Fitness Insurance For Personal Trainers – Personal trainers have good earning potential. As mentioned, part of this income can be used to cover several business expenses.
If you are an independent business owner, you need training equipment. This means you don’t need to purchase resistance bands or other items that you can take to your clients’ homes. If your clients come to you for training, you may need more expensive training equipment.
Fitness Insurance For Personal Trainers
If you work out at a gym or other fitness center, you’ll still need to factor in personal training costs. You may need to purchase your own uniform. Or, they may expect you to pay travel expenses when you visit clients outside of the office. All these expenses are part of your budget.
What Insurance Does A Personal Trainer Need?
But there is one more thing you will need when working in the fitness industry. It’s insurance.
It may be tempting to end your coverage. Especially if you’re just starting out and trying to keep costs down. But not having adequate insurance coverage can cost you in the long run. Here are two main examples.
In 2015, a woman sued her personal trainer over a neck injury. He had previously been injured in this area and was playing rehabilitation sports. However, a new one formed under the old wound, and the damage caused was irreversible. Because of this, the woman suffered from pain and reduced mobility. The court awarded him $980,000. (1)
And in February 2016, a Connecticut doctor filed a lawsuit against his personal trainer. For what? He claimed the trainer hit him too hard, which left him paralyzed. Although the jury found the doctor partly guilty, it nevertheless awarded him $14.5 million in damages. (2)
Guide To Personal Trainer Insurance In Australia
The question you need to ask yourself is: can you afford to pay this way? If your answer is no – and most of us are – insurance is essential. This will help you if one of your customers files a claim for a large amount. What can they do even if their injury was not your fault?
Having insurance also increases your credibility as a personal trainer. This tells your clients that you consider yourself a serious fitness professional. This also differentiates you from those who also offer similar services but are not insured.
Share this information in your marketing materials to get the message across. Talk about how you are certified and insured. Reinforce this during your client’s first training session. Help them see that you are a true communicator.
There are various policies that provide protection to fitness trainers. Which one is necessary? There are two: civil liability insurance and disability insurance.
Personal Trainer Checklist
The main purpose of personal trainer liability insurance is to protect you against claims that your clients were injured because of your advice or training system. It is sometimes also called medical malpractice insurance.
If you work at a gym, personal trainer liability insurance may be part of your salary and benefits package. If so, check the policy provided to see what type of coverage it offers. Depending on what it covers, you may decide to take out your own liability insurance policy. This will provide additional protection beyond what your employer offers.
The cost of professional liability insurance varies depending on several factors. For example, if you respond more quickly to potential claims, you will be more likely to pay. Insurance companies also check to see if anyone has filed a claim against you in the past. This will tell them that you are a risk and that they should insure you. This will also help you determine what type of coverage you need as a fitness professional.
As a fitness professional, you know that taking care of your body is the key to your success. Part of taking care of yourself includes seeing your doctor every year to check if anything is wrong. Good health insurance gives you access to this care.
Personal Trainer Insurance
From acute everyday problems to more serious hospitalizations, quality coverage allows you to take care of yourself and your family when things go wrong without worrying about a mountain of unpaid medical bills.
As someone who inspires others to live their best lives, you can influence the way people take care of themselves. Having health insurance is another tool in your arsenal that allows you to offer the best services to your clients. By taking care of yourself, you can take care of the people you serve.
But health insurance isn’t always cheap. And if you’re a sole proprietor, finding the right insurance coverage can seem daunting. This is where we can help you.
ISSA has partnered with Allstate Health Solutions to offer ISSA students and alumni affordable health insurance options. Allstate coverage options include:
What Insurance Do Personal Trainers Need In Ireland?
Not sure which plan you need? To learn more about health insurance options for ISSA students and alumni, start with this dedicated webpage, courtesy of Allstate Health Solutions.
One in ten fitness trainers and instructors are self-employed. (3) Disability insurance is required if you belong to this category. This can help you if you are injured and cannot work. If you work for a company that doesn’t offer it, you may need to purchase your own disability insurance.
Disability insurance can help you continue to pay your regular bills while you are out of work due to an injury. This is very important if the damage is not covered by another policy, such as car accident insurance. These tools will help you stay afloat until you return to personal training.
There are two types of disability insurance: short-term and long-term. Typically, short-term disability insurance pays out over three to six months. Long-term disability insurance can last for years or even the rest of your life.
What Are The Benefits Of Personal Training?
Another difference between short-term and long-term disabilities is the amount they pay. Policy Genius reports that most short-term plans will pay up to 80% of your gross monthly income. For long-term disabilities, this figure drops to 60 percent, but for a longer period. (4)
Depending on your current financial situation, you may need one of these types of policies. If you live paycheck to paycheck, short-term disability will give you peace of mind if you get injured. If you have a reasonable amount of savings, you may want to forgo this insurance because you can cover these costs.
What would you do if you took your business to the next level as a certified personal trainer? Specifically, if you also employ other fitness professionals, what type of insurance will you need? There are several options to consider.
Workers’ compensation insurance laws vary by state. For example, some states require you to carry a work computer with you, even if you only have one employee. Others don’t need this insurance unless you have four or more jobs.
Insurance For Fitness Professionals
To find out your state’s rules, the National Federation of Independent Business offers a list of each state’s workers’ compensation laws. (5) Follow these guidelines to ensure your fitness business provides the necessary insurance to your employees.
When you purchase employer liability insurance, your personal trainer business will be protected if one of your employees is unemployed and not covered by another insurance policy. It can be used both in case of illness and injury.
Some insurance companies combine your small business liability insurance policy with your home damage insurance policy. This is called the Business Owner’s Policy or BOP. BOP offers health clubs, sporting establishments and other educational establishments covered by the same policy number.
If your training business also sells products, product liability insurance provides additional protection. This policy helps protect you from lawsuits if you sell a defective product that causes bodily injury or property damage to your customer.
How Much Do Personal Trainers Typically Cost?
For example, you might be selling resistance bands and one of them breaks in the middle of a workout. Product liability insurance will protect you in the event of an injury and file a claim for medical expenses, lost wages, or even pain and suffering.
Every fitness business is unique, so it is recommended that you always consult with your attorney to determine what insurance coverage is necessary to protect you. This will ensure that you have adequate coverage for your specific situation and issues.
Before purchasing an insurance policy, you should ask the carrier a few questions to make sure the policy is right for you. These questions:
Any steps you can take to reduce the risk of harm to your customers will help reduce potential claims. This is where ISSA’s Corrective Action Professional Certification course comes in handy. This course will teach you how to correct a physical dysfunction that may increase your clients’ risk of injury. Find this course today!
Ngo Okafor, Successful Personal Trainer & Creator Of Fitmatch
The ISSA Corrective Behavior course will help you learn to identify and correct the most common behavioral changes you are likely to see in a wide range of clients.
ACA = Short for Affordable Care Act. ACA health plans meet basic minimum coverage requirements and cover pre-existing conditions plus 10 basics
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