll be able to shop for. We’ll also give you our expert review of a few of the top fitness business insurance providers on the market along with an easy-to-read table, which breaks down the average personal trainer insurance costs.

Why All Fitness Trainers Must be Covered Under a Business Insurance Policy 

As a professional fitness trainer, we assume that you are operating under a legally licensed business. This means that your business is registered in your state, you have a federal EIN number, and you pay your taxes as required by law. As long as you have your business paperwork straight, you’ll be able to apply for at least some basic business insurance coverage that will have your back if the unexpected happens.

Insurance is often one of the most overlooked aspects of starting a new business. However, it’s critical as it can save you big money on unexpected financial expenses! Here’s why we believe that all fitness trainers (and every other type of business for that matter) should, at least, have general liability insurance. 

For the most part, fitness training is safe. As long as the instructor knows what they’re doing and their student (or students) are following instructions, the chances of injury or misfortune are relatively low. However, accidents can always happen.

Injuries that you may be held accountable for are fractures, strains, and fatigue. We must emphasize fatigue, by the way. Fatigue is caused by overexertion. And according to a study,  there's at least a 36.2% chance of overexerting oneself while being physically trained. 

Without insurance, you could be facing a tough (and expensive) legal battle. However, with fitness instructor liability insurance, you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. Your insurance policy would pay for any legal fees associated with the incident, and if your business was found to be at fault, then your insurance would pay the settlement the plaintiff demands. 

Maintaining a reliable personal trainer insurance policy is crucial if you want to avoid any unnecessary legal headaches down the road. Obviously, as what commonly happens, you’ll never have to actually use your insurance coverage. Many trainers and fitness instructors are able to go through their entire careers without facing a single problem or falling victim to legal charges. 

However, all it takes is that one time to make or break you. Given this, the small monthly premium you’ll pay in personal trainer liability insurance costs is well worth the trouble.

Personal Trainer Liability Insurance for Fitness Instructors

Fitness instructor insurance is straightforward. Most trainers maintain a general liability policy. General liability insurance provides protection against personal injury claims and property damage claims.  Additionally, there are optional policies in general liability insurance that make protection more comprehensive - advertising injury coverage and products and completed operations coverage.

General liability insurance with advertising injury coverage covers defense costs and settlements if someone sues you for slander, libel, and copyright infringement. Decide to get this because reputational harm lawsuits will cost $13,00 - $18,000 to resolve. 

A client might develop some injuries after taking your personal training sessions and file a claim later on.  General liability insurance with products and completed operations coverage will take care of defense costs and settlements if this happens. 

In addition, many trainers opt to purchase a professional liability policy as well. This covers clerical and professional errors, such as:

• The client claims that you over-billed them

• The client claims they’re unsatisfied with their results

• The client suffered an injury and says that it's caused by your inability to provide clear instructions or tips

Professional liability is designed to protect you from actual and alleged accusations. Whether it’s a simple paperwork error or a more direct accusation of wrongdoing, this type of insurance will pay for legal defense fees and other costs that come up while dealing with these charges. 

General liability insurance and professional liability complement each other. That’s why it’s best if you have both at the same time. By having professional liability insurance and general liability insurance, you’ll be absolutely protected against claims from customers and other third parties. 

Professional liability insurance and general liability insurance aren’t the only policies you need if you’re a trainer with his or her own studio. You’ll need to have commercial property insurance too. Let’s discuss what this is in more detail.

Public Liability Insurance for Personal Trainers and Fitness Instructors vs General Liability Insurance for Personal Trainers and Fitness Instructors 

If you’ve been shopping around for different personal trainer insurance policies, then you’ve likely come across these two terms. They sound very similar to each other, so many people end up confusing them with one another. However, they do differ slightly in terms of the type of coverage they provide.

Public liability insurance provides protection for business owners from claims of injury or property damage made by customers and third-parties. General liability insurance, on the other hand, provides public liability and additional coverage when your business is accused of causing trouble or ends up actually causing trouble.

Fitness Instructor & Personal Trainer Commercial Property Insurance

Your fitness studio might get destroyed or damaged. The job of commercial property insurance is to take care of reconstruction or repair expenses if such a situation does happen. 

Commercial property insurance will reconstruct your fitness studio if fire or extreme weather destroys it. In case fire, extreme weather, theft, and other covered perils only caused damage, commercial property insurance will take care of building repair expenses. 

