Insurance · Pricing · 2026
Trustee indemnity insurance cost in 2026: published prices, what drives the premium, and standalone vs bundled
What trustee indemnity actually costs this year — drawn from the only providers that publish prices openly, with the framework for what drives the number up or down for your specific charity.
Published by The Committee Room·Last updated 24 September 2026·9 min read
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This guide is about price. If you have not yet decided whether cover is proportionate, use our do I need trustee indemnity insurance? decision aid first.
What you'll actually pay — the bands
Most charities buy trustee cover as part of a package, but standalone cover is available and, at low limits, cheap. The bands below use published prices (Access Insurance, PolicyBee, Markel, Zurich) and our estimate for the larger end.
Very small community group / CIC
From £36 / year
Markel Direct: bundled PI + trustees' liability for a small charity, priced on £500k of cover.
Small charity package (sub-£100k income)
£56–£250 / year
Zurich Charity's online package starts at £56 before trustee indemnity is added. Markel's package (PL, EL, £250k trustee indemnity, cyber) costs £212.80 a year at £15,000 turnover and £250.88 at £50,000.
Standalone trustee indemnity
From £90 / year
Access Insurance: from £7.50/month for £100,000 of cover. PolicyBee: from £112/year including IPT, online quotes for income up to £500k. Both as checked on 24 September 2026.
Larger incorporated charity
£500–£2,000 / year
Our estimate: £1m+ limit · regulatory investigation defence · six-year run-off · advice/safeguarding activity.
Two charities with identical income can pay quite different premiums depending on activity profile, claims history and governance documentation. The figures above are guides — your real number is the rated calculation across the variables below.
What drives the number up — 8 factors
Annual income or turnover
The single biggest variable. £25k-income charities pay materially less than £200k-income ones. Bands typically step at £50k, £100k, £250k, £500k.
Number of trustees / directors
More heads to potentially defend. Most policies are issued in the charity's name covering all current trustees; rating typically allows up to 12 before stepping up.
Activity risk profile
Working with children or vulnerable adults loads the rating. Same for advocacy, debt advice, immigration advice, regulated counselling.
Prior claims history
A previous Charity Commission investigation, a defended claim, or an ICO data-protection penalty all shift the rating band — sometimes substantially.
Governance quality
Up-to-date accounts, annual return filed on time, clear governing document, regular trustee meetings minuted. Insurers ask. Soft underwriting penalty if absent.
Structure
Unincorporated bodies pay a premium relative to CIOs and charitable companies for equivalent income — joint and several liability and the unincorporated contract exposure both push the number up.
Reserve levels
Insurers became materially more interested in reserve adequacy after Kids Company. Low reserves relative to commitments now affect underwriting acceptance, not just price.
Limit of indemnity chosen
£250k → £500k typically adds 30–50% to the premium. £500k → £1m adds another 50–80%. The right limit is the one matched to your activity profile, not the highest you can stomach.
What drives the number down — 5 levers
Add it to a package you already buy
If you already buy a charity package (Zurich, Ansvar, PolicyBee, Markel), adding trustee cover to it can cost less than a separate policy. Get one quote each way: published standalone prices start at £7.50 a month (£90 a year) for £100,000 of cover at Access Insurance and £112 a year including IPT at PolicyBee (both as checked on 24 September 2026).
Lower limit (where proportionate)
A £250k limit for a small grant-funded charity with no paid staff is often sufficient — and 30–50% cheaper than the £500k default.
Multi-year (long-term agreement)
Several insurers offer 5–15% off a three-year LTA. Worth it where activity and structure are stable; not worth it if you're considering incorporation.
Clean claims history
A clean five-year record at the small-charity end can unlock 5–10% off and access to better wordings.
Documented governance
Some insurers offer modest discounts for documented evidence of governance (annual return filed, accounts on time, safeguarding policy in force).
How to push back at renewal
- Confirm the limit is right.If your activity, income or asset base hasn't changed, the limit shouldn't need to rise. A flat renewal at the same limit is the correct baseline.
- Get one comparison quote. Standalone (Access Insurance or PolicyBee) or a package (PolicyBee or Markel Direct), with an identical limit and activity declarations. Use it to test the renewal, not necessarily to switch.
- Document what hasn't happened. No Charity Commission contact, no ICO penalty, no defended claim, no resignations — say so. Underwriters reward visible stability.
- Test the LTA discount.A 3-year commitment can save 5–15% if activity is stable. Avoid the lock-in if you're considering incorporation or restructuring.
- Reduce the limit if proportionate. A small grant-funded charity rarely needs £1m+ of TII. £250k–£500k is often the honest answer — and meaningfully cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the £3/month headline price not what we'll pay?+
Markel Direct's £3/month is for the smallest profile — Markel bases it on a small charity or community group buying £500k of combined PI + trustees' liability, and one Markel article describes that charity as having income under £10k. Most actual charities sit above that profile. Published prices put trustee cover for a small charity at roughly £90–£250 a year: standalone from £90 (Access Insurance, £100,000 limit) or £112 (PolicyBee), or inside a package such as Markel's, which costs £212.80 a year at £15,000 turnover and £250.88 at £50,000 with public liability, employers' liability, £250,000 of trustee indemnity and cyber cover. Larger charities wanting £1m+ limits should expect more; our estimate is £500–£2,000 a year.
Is standalone TII more expensive than bundled?+
Not always. At low limits, standalone cover is cheap: 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 also need public liability or professional indemnity, a package that includes trustee cover can cost less in total than buying each policy separately. Get one quote each way with the same limit.
Has TII pricing risen in the hard market?+
No public index tracks charity-sector TII premiums, so there is no precise trend line. Anecdotally, trustees re-quoting at renewal have seen 0–5% movement most years, with bigger jumps reserved for genuine claim or activity changes.
Should we pay this from charity funds?+
Yes, under s.189 Charities Act 2011 — provided the four CC49 conditions are met (governing document doesn't forbid; premium is reasonable; wording excludes the statutorily prohibited indemnities; trustees are satisfied it serves the charity's interests). Record the decision in the minutes. Equivalent powers exist in Scotland (s.68A Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005) and Northern Ireland (s.93 Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008).
What's the cheapest legitimate way to get cover?+
If you're under £100k income and need PL + TII together: Zurich Charity's online package (from £56/year before the TII add-on), or Markel Direct's bundled product from about £36/year (£3/month). If you only need trustee cover: Access Insurance from £90/year for a £100,000 limit. If you're a registered Scout group: Unity Insurance Services (Scout-funded, free at point of use). Anything below those numbers is either an entry profile that probably doesn't match yours, or a wording with a limit too low to actually do the job.
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 premiums or providers.
Best trustee indemnity insurance: six providers compared →
The realistic shortlist with strengths, watch-outs, and who each one is for.
Legal structures for UK community groups →
Why incorporation often beats insurance as the first move.
Village hall insurance cost in 2026 →
If you're a village-hall trustee, TII is usually bundled in the package — see real cost bands here.
Sources
Published price points: Markel Direct, Zurich Charity (as of May 2026), PolicyBee and Access Insurance (checked 24 September 2026), Ecclesiastical (broker-only); broker commentary (PolicyBee, Anderson Strathern, Russell-Cooke); Charity Commission CC49; Charities Act 2011 s.189; Charity Finance Group; Civil Society reporting (including coverage of Kids Company defence costs); Bates Wells charity briefings; Stone King trustee guidance.