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Business interruption for self-employed professionals

Business interruption insurance pays for the loss of your gross profit after covered material damage, and it is precisely that condition which determines whether this policy comes into the picture at all for a self-employed professional (zzp'er).

  • 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

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.

  • We compare the offerings of several insurers
  • An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
  • We arrange the switch, including cancellation

Request a quote

A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.

  • Independent advice
  • Several insurers
  • Switching arranged
  • Help with claims

In brief

The cover only takes effect once something has first been damaged: fire, burglary, storm, water from a burst pipe, or another covered cause affecting your premises, contents or goods. Without that material damage the policy does not pay. Assignments falling away, a client going bankrupt, an empty order book or your own illness are not covered causes. That distinction is the heart of it: this is consequential loss cover, not income protection.

The sum insured is the annual gross profit: your turnover minus the costs that fall away by themselves during a standstill. For a self-employed professional with no staff and no large business premises, that item is sometimes small, while the additional costs of keeping going are large: replacement workspace, hired equipment, a courier, temporary help. In that case additional costs insurance fits better. Those two forms are often confused when quotations are compared.

Two provisions deserve attention when taking out the policy. Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code prohibits a payment above the loss actually suffered, so over-insuring does not help; declaring too little leads instead to a proportionate payment. And Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the loss as soon as you are aware of it, which with business interruption is earlier than many business owners think: the day of the fire, not the day you calculate the loss of turnover.

Independent, personal, sorted quickly

We compare your business interruption insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.

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What does business interruption cover for self-employed professionals cover?

The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.

The basics

Liability

AVB for property damage and injury, BAV for professional errors.

  • Damage to third parties
  • Employers' liability
  • Care, custody and control as an extension
Your business

Assets and continuity

Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.

  • Business contents at replacement value as new
  • Goods at cost price
  • Business interruption or additional costs
If you employ people

Staff

Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.

  • Continued pay for 104 weeks
  • Group personal accident
  • WEGAS for traffic risks

What is covered

SituationAVBBAVCyber
Injury to a visitor or customerYesNoNo
Damage to a client's propertySometimesNoNo
Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation errorNoYesNo
Downtime after a ransomware attackNoNoYes
Data breach involving personal dataNoSometimesYes
Damage to property in your careNoNoNo

This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.

What does your premium depend on?

  • Annual gross profit. Turnover minus the variable costs that fall away during a standstill. This is the sum insured and the basis.
  • Indemnity period. The period over which the loss is paid, matched to the rebuilding time and the delivery time for equipment.
  • Nature of the work. Working with fire, wood, fat or dust leads to a higher fire class than office or advisory work.
  • Construction type and use of the building. Construction, roofing, neighbours in the same building and whether you work at home or elsewhere.
  • Dependence on a location or a machine. Anyone depending on a single workplace or machine with no fallback needs a longer period.
  • Excess in days and claims history. The waiting period before payment begins, together with earlier claims, determines the premium.

Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.

How we arrange it

  1. You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover and wishes.
  2. We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
  3. You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
  4. We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.

Request a quote

Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?

We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.

Independent

We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.

One fixed adviser

You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.

Switching without hassle

We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.

Help with claims

We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.

9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling

Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.

View the reviews at NH1816 · all reviews on our site

Where things go wrong in practice

Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.

No material damage, no business interruption loss

If the work stops because of a power cut on the network, a failure at your hosting provider, an access road dug up or a client going under, nothing of yours has been damaged and the policy does not pay out. Only with separate clauses, such as failure of utilities or dependence on a supplier, do those causes come within the cover. Ask about them expressly; they are not included as standard.

The indemnity period is the real choice

The period determines how long the loss is paid for, not how much. If you choose a short one and the rebuilding takes longer because of a permit, the delivery time for specialist equipment or a contractor who cannot start sooner, the gap falls at the end. Take into account as well that customers go elsewhere during the standstill and do not all come back; turnover is rarely back up to level straight after reopening.

Fixed costs do not stop during a standstill

Rent, lease instalments, subscriptions, insurance premiums and a hired assistant run on while nothing is coming in. That is precisely the item this insurance covers. Your own income is not included if you are the one who is out of action: that is incapacity for work and belongs with disability insurance (AOV). Work both scenarios through separately before you decide which policy takes priority.

What the policy does not pay out

Excluded are incapacity for work and death, penalties and contractual damages payable to your client, standstill through government measures or a pandemic, digital interruption without material damage, and loss arising from deferred maintenance or an inherent defect. Deliberate acts and reckless conduct remain excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. If the gross profit declared is too low, you also carry the difference yourself.

Frequently asked questions

This is what people ask us most.

I fall ill and cannot work. Does this insurance pay?

No. There is then no material damage to your premises, contents or goods, and that is the condition on which this cover takes effect. Absence through illness or an accident belongs with disability insurance or a broodfonds (a Dutch mutual sickness fund). For most self-employed professionals that risk is greater than fire, and therefore the first policy to work through.

I work from home. Can I insure this then?

Yes, but not on your private policies. An ordinary home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) usually does not cover business use, or covers it only to a limited extent. Report the business use of your home to the insurer and arrange the business contents, your tenant's improvements and the business interruption cover separately. Concealing it bears on your duty of disclosure and can stand in the way of payment on a later loss.

What is the difference from additional costs insurance?

Business interruption insurance pays the gross profit you lose. Additional costs insurance pays the costs you incur in order to keep working: replacement space, hired equipment, subcontracting. Anyone who can move elsewhere quickly and has few fixed costs is often better and more cheaply served by the second form.

What happens if I declare my gross profit too low?

Then you are underinsured and the loss is paid proportionately: the shortfall is for your own account. If you knowingly give incorrect information when applying, that also bears on the duty of disclosure under Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code, and the insurer can reduce or refuse payment. Update the amount each year.

Ready to compare?

Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.

Request a quote

Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.

About our service

Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.

You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.

This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .

The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.