Does My Business Need A Illinois Business Owners Policy?
A business owners policy is convenient and affordable, making it a wise investment for certain types of business owners. Basically, it makes coverage needs a lot easier because it includes business liability, business property, and business income coverage all in one simple policy. In other words, it saves you from having to purchase multiple policies.
Not only is it more cost effective, but it’s just a lot easier. Since other types of coverage can be added to a BOP, it can be customized to meet your specific needs, which makes it an even smarter and more convenient option.
If any of the following apply to you and your organization, you should consider investing in a business owner’s policy:
- Your business is located in a physical Illinois location, such as a leased office space, a brick and mortar store, or even your home.
- There’s a chance that you could be sued; for instance, if a client could file a lawsuit against you, claiming he or she sustained an injury while on your business’ property.
- Your business has assets that could be stolen or damaged by a disaster, such as a fire. Assets include furniture, equipment, digital information, money, or a stock of inventory.
What Does Illinois Business Owners Policy Cover?

A BOP usually offers general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and business income coverage. To be more specific, a standard BOP covers the following:
General Liability Insurance. In regard to liability coverage, the broader it is the better. The general liability insurance a business owner’s policy offers covers a business should it be sued for damaging someone else’s property or for causing harm to another person. It also assists with the cost of legal fees that you may incur.
Commercial Property Insurance. A business owner’s policy can also protect your Illinois business’ property, whether that property is owned, rented or leased. It covers various things, such as the building, the furniture, the inventory, the equipment, and the fixtures within the business. There are two different forms of commercial property coverage in a BOP; standard and special (which provides more comprehensive coverage). It also offers coverage should any accounts receivable and important documents be lost.
Business income insurance. Should some unforeseen circumstance arise that will that cause the operations of your business to be suspended, the business income insurance offered in a BOP can help to replace your lost income in order to assist you with meeting any financial obligations you may have that cannot be put off, such as paying your employees or your rent. It can also include the extra expenses of operating out of a temporary location.
As mentioned, you can add other coverage to a BOP to ensure your business has the protection that it needed. Following are some additional coverage options that businesses often opt to add to a Illinois business owners policy:
- Blanket Additional Insured
- Building & Business Personal Property
- Business Income and Extra Expense
- Data Breach
- Electronic Data and Equipment
- Employment Practices Liability
- Identity Theft
- Limited Property of Others Liability
- Personal Property of Other
- Valuable Papers and Records
What Illinois Business Owners Policy Doesn’t Cover
BOPs typically do not cover:
- Amounts beyond the policy limits and property value.
- Commercial auto insurance
- Disability insurance
- Employee injuries – CGL only covers non-employee bodily injuries. You will need workers compensation to cover employee injuries
- Employment disputes – Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI), not general liability, covers lawsuits if an employee sues over harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination, and similar issues.
- Health insurance
- Intentionally damage caused by the business owner or employees
- Personal belongings that may be used by the business.
- Professional mistakes – Only professional liability insurance (E&O) can cover lawsuits due to negligence and professional mistakes.
- Property damage resulting from employee errors.
- Property that was not purchased for business use
How Much Does Illinois A Business Owners Policy Cost?
How much does Illinois a business owners policy cost? The premiums vary depending on the amount of risk exposure, and it depends on the endorsements and deductible selected. Following are some of the main factors that go into the price of a policy:
- Type of business (contracting, service, retail etc.)
- Business location
- Years in business
- Business experience
- Annual payroll
- Annual revenue
- History of claims
- How much property you want to cover
Illinois Business Owners Policy Quotes
Request a Illinois Business Owners Policy Insurance quote in Arlington Heights, Aurora, Bartlett, Belleville, Berwyn, Bloomington, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Champaign, Chicago, Cicero, Crystal Lake, DeKalb, Decatur, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Elgin, Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenview, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Joliet, Lombard, Moline, Mount Prospect, Naperville, Normal, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Orland Park, Palatine, Park Ridge, Peoria, Plainfield, Quincy, Rock Island, Rockford, Romeoville, Schaumburg, Skokie, Springfield, Streamwood, Tinley Park, Urbana, Waukegan, Wheaton, Wheeling and all other cities in IL.
Illinois Insurance Rules And Regulations
There are regulations governing insurance in IL that you should be aware of that cover both business and personal insurance. These include the limits associated with certain types of insurance as well as the actual regulations that govern these insurance categories - as well as regulatory agencies. Let's take a close look at the regulations for insurance in Illinois.
Illinois Business Insurance
The first type of insurance that we will discuss is Illinois business insurance. The most common type of business insurance is called General Liability. Liability insurance protects businesses in a number of ways, but the main way that you can think of this type of insurance is as coverage for when someone brings a lawsuit against you for something that happens on your premises. So, for example, if someone were to slip and fall on a freshly-mopped floor within your store, then you might be responsible for their injuries. Liability insurance protects you in instances like these.
However, there are some types of business insurance that are required by law. The first is standard in almost every state, and it is known as Worker's Compensation insurance. In some states, you have to have a certain number of employees before you are required to carry this type of insurance, but in Illinois, if you employ at least one person either full-time or part-time, you have to have Workees comp.
IL Personal Insurance
There are a couple of different types of personal insurance that are regulated by law in Illinois that you need to be concerned with. The first is auto insurance. Any private individual that operates a motor vehicle must carry liability insurance on that vehicle with certain limits reached. The insurance companies are already aware of these limits and the insurance that they offer provides them. The limits are 25 000 USD per person with a total maximum payout of 50 000 USD per accident. In addition, there must be another additional 25 000 USD provided for property damage.
There are also some regulations governing life insurance in Illinois that you should be concerned with. Life insurance is regulated under Title 215 in the State of Illinois Statutes. One regulation is that Illinois residents are given a minimum period of 10 days to evaluate the life insurance. You can cancel at any time during these 10 days and receive a full refund. In addition, insurance companies must provide a guarantee of death and claim payment as well as cash value. Finally, insurance companies must provide a timely payment of claims and keep your medical information private.