Personal trainer insurance in the UK: what cover do you need?

Do personal trainers need insurance?

If you work for yourself as a sole trader, GOV.UK says your business has unlimited liability, which means you are personally responsible for all the debts of the business. If something goes wrong you have less protection, and GOV.UK says you may be able to get more protection with business insurance. Our guide to registering as a self-employed personal trainer covers the HMRC side.

CIMSPA says insurance protects you against legal action and the costs that follow if, for example, someone is injured or property is damaged. It also says to check what you need for the services you plan to offer, so that your level of protection fits the work you actually do.

Venues can set their own rules too. The Royal Parks, for example, requires licensed trainers to be fully insured (see below). Ask each gym, studio or venue what cover it needs to see, and keep a copy of your certificate to hand.

How much does personal trainer insurance cost in the UK?

Short answer. Published starting prices for UK personal trainer insurance we found on provider pages run from £3.86 a month (Protectivity) to £55 to £66 a year (FitPro, depending on the level of cover). These are "from" prices. Your quote will vary with your activities, cover levels, qualifications, where you train and any optional extras.

Insure4Sport, Balens and SportsCover Direct publish their cover levels but, when we checked on 16 October 2026, did not show a starting price on their personal trainer pages. You need to get a quote from each.

What changes the price? Providers say the cost depends on the level of cover you choose and the work you do. Expect your quote to change with:

1. Your public liability and professional indemnity limits.
2. The activities you offer, such as one to one, classes, outdoor or online sessions.
3. Optional extras, such as equipment cover, personal accident or Employers' Liability.
4. Where you work, including whether you need cover outside the UK.

Prices are published by each provider and can change at any time. Get two or three quotes and compare like for like cover. Insurance is an allowable expense for the self employed (see below).

Please note: this is general information, not insurance advice. Always check the policy wording before you buy.

The main types of cover

Specialist policies for personal trainers can offer optional extras on top. One policy offered to some CIMSPA members lists Employers' Liability cover, overseas cover, sports and business equipment cover and personal accident cover as add-ons. Check which extras match how you work.

Public liability insurance for personal trainers

Public liability insurance covers you if a client or member of the public is injured, or their property is damaged, because of your work. CIMSPA describes it as cover for accidents and incidents. The ABI says liability insurance usually covers compensation to a third party for personal injury and loss of, or damage to, property. For a personal trainer that could be a client tripping over a kettlebell you left out, or a weight damaging a gym floor.

Typical cover levels, as published

Why gyms and venues ask for it

Gyms, studios and venues want to know that a claim caused by your work will not fall on them. Insure4Sport says the level to consider depends mainly on what the gyms you work with require, and that requirements vary between gyms and studios. Protectivity says local authority facilities and schools often require a minimum of £5 million. Ask each venue what level it needs, and keep a copy of your certificate to hand.

Public liability vs professional indemnity

Many specialist personal trainer policies include both, and some set your professional indemnity limit to match your public liability limit. Check which covers, and which limits, your policy includes.

Please note: this is general information, not insurance advice. Check the policy wording for what is and is not covered.

When insurance is a legal must: employing staff

If you take on an employee, perhaps a second trainer or a receptionist, GOV.UK says you must get Employers' Liability insurance:

• as soon as you become an employer
• to cover you for at least £5 million
• from an authorised insurer

You do not need it if you only employ a family member (GOV.UK lists which relatives count), or someone based outside England, Scotland and Wales. GOV.UK says you can be fined £2,500 for every day you are not properly insured. You must also display your certificate where employees can access it and show it to inspectors when asked, or you could be fined £1,000.

Training clients online

CIMSPA's guidance on delivering sport and physical activity online (published in June 2021) says you need valid public liability and professional indemnity insurance for every session you deliver online. That applies whether or not you charge, whether it is a taster session, and whether it is live or pre-recorded.

If your cover normally comes through a club or organisation, CIMSPA says to check with the insurer that you are covered to deliver your own sessions online. It also says the maximum number of people in an online class may depend on your qualification and your insurance, so ask your insurer for its limits.

Training outdoors and in London's Royal Parks

If you want to run personal training or group fitness sessions in one of London's eight Royal Parks, you must have a fitness training licence from The Royal Parks charity. It says licensed operators must be fully insured and hold liability for the safety of everyone taking part, and its code of conduct says The Royal Parks accept no liability for outdoor fitness training under the licence.

The Royal Parks asks you to allow two weeks for an application. Its annual Personal Fitness Licence for groups of two or fewer clients and 1 to 6 sessions a week is £350 in Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park and The Green Park, and £280 in Bushy Park, Richmond Park and Greenwich Park, both excluding VAT. These are licence fees, not insurance prices.

For any other park or open space, check with the council or landowner before you train clients there.

What to check before you buy

Use this list when you compare quotes. Put each question to the insurer or broker and keep their answers in writing.

1. Activities. Does the policy cover everything you do: one to one sessions, small groups, classes, online sessions and outdoor training?
2. Qualifications. Which qualifications does the insurer accept for each activity?
3. Clients. Are you covered for the clients you work with, for example people with long term health conditions, older adults or pregnant clients?
4. Limits. How much cover is there for each type of claim, and does it meet what your gym, studio or venue asks for?
5. Where. Are you