Burden of proof · turnover figures · purchase invoices
Business account for self-employed professionals
When you claim, what counts is not what you say you own, but what you can show. For a self-employed professional the business account is the trail of evidence.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands · Deutsch
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
We do not act as intermediaries for accounts. You open those with your bank. What we do see coming back in claims files is the burden of proof. Anyone submitting a claim has to make it plausible that the item existed, that it was theirs and what it was worth. A business account with the matching purchase invoices is the simplest route to that: the card payment, the invoice and the accounting entry all point to the same moment. Tools bought with cash and no receipt make for a difficult file after a theft.
The same applies to turnover figures. With disability insurance the income from the business is looked at when paying, and with business interruption insurance the pattern of turnover before the loss. If private and business run together, that assessment takes longer and an argument arises about which income counts. Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code provides that a payment must not put you in a better position. The evidence is therefore always the starting point.
Report claims in good time. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to notify as soon as you can reasonably be aware of it, and for theft virtually every policy asks for a police report within a short period. A claim that comes in weeks later is assessed on whether the insurer's interests have been harmed. For tools and equipment the cover is arranged through a business contents insurance or separate equipment cover.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on SME insurance package.
Insurance never stands alone
A mortgage, loan or investment often touches your insurance too. We look at the bigger picture and point you to the right specialist whenever something falls outside insurance itself.
Financial
Overview
AdviceWhere self-employed claims founder
Four recurring causes, all traceable to evidence or to a clause.
Tools left in the van overnight
Almost every policy has a night clause: tools left in a vehicle between set hours are not covered or only to a limited extent, unless the vehicle is in a locked space. The insurer also requires traces of forced entry. If materials disappear from a building site without signs of forced entry, that is disappearance and not theft, and no payment follows.
Wear, inherent defect and gradual deterioration
A battery that starts performing less well, a motor that burns out through overloading or a housing that cracks after years: those are not sudden events but wear and inherent defect, and they are excluded as standard. Gradual effects of moisture or temperature fall under it too. Machinery damage has its own cover; see machinery breakdown insurance.
New equipment that has not been declared
The section has a sum insured and sometimes a schedule of items. If you buy extra equipment without increasing the sum, there is underinsurance and payment is made proportionally, even on a small claim. For expensive single items there is often a duty to declare each object. Without that declaration, that very item falls outside the cover.
Financial loss and fines stay out of the picture
Turnover lost because a client does not pay, a debtor becoming insolvent or a contract being rescinded is pure financial loss and not an insured event on property cover. Administrative fines and additional tax assessments are insured nowhere, and loss caused deliberately is excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. For disputes with clients there is business legal expenses cover the appropriate route.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of the plant: the sum for tools and equipment
- Where the vehicle is kept: a locked shed, a garage or the street
- Security of the van and storage: locks, alarm and a lockbox in the vehicle
- Working area: a fixed workshop, building sites or changing locations
- Annual turnover: the basis for liability and business interruption
- Excess chosen: a higher excess brings the premium down noticeably
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Your mitre saw disappears from the workshop after visible forced entry at the back door | Yes | Yes |
| Your trailer with materials is taken from the drive in front of your house | No | Provided that |
| Your laptop falls off a table at a client's premises and the screen cracks | No | Yes |
| A burst pipe floods your stock on the premises | Yes | Yes |
| Your measuring equipment cannot be found after a job and nobody knows what happened | No | No |
| Fire damages the fitting out of the workspace you set up at home | Provided that | Yes |
Which section pays depends on where the equipment was at the moment of the loss.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Do I have to keep receipts for my insurance?
There is a retention requirement for your tax records, and for your insurance the requirement is practically the same. After a theft or fire the loss adjuster asks for purchase invoices, serial numbers and photographs in order to establish ownership and value. Digital copies are usually enough, provided they are not solely on the device that was stolen or burnt. Keep them away from the business premises.
How is my income established if I become unfit for work?
At the outset on the basis of your annual figures, and when paying again on the basis of the records for the preceding years. A separate business account makes that easier, because income from the business is immediately visible. If your actual income differs greatly from the sum insured, report it; a sum insured that is too high does not produce a higher payment.
Are tools stolen from my van always covered?
No. Virtually every policy sets requirements on the time of day, on where the vehicle is kept and on signs of forced entry. Materials left in a van on the street overnight are usually excluded or covered only to a limited extent. Check the clause before you rely on it, and always report the theft to the police. Without a police report a theft claim rarely results in payment.
What if I extend my activities?
Report it before you start. The policy covers the insured capacity stated on the policy schedule, and work outside it is not insured, even though the same business invoices it. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report changes in the risk. A new discipline often calls for different cover as well, for instance professional indemnity alongside public and employers' liability.