Inside your studio are expensive equipment such as training benches, dumbbell sets, barbell sets, kettlebell sets, treadmills, etc.  These things can get damaged or destroyed too. That’s why you should add business equipment and tools coverage to commercial property insurance. Business and tools equipment coverage will reimburse what you spent for the items we mentioned in case destruction or damage happens because of fire, extreme weather, vandalism, theft, and other covered perils

Business Owner’s Policy for Personal Instructors

Commercial property insurance and general liability insurance - should you decide that you would like both of these coverages, then it’s better to bundle them in a business owner’s policy. A business owner’s policy combines commercial property insurance and general liability insurance in one product. It's cheaper than when you purchased a commercial property and general liability insurance separately.  Also, most business owners’ policies allow you to add workers compensation insurance or commercial property insurance to its terms. 

Commercial Auto Insurance for Fitness Instructor

If you’re a fitness instructor who travels a lot to go to different gigs, then consider getting your car covered with commercial auto insurance. Commercial auto insurance offers the following types of protection:

• Auto liability coverage - This coverage in commercial auto insurance will pay for expenses if you caused a vehicular accident

• Physical damage coverage - Your vehicle might get damaged in a collision or by fire, extreme weather, hail, vandalism, or theft; physical damage coverage will take care of vehicle parts repair or replacement. Note that this comes in two forms - comprehensive physical damage coverage and collision physical damage coverage

• Emergency roadside assistance - This one reimburses what you’ll spend on gas delivery, battery delivery, battery jump-start, tire repair, tire replacement, tire delivery, and other emergency roadside assistance services 

Different Types of Group Exercise Instructor Insurance

These are the most common types of fitness trainers who should consider purchasing an insurance policy. 

• Zumba instructor insurance (or Zumba liability insurance). 

• Spin instructor insurance.

• Gym instructor insurance. 

• Aerobic instructor insurance. 

• Sports trainer insurance.

• Group fitness instructor insurance (teaching general group fitness). 

• Online fitness coach insurance / Online personal trainer insurance

• Pilates instructor insurance / Pilates teacher insurance. 

Fitness Instructor Insurance Requirements

So, what exactly are the insurance requirements for a fitness instructor? Although most state governments don’t explicitly have insurance requirements for fitness instructors and personal trainers, it’s a smart idea to have it. Additionally, if you’re providing your services inside a gym or studio, then the gym’s owner may require you to show proof of insurance, so make sure that no blame falls on them.

Personal Trainer Insurance Cost

Generally speaking, personal trainer insurance cost as well as fitness trainer insurance costs are quite affordable. Of course, personal and fitness instructor insurance cost will vary from one location to another and depend on how much coverage you need. However, many personal and group fitness instructors are able to get low monthly premiums anywhere between $10 per month or $120 a year. That’s a small price to pay for the thousands that it could save you down the road. 

For more idea about the average personal trainer insurance cost for fitness instructors, here’s a table showing the average cost some of the best personal trainer insurance companies in America charge:

Best Personal Trainer Insurance Companies

Now that you know a little bit more about how fitness trainer insurance works and why you need it, let’s take some time to look over the best personal trainer insurance companies that offers the best liability insurance for personal trainers and fitness instructors out there! 

CoverWallet Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Get insured immediately online  - no waiting for the office to open and no filing in line

• Cancel a policy anytime 

• A partner of reputable insurance companies 

Cons

• Not a carrier but an insurance broker selling the quotes of its partners 

CoverWallet’s personal trainer insurance has four options-general liability only, general liability and commercial property, business owner’s policy with workers comp, and a custom plan. So why allow CoverWallet to insure you?  This company insures you immediately, allows you to pay premiums online, and cancel a policy anytime. 

Best for: Personal trainer insurance quotes comparison online

Average cost: $6 per month

Our rating: 10/10

Thimble Fitness and Personal Trainer Insurance 

Pros

• Short-term insurance for fitness and personal trainers

• Get insured online

• File a claim anytime anywhere

Cons

• Some customers experience inconvenience while using Thimble’s app

Thimble’s fitness and personal trainer insurance includes general liability coverage and professional liability coverage. Work with this company because it allows you to only get insured for only hours, days, weeks, or months. 

