Insurance · Comparison · 2026
Trustee indemnity insurance UK: the six providers worth a quote in 2026
An independent review of every UK trustee indemnity provider worth getting a quote from this year — with the honest 'best for X' framework, real published prices where they exist, and the watch-outs nobody tells trustees about.
Published by The Committee Room·Last updated 24 September 2026·13 min read
Some links below may earn us a commission if you buy a policy — see our affiliate disclosure. It does not change our editorial recommendations.
This comparison is for organisations that have decided to seek cover. If you are still weighing that decision, use our do I need trustee indemnity insurance? guide before shortlisting providers.
How we shortlisted these six
Three filters. First, the provider had to be authorised by the FCA as an insurer or insurance broker and offer trustee, management or D&O liability for charity / non-profit risks. Second, they had to accept charity, CIO or CIC clients without a minimum income threshold — ruling out the larger commercial-D&O brokers (Howden, AJG, Marsh) whose proposition starts higher up. Third, they had to operate either a public quote journey or a defined intake for new broker-channel enquiries.
Fifteen UK insurers and brokers technically offer charity TII. Six are the realistic shortlist for an organisation in the £5k–£250k income bracket this site is built for. Unity Insurance Services (Scout-owned) is mentioned briefly below as a specialised exception.
#1 · Best overall for a small UK charity
PolicyBeeAffiliate
Underwriter: Ansvar, Hiscox and others
Who it's for: Small to mid-sized charities, CIOs, CICs, PTAs and clubs buying their first or renewing trustee liability policy.
Strengths
- Online quote-and-buy that works for charities up to roughly £500k income — no broker phone call required.
- Places cover with insurers including Ansvar (Benefact Group) and Hiscox. Quality of paper is not compromised by the digital channel.
- Visible refer-a-friend reward scheme and a generally trustee-friendly content presence — they answer the awkward questions in writing.
- Useful supporting covers (PI, PL, EL, cyber) available through the same buying flow if you need to consolidate.
Watch-outs
- Online journey caps out around the £500k income mark — larger charities will need a broker conversation.
- Doesn't deeply specialise in any single sub-segment (faith, heritage, advice, safeguarding-heavy work).
Pricing: Trustee insurance from £112/year including IPT (published price, as checked on 24 September 2026). Quote online for income up to £500k.
#2 · Best for very small / start-up community groups
Markel DirectAffiliate
Underwriter: Markel International Insurance Company Limited
Who it's for: Community groups, CICs and very small charities — typically under £10k turnover and in their first or second year of operating.
Strengths
- From £3 per month for a small CIC or charity with £500k of professional indemnity + trustees' liability. Genuinely accessible price point.
- 200,000+ direct customers across all books. Real claims experience in the charity sector.
- Bundles PI with TII — the natural pair for any advice, training or membership organisation.
- Markel Direct is a trading name of Markel International Insurance Company Limited, part of Markel International, a Lloyd's and London market insurer.
Watch-outs
- The £3/month headline price is the smallest profile only — typical charities pay more once activity and income are declared.
- TII limit defaults are modest at the entry tier. Negotiate up if you have paid staff or significant assets.
Pricing: From £3/month at the very small end; bundled with PI.
#3 · Best digital all-in-one for sub-£100k income
Zurich Charity
Underwriter: Zurich Insurance Company
Who it's for: Small charities and community groups under £100k income wanting a single online charity package, with TII as an add-on.
Strengths
- Online product from £56/year for the package — most transparent published price for an entry-level charity policy.
- Includes £2m public liability as standard. Trustee indemnity is an add-on.
- Zurich brand and balance sheet — A-rated, widely accepted by funders and local authorities.
- NCVO-endorsed trusted supplier — useful credibility for charity clients answering grant funder questions.
Watch-outs
- TII is an uplift rather than a standalone product — fine for most, but limits worth checking against your activity profile.
- Online product caps at £100k income; above that, broker quote.
Pricing: Package from £56/year; TII add-on uplift.
#4 · Best for faith, heritage and listed-building charities
Ecclesiastical
Underwriter: Ecclesiastical Insurance Office (Benefact Group)
Who it's for: Faith-linked charities, churches, heritage trusts, education charities, and any organisation where the building is a Grade II or II* listed asset.
Strengths
- Up to six years of cover for retired trustees — matches the standard civil claim limitation period.
- Limits £250k–£5m; lost-document cover to £50k.
- Distributed via Access Insurance and a wider broker network including SEIB, Lycetts and Lloyd & Whyte (all part of Benefact Broking and Advisory Holdings).
- Charitable ownership (Benefact Trust) is meaningfully different from most other names on this list (Ansvar is also part of Benefact Group) — relevant for trustees who care about where premium pounds go.
Watch-outs
- Broker-only distribution. No online direct journey.
- Pricing rarely the cheapest for a non-faith, non-listed organisation — the value is in the wording for the specific niche.
Pricing: Broker quote only. Limits £250k–£5m.
#5 · Cheapest published standalone cover
Access Insurance
Underwriter: Not named on the product page; Access Insurance Services is a trading name of Access Underwriting Limited (Benefact Group)
Who it's for: Charities and not-for-profits that want trustee indemnity on its own, without buying a wider package.
Strengths
- Published standalone price: from £7.50 a month for £100,000 of cover (as checked on 24 September 2026), the lowest published standalone trustee indemnity price we found.
- Online quote, or a phone quote with no proposal form to fill in.
- Limits from £100,000 up to £10m of D&O cover for larger not-for-profits; cover can be extended to professional indemnity and fidelity guarantee.
Watch-outs
- The headline price is for a £100,000 limit. Many charities want £250,000 or more, and the premium rises with the limit.
- Access is part of Benefact Group, like Ecclesiastical and Ansvar on this list, so three of the six picks share an owner.
Pricing: From £7.50/month (£90/year) for £100,000 of cover (published, as checked on 24 September 2026).
#6 · Best for a broker-arranged small-charity package
Ansvar
Underwriter: Ansvar Insurance (a division of Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc, Benefact Group)
Who it's for: Small charities and community groups that want trustee cover inside a wider charity package, arranged through a specialist broker.
Strengths
- Trustees' and directors' indemnity is included in all three packages of Ansvar's charity and community product (Essentials, Advantage and Advantage+) — not an afterthought.
- Ansvar paper accepted across the charity sector; the ethical/sector-aligned brand reads well to grant funders.
- Smaller premium than commercial-D&O alternatives because the wording is matched to the smaller-charity risk profile.
Watch-outs
- No published price, so you cannot benchmark it before asking for a quote.
- No direct online purchase — Ansvar's online enquiry form passes you to one of its group's broker partners for the quote.
Pricing: Broker quote only, via Ansvar's online enquiry form.
A note on Unity Insurance Services
Unity Insurance Services is owned by The Scout Association and provides trustee/leader liability cover free at the point of use to all registered UK Scout groups — the premium is paid centrally by The Scout Association. Worth mentioning because UK Scouting is genuinely one of the best-insured volunteer movements in the country, but Unity is a specialised exception rather than a third-party affiliate partner.
How to compare yourself in 2026
- Decide the limit first. £250k–£500k for a small grant-funded charity. £1m+ for advice or vulnerable-people work. £2m+ for sizeable advocacy/campaigning organisations.
- Test bundled vs standalone. Get one package quote (PolicyBee or Markel) and one standalone trustee quote (Access Insurance publishes from £90/year for £100,000 of cover; PolicyBee from £112/year), at the same limit. If you need other covers too, compare the package against buying each separately.
- Read the run-off clause. If silent, ask. Six years matches the limitation period; anything less leaves a gap that bites when a trustee resigns.
- Confirm CC49 exclusions. Every UK policy already complies with s.189(2) Charities Act 2011 — fines, fraud, and deliberate misconduct are excluded. Be wary of any policy that claims otherwise.
- Record the s.189 decision in the minutes. Cheap protection against future Charity Commission scrutiny.
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy trustee indemnity on its own?+
Yes. Most small charities buy trustee cover inside a package with public liability, employers' liability or professional indemnity, but standalone cover is available. Access Insurance publishes a price from £7.50 a month (£90 a year) for £100,000 of cover and PolicyBee from £112 a year including IPT (both as checked on 24 September 2026). If you need other covers too, compare a package quote against buying each policy separately.
How did we shortlist these six?+
Three filters: (1) authorised by the FCA as an insurer or insurance broker and offering trustee/management liability for charities, (2) accepts charity and CIO/CIC clients without minimum income, (3) has a public quote journey or a defined broker-channel intake. Roughly fifteen UK insurers and brokers technically offer charity TII; these six are the realistic shortlist for a small or mid-sized organisation buying without a corporate insurance team.
What about Howden, Gallagher and the other big brokers?+
They sit above this list — they place TII for larger charities (typically £350k+ income) and are the right route for any organisation with paid staff, owned premises and multiple workstreams. For the £5k–£250k income bracket this site is built for, the providers above are a better fit on access and pricing.
Should we choose on price?+
Not solely. The wording matters more, particularly around the run-off period (the time after a trustee leaves during which claims about their tenure can still be defended). Ecclesiastical includes up to six years; some policies are silent and default to the limitation period. £198 for a policy with proper run-off is better value than £150 for one without.
Can we just add it to our existing charity package policy?+
Often yes — but check the limit. The default 'Financial & Administration Liability' section on many package policies carries a £100k or £250k limit, which is fine for small grant-funded charities but light for anything with paid staff or significant assets. Push for £1m+ if your activity profile warrants it.
Related guides
What is trustee indemnity insurance? →
What it covers and excludes, the contracts gap, and the section 189 and CC49 rules.
Do I need trustee indemnity insurance? →
The decision aid to use before comparing providers.
Trustee indemnity insurance cost in 2026 →
Real price bands, what drives the number, and why standalone vs bundled changes the math.
Legal structures for UK community groups →
Why incorporation (CIO, charitable company) often beats insurance as the first move.
Village hall insurance: a 2026 buyer's guide →
If you're a village hall trustee, TII is usually bundled in the package — read this first.
Sources
Provider policy wordings and product pages (PolicyBee, Markel Direct, Zurich Charity, Ecclesiastical, Ansvar, Access Insurance, Unity Insurance Services); FCA Financial Services Register; Charity Commission CC49; Charities Act 2011 ss.189, 280A–B; NCVO trusted-supplier disclosures; Civil Society and Third Sector reporting; Russell-Cooke, Bates Wells, Anderson Strathern trustee briefings.