Insurance and agency work
Discussion
I do some agency work/temping, sometimes I work in the same place, sometimes I work in one place for a day or two during the week and for a day or two somewhere else, sometimes for the same agency, sometimes for different ones.
Tax man says I am not self employed, many companies will not accept limited companies
So what car insurance do I need, domestic,/commuting or business.
Last year I took out business insurance, but it is about 25% more expensive.
Tax man says I am not self employed, many companies will not accept limited companies
So what car insurance do I need, domestic,/commuting or business.
Last year I took out business insurance, but it is about 25% more expensive.
For most occupations Business Class 1 is usually so inexpensive you might as well add it as a matter of course. I think the most I've seen it add is about £20/yr. Business use is required for any travel on behalf of your employer - if they ask you travel in your car for work, e.g go to a customer and perform a task on site, or go over to another branch during the day.
Commuting is defined as travel from home to a single place of work. That need not be the same place of work every day though.
If you are being paid by an agency and are sent to many different locations I'd ensure you have business cover.
Commuting is defined as travel from home to a single place of work. That need not be the same place of work every day though.
If you are being paid by an agency and are sent to many different locations I'd ensure you have business cover.
If you are just " commuting " to your place of work ( irrespective of how many different places that may be ) and not doing any work on behalf of your employer than don't see that you need business.What the tax man thinks has no bearing on what Insurance cover you want / need.
However if the business cover adds only a tiny amount of premium then if it stops any ambiguity in your mind it might be worth adding it.
However if the business cover adds only a tiny amount of premium then if it stops any ambiguity in your mind it might be worth adding it.
alscar said:
If you are just " commuting " to your place of work ( irrespective of how many different places that may be ) and not doing any work on behalf of your employer than don't see that you need business.....
That's often wrong.What does it say on the policy?
Does it use the word 'commuting' or does it actually say something more like 'including travel to a fixed place of employment'?
An agency worker who only ever has one 'place of employment' at a time may be a grey area.
But the other trap is that you answer the questions about your employment, including stating your employer's nature of business.
You don't want to be phoning up and informing your insurer of changes every time you move temping contracts.
Business use excluding the carriage of goods or samples is usually very cheap as an add-on.
If in doubt, it's always best to ask the question of your broker.
I often work through an agency, who are my 'employer', but my end-clients can change as frequently as daily, or as infrequently as annually. I also sometimes travel between end-client sites when I need to do something that can't be done remotely.
I asked my insurer (over 20 years ago), and they said it was a bit of a grey area, but to be sure I could add Business Class 1 insurance for about £20/year extra...which I did, and continue to do so. it also covers me for any self-employed work travel I do where I simply invoice the client directly.
I asked my insurer (over 20 years ago), and they said it was a bit of a grey area, but to be sure I could add Business Class 1 insurance for about £20/year extra...which I did, and continue to do so. it also covers me for any self-employed work travel I do where I simply invoice the client directly.
BertBert said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Commuting is, for most insurers, to & from one regular place or work. If you go to different offices, you would usually need Class 1.
We could always have another lengthy debate on what counts as commuting... or maybe not 
Insurers don't make this stuff easy.
Aviva, for example, say business cover is availabe for the asking (so why not make it standard?) and they go on to list the various levels of cover.
The say commuting is to one workplace. But also OK to different locations - as long as it's not on the same day.
"Do I need to select business use on my car insurance policy?
Most of our policies automatically qualify for personal business use as standard at no extra cost. This applies for the main driver of that vehicle and their spouse/domestic partner.
Unfortunately, we cannot cover business use for chauffeurs, taxi drivers, driving instructors or parcel/takeaway/fast food delivery drivers if they are using the insured vehicle in connection with their occupation.