Best for: Short-term personal trainer insurance

Average cost: $8

Our rating: 9/10

NEXT Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Get an instant certificate of insurance upon finalizing your purchase

• Bundle policies and get a 10% discount

• General liability for personal trainers comes with tools and equipment coverage

Cons

• NEXT doesn’t offer commercial auto insurance for personal trainers 

NEXT personal trainer insurance offers general liability, commercial property and workers compensation insurance. You can bundle general liability and commercial property into a business owner’s policy to save on premiums. Also, policies, NEXT offers, start at the lowest amount of coverage available. 

Best for: Business owner’s policy for personal trainers

Average cost: $11

Our rating: 8/10

Hiscox Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Liability policies offer more than $2 million in coverage

• Free risk management business resources

Cons

• Doesn’t resolve disputes with customers well

Hiscox offers general liability, personal accident, and cyber liability insurance for personal trainers. Get insured by this company because it offers free business resources that help you mitigate risks, avoid making claims, and ultimately keep insurance rates stable and cheap. 

Best for: Personal trainer insurance with cyber liability coverage

Average cost: $12

Our rating: 7/10

NASM Liability Insurance

Pros

• Easy to sign up for

• Offered by NASM (where many trainers receive their certification). 

• Several easy-to-understand policies

Cons

• May not be good for larger fitness training groups that need a broader policy

Many personal trainers receive their certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, or NASM. In addition to providing top-of-the-line education and certification programs for trainers, NASM has also partnered with NEXT Insurance to provide low-cost NASM personal trainer insurance. 

The insurer’s most basic policy starts at just $14 per month for a $500,000 general liability policy. However, if you need additional coverage, then you can sign up for one of their Pro or Pro Plus plans that provide $1 million or $2 million worth of liability coverage. 

NASM insurance is easy to sign up for and provides the basic coverage that most personal trainers or online fitness instructors need. 

Best for: One-on-one personal trainers, small group fitness instructors, online personal trainers

Average cost: $14

Our rating: 6/10

Ace Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Discounted rates for former Ace students

• Multiple options for coverage

Cons

• Applicants who did not receive Ace certification may have to pay slightly higher rates. 

Ace is another popular personal training certification program. In addition to transforming students into high-performing coaches, though, Ace also provides aspiring fitness trainers with simple, easy-to-understand insurance. As a former Ace student, you’ll be able to apply for a discounted rate. However, if you’ve received your certification from another program, you can still apply for Ace insurance at the company’s regular rates. 

Unlike NASM/NEXT insurance, though, Ace gives policyholders the option to purchase both general liability coverage and personal liability/personal indemnity insurance. This makes it a great choice for personal trainers who teach large classes or interact with a greater number of clients, where the potential for negligence claims is higher than traditional one-on-one training. 

Best for: Great for group fitness instructors, dance or Zumba instructors, or trainers who work in a large gym

Average cost: $18

Our rating: 5/10

GEICO Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Large national brand

• Claims are easy with the easy-to-use Geico app

• Bundle two or more Geico policies to save money

Cons

• Individual policies can be a bit pricey 
• Doesn't have personal liability insurance for personal trainers

Geico is one of the country’s largest insurers, so it comes as no surprise that they also provide insurance policies for certified personal trainers. The one downside of Geico is that it may be slightly more expensive than some of the other insurance company's  we’ve looked at. However, these prices can often be offset by bundling your Geico personal trainer insurance with other policies such as your Geico auto or home insurance policies.

Best for: Online personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and one-on-one trainers

Average cost: $20

Our rating: 5/10

USAA Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Low-cost coverage

• Great customer service

• Reputable, military-oriented insurer

Cons

• You must be on active duty or retired in the military to apply

If you are active or retired in the military, or you have a spouse who’s in the military, then you can apply for USAA’s business insurance. They offer some of the best rates on the market and are regarded as one of the cheapest personal trainer insurance providers you can work with. The one downside is that they only provide insurance for people in the military. 

However, if you are in the military, then you’ll be rewarded with superior customer service, low rates, and USAA’s remarkably easy-to-use platform. If you already have USAA insurance for your home or auto, you can even bundle your new business policy with your existing policies! 

Best for: Any personal or group fitness instructors. Any online personal coaches

Average cost: $23

Our rating: 4/10

Philadelphia Insurance Personal Trainer

Pros

• Custom plans for all fitness/health-related businesses

• Custom plans for online fitness instructors

• Coverage in the U.S. and for international business trips

Cons

• No ability to bundle policies with existing auto/home policies 

• Doesn't offer professional indemnity insurance personal trainer

Like NASM and Ace insurance, Philadelphia Insurance has custom plans designed to cater to the specific needs of health and wellness professionals and personal trainers. This means that you can rest easy with the knowledge that all of your bases (however small) are covered. Additionally, with the advent of COVID-19, Philadelphia has made great strides to improve and customize its small business insurance policies for online personal fitness trainers and wellness professionals. 

Best for: Any private or group personal trainers. Online trainers can apply for custom policies

Average cost: $26

Our rating: 4/10

Marsh Personal Training Insurance

Pros

• Custom plans for all fitness professionals

• Policyholders aren’t required to be a part of a fitness organization

• Offers public liability insurance personal trainer

• Over ten years of experience insuring the fitness industry

Cons

• Expensive

• Only available in Australia

If your personal training business is based out of Australia, then Marsh is one of the best insurers you can work with. They have a proven record of helping personal trainers, gyms, and dance studios secure all of the coverage that they need. The biggest reason to go with Marsh is that they have a number of custom-formulated plans specifically designed to cater to the needs of Australian fitness instructors and gyms. Whether you’re a one-on-one trainer or a group fitness instructor, you can have 100% confidence that you’re covered against general liability and personal indemnity claims. 

Best for: Large group fitness instructors, specialty fitness instructors 

Average cost: $31

Our rating: 3/10

Markel Personal Trainer Insurance

Pros

• Specialized insurance for fitness instructors and personal trainers

Cons

• Expensive

Markel offers office insurance, personal accident insurance, office insurance, and other specialized insurance policies. Work with Markel if you’re looking for a company that creates insurance products tailored to the training programmes you make for clients. 

Best for: Specialized insurance policies for personal trainers and fitness instructors

Average cost: $32

Our rating: 2/10

Personal Trainer Insurance ISSA

ISSA is the International Sports Sciences Association. This group offers training and certification courses for many of today’s leading CPTs. Like NASM, ISSA is regarded as one of the top certification programs in the country. Upon earning their final credits, ISSA students can start their personal training business and purchase their first insurance policy. 

Although ISSA doesn’t provide its own insurance for students, they are able to connect students with a number of different insurance policies that are designed specifically for ISSA trainers. By using these resources, ISSA students can often qualify for policies at a discounted or reduced rate.

Cheap Personal Trainer Insurance Companies

Please find a fitness instructor insurance comparison by company and rate for some of the best and cheapest personal trainer insurance companies. You can also find the average cost for public liability insurance for fitness instructors for each of these companies. 

As you can see, the cheapest fitness instructor insurance (based on average monthly premium) is through CoverWallet Insurance. Also, this company has an online quotes comparison tool where you can get the offers and pricing of other companies having coverage for personal trainers.

In order to find the most affordable personal training insurance for your specific business, maybe even cheaper than those above, the best thing you can do is to hit the get quotes button at this page and follow the process to receive free personal trainer insurance quotes from top business insurers at the best possible rates! This way we match fitness professionals to the best fitness instructor insurance on the market.

Do These Companies Provide Health Insurance for Personal Trainers? 

So does the company above help to make you a fitness instructor or personal trainer covered by health insurance? Typically, health insurance policies are totally separate from business insurance policies. While some of these personal trainer liability policies will pay for certain medical bills or compensate you for on-the-job injuries and lost wages, they only provide this as a business-related coverage.

Fitness Training Insurance FAQs

Before we get into reviewing the best personal trainer insurance companies and policies, we’re going to take a minute to answer some of the most frequently asked questions that policyholders are asking regarding fitness training insurance.

Do I Need Personal Trainer Business Insurance? 

Most states don’t have a law that requires personal trainers to have business liability insurance. However, the gym you train in or the shopping center where you rent a training space may require you to show proof of insurance before they allow you to start training on their property. Additionally, having insurance provides your clients with a sense of security and makes you look more professional. This, in turn, will result in more gigs and ultimately better income. 

What is Professional Indemnity Insurance for Trainers? 

Professional indemnity insurance provides you with protection if a client ever claims that your services “don’t work.” As you can imagine, these claims are common in the health and fitness industry. When it comes to fitness, results can vary significantly from one individual to another. Some clients will achieve great results, while others don’t put in the necessary work. This type of coverage is actually the same as professional liability insurance we discussed above.