Commercial Insurance

Commercial Umbrella Insurance

Umbrella insurance sits on top of your general liability, commercial auto, and employer's liability policies — kicking in once those primary limits are exhausted. For pennies-on-the-dollar relative to underlying coverage, you get $1M-$25M+ of additional protection.

Call 859-407-4888

What Umbrella Insurance Covers

Commercial umbrella (also called excess liability) provides additional limits over your primary GL, commercial auto, and employer's liability (the WC employer's-liability portion). When a single claim or aggregate-year exhausts the underlying limit, the umbrella drops down and continues paying. Some umbrella policies also fill gaps where the underlying excludes (drop-down feature).

Who Typically Needs Umbrella

Any business with significant assets to protect
Contractors required by their clients to carry $2M+ liability
Trucking and fleet operators with high-severity auto exposure
Employers in injury-prone industries (construction, manufacturing, healthcare)
Businesses with heavy public foot traffic (restaurants, retail, hospitality)

What We Offer

Umbrella limits from $1M to $25M+ from multiple A-rated carriers
Coordination with your underlying GL, auto, and WC carriers
Schedule of underlying policies + limits to match coverage triggers
Audit support when the umbrella carrier reviews underlying coverage

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between umbrella and excess liability?

Functionally similar. 'Umbrella' historically meant broader coverage (drop-down for some excluded perils); 'excess' meant strictly limits-only on top of underlying. Modern policies blur the distinction. Most brokers use the terms interchangeably.

How much does a $1M umbrella cost?

For most small-mid businesses, a $1M umbrella runs $400-$1,500/year. Higher limits scale up, but the cost-per-million typically DROPS as you go higher (the second million is cheaper than the first). Industry, prior claims, and underlying limits all factor in.

Does the umbrella extend over my workers' comp?

Partially. The umbrella sits over the EMPLOYER'S LIABILITY portion of your WC policy (the limit that responds when an employee sues you separately from the WC claim). It does NOT extend over the unlimited statutory WC benefit obligation. Different policies handle this differently — read the schedule of underlying.

Do I need umbrella if my GL limit is already $2M?

Depends on your exposure. A $2M GL aggregate can be exhausted by one significant claim, leaving you exposed for the rest of the year. Umbrella restores capacity. For asset-heavy businesses or anyone with contractual requirements above $2M, umbrella is usually justified.