Please see below a list of the different options and what each of these covers:
Social, Domestic & Pleasure Only (SD&P)
This excludes any travel to and from work or other business use
Social, Domestic & Pleasure plus commuting
This covers all named drivers to drive to and from the same place of work every day. This can also be selected if you travel to different places of work but only to one place of work per day
Personal Business Use
This covers all the above plus extends cover to the main driver and their spouse/domestic partner to drive to different locations of work in the same day
Employer's Business use
This covers all the above plus extends cover to any named drivers to drive in connection with the personal business of the main driver and any business of their spouse/domestic partner"
https://www.aviva.co.uk/faq/answer/motor/3004/
Aviva, for example, say business cover is availabe for the asking (so why not make it standard?) and they go on to list the various levels of cover.
The say commuting is to one workplace. But also OK to different locations - as long as it's not on the same day.
"Do I need to select business use on my car insurance policy?
Most of our policies automatically qualify for personal business use as standard at no extra cost. This applies for the main driver of that vehicle and their spouse/domestic partner.
Unfortunately, we cannot cover business use for chauffeurs, taxi drivers, driving instructors or parcel/takeaway/fast food delivery drivers if they are using the insured vehicle in connection with their occupation.
Please see below a list of the different options and what each of these covers:
Social, Domestic & Pleasure Only (SD&P)
This excludes any travel to and from work or other business use
Social, Domestic & Pleasure plus commuting
This covers all named drivers to drive to and from the same place of work every day. This can also be selected if you travel to different places of work but only to one place of work per day
Personal Business Use
This covers all the above plus extends cover to the main driver and their spouse/domestic partner to drive to different locations of work in the same day
Employer's Business use
This covers all the above plus extends cover to any named drivers to drive in connection with the personal business of the main driver and any business of their spouse/domestic partner"
https://www.aviva.co.uk/faq/answer/motor/3004/
deckster said:
As has been said. Business class 1 is minimal or even zero cost, so just get it put on and short-cut all the arguing.
OP has said it added 25% in his case.Must be something fairly unique about that. Added it for one of my "kids" mid-policy a few years ago and she got a £15 refund - and nothing else had changed, she hadn't passed a birthday etc.
For most people it seems a no-brainer. My next door neighbour's brother was a traffic cop and he said if he stopped a bloke during the day they'd nearly always say "I'm just taking something to the warehouse", or "I'm going to our other branch" etc and they'd practically never have proper cover.
I had to use my car to drive to the airport to go away for work (leaving car in long-stay).
I rang my insurers as I have SDP+Commuting (even though I don't use it to commute) to ask whether this counted as 'business'. After a bit of hesitation and being put on hold I was told it was fine and didn't count as business if I wasn't regularly doing it. It would seem mad to need business for this but I reckon it's still a grey area.
I rang my insurers as I have SDP+Commuting (even though I don't use it to commute) to ask whether this counted as 'business'. After a bit of hesitation and being put on hold I was told it was fine and didn't count as business if I wasn't regularly doing it. It would seem mad to need business for this but I reckon it's still a grey area.
Sheepshanks said:
deckster said:
As has been said. Business class 1 is minimal or even zero cost, so just get it put on and short-cut all the arguing.
OP has said it added 25% in his case.Must be something fairly unique about that. Added it for one of my "kids" mid-policy a few years ago and she got a £15 refund - and nothing else had changed, she hadn't passed a birthday etc.
For most people it seems a no-brainer. My next door neighbour's brother was a traffic cop and he said if he stopped a bloke during the day they'd nearly always say "I'm just taking something to the warehouse", or "I'm going to our other branch" etc and they'd practically never have proper cover.
Nothing special, using Moneysupermarket Hastings up nearly 28%, Carol Nash (never heard of them) 10% increase, RAC 16%, Churchill 32%
Done a Confused.com compare too now and the price difference is around £20 to £30 more, about 10%
Both of my car insurance certificates used the word “permanent” in relation to the place of work for commuting. So when I started doing agency work and being sent to various clients I added business cover - one insurer made the change for free, the other charged a £25 admin fee. No premium increase in either case.
deckster said:
As has been said. Business class 1 is minimal or even zero cost, so just get it put on and short-cut all the arguing.
Agreed that it's minimal for most people but I wonder if it varies depending on type of employment. for example I think insurance for journalists and jockeys can be quite high.Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff