Contractor GL Pricing
How Much Is General Liability Insurance for a Contractor?
Most contractors pay $42 to $400 per month for $1M/$2M general liability coverage — with the exact number driven by your trade, revenue, claims history, and payroll.
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What Contractor GL Insurance Actually Costs
Across the contractor market, general liability premiums run roughly 1% to 3% of annual revenue. Low-risk trades like handymen, painters, and janitorial sit at the bottom of that range. High-risk trades like roofing, demolition, and tree service sit at the top. A solo handyman billing $80,000 a year might pay $42–$60 a month for a $1M/$2M policy, while a 10-truck roofing operation doing $3M in revenue can easily pay $1,400–$1,800 a month for the same limits. Learn more about general liability insurance for contractors or scroll down for the details on this question.
Here are realistic monthly ranges Trade Safe sees for contractors carrying the most common $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate limits:
- Painters / handymen: $45–$95/mo
- Landscapers: $55–$115/mo
- Electricians: $65–$135/mo
- Plumbers / HVAC: $70–$145/mo
- General contractors: $85–$250/mo
- Roofers / demo / tree service: $120–$400/mo
Six variables move the number up or down faster than anything else: trade classification, annual revenue, payroll, claims history in the last 3–5 years, subcontractor usage, and geography. A roofer in coastal Florida pays multiples of what the same roofer pays in A new contractor (under three years in business) almost always pays a premium until a clean loss history is established.
Limits matter too. Moving from $1M/$2M to $2M/$4M typically adds 10–20% to your premium. Adding a $1M commercial umbrella on top of the underlying GL is almost always cheaper than raising the underlying limits and is how most contractors reach the $5M aggregate that bigger GCs require.
Bottom Line
Plan on 1–3% of revenue for GL. The fastest way to find your real number is a 10-minute call with an independent agent who can shop the right carriers for your specific trade and risk profile.
Why Two Identical Contractors Can Get Wildly Different Quotes
Two roofers running similar revenue can be quoted $1,400/year apart from the same underwriter. The difference almost always comes down to four hidden inputs: class code accuracy (residential vs. commercial vs. industrial roofing all rate differently), payroll split between owners and employees (carriers rate the two on entirely different schedules), subcontracted vs. self-performed work, and prior loss runs (specifically the 3-year experience modification factor a carrier sees on your record).
Trade Safe’s job as an independent agent is to surface those inputs before we send your application to market. A clean, accurate, well-documented application gets routed to the carrier with the most appetite for your class — and those carriers offer 15–30% better pricing than the markets that take “throw it against the wall” submissions. Your premium is decided in the first 10 minutes of your intake call, not at quote delivery.
Five Ways Contractors Lower Their GL Premium
- Bundle GL with workers’ comp and commercial auto — 5–15% multi-policy credit.
- Raise your deductible — moving from $0 to $1,000 or $2,500 trims 5–10% off premium.
- Document a written safety program — OSHA-10 trained crews and toolbox talks earn underwriter credits.
- Require subs to carry their own GL — uninsured sub payroll gets charged back to you at audit.
- Re-shop every 2–3 years — carrier appetite shifts constantly. The cheapest market last year is rarely the cheapest market this year.
The Trade Safe Difference
Why Contractors Choose Trade Safe
Independent Agency
We shop dozens of A-rated carriers on one application so you get the best price and the right policy form for your trade — not whatever a single carrier wants to sell you.
20+ Years in Contractor Insurance
We do nothing but contractor insurance. We know the trade classifications, the carrier appetites, and the endorsements your GC will demand on every COI.
Same-Day Certificates of Insurance
Need an additional insured added before your Monday morning walk? Text or call. We move at jobsite speed, not corporate call-center hold-music speed.
Get a Contractor GL Quote Today
An independent agent who shops dozens of A-rated carriers — and knows your trade inside and out.
Trade Safe Insurance — — Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM EST