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Commercial Umbrella Insurance - Let us find your best coverage - higher limits over your business policies
A commercial umbrella adds limits over your general liability, auto and employers liability, and carriers price it on your underlying policies, fleet, operations and losses. Send us a few details and we will shop 50+ carriers for your best rate – no cost, no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call 800-616-3490.
Excess / Umbrella (Commercial) Quote Request
Applicant Information:
Have these handy
- Declarations pages of all underlying policies
- Vehicle count and driver list
- Contract limit requirements
- Five years of loss runs
Related coverage
Coverage details
What Commercial Umbrella coverage includes
A commercial umbrella adds liability limits on top of your general liability, commercial auto and employers liability policies. A single serious accident or lawsuit can exceed a $1,000,000 primary limit, and many contracts require $2,000,000 to $5,000,000 or more. An umbrella is usually the least expensive way to buy those higher limits.
- Higher limits - Extra limits above your primary liability policies.
- Auto liability - Sits over your commercial auto for serious crashes.
- General liability - Extra limits for premises and products claims.
- Employers liability - Sits over the liability part of workers comp.
- Contract requirements - Meets owner and GC limit requirements.
- Drop-down coverage - Some umbrellas cover certain claims the primary policy does not, above a retention.
Good to know: the umbrella only follows what your underlying policies cover, so gaps in primary coverage carry up to the umbrella. Carriers require minimum underlying limits, usually $1,000,000.
Not covered: anything excluded on the underlying policies, professional liability, and pollution on most forms.
Insurance Application:
Excess / Umbrella (Commercial)
Required forms
Excess / Umbrella (Commercial) Supplemental Application (PDF)
Underlying coverage (add any that apply)
Commercial General Liability (PDF)
Download, complete and email to info@societiesinsurance.com, or attach them with your quote request. More options are listed below.
Contact details
Prefer to talk?
- Toll-Free: 800-616-3490
- East Coast: 706-550-4418
- West Coast: 206-755-0101
- info@societiesinsurance.com
- Mon-Fri 8:00am - 6:00pm, Sat 9:00am - 12:00pm
Umbrella explained
How a commercial umbrella works
Your primary policies pay first. When a claim exceeds their limits, the umbrella pays the rest, up to its own limit.
Over general liability
Extra limits for premises, products and completed operations claims.
Over commercial auto
Extra limits for serious vehicle accidents, often the largest claims a business faces.
Over employers liability
Extra limits for lawsuits tied to employee injuries.
Contract compliance
Meets owner, landlord and general contractor limit requirements.
Umbrella vs. excess: a true umbrella can broaden coverage in limited cases, while a follow-form excess policy only matches the terms of the policy beneath it. Both add limits; we explain the differences on your quote.
Choosing limits
How much umbrella coverage do you need?
Consider higher limits if you
- Operate vehicles or a fleet
- Sign contracts requiring $2,000,000 or more
- Have public foot traffic or host events
- Sell or serve alcohol
- Work at heights, on roofs or in construction
- Have significant business or personal assets to protect
What carriers will review
- Your underlying policies and limits
- Your industry and operations
- Vehicle count and driver records
- Loss history
- Contract requirements
Keep underlying limits matched. If an underlying policy lapses or its limits drop below what the umbrella requires, you may have to pay the gap yourself. We coordinate renewal dates to avoid this.
Liability options
Build your liability program
Start with the umbrella application, then confirm the underlying coverage is in place.
Underlying policies
Other limits to consider
Professional Liability (E&O)
Professional liability, not covered by most umbrellas.
Get a quote Supplemental application (PDF)This is a general overview. Coverage, availability and pricing vary by state, carrier and policy, and the policy itself controls. Questions? Call 800-616-3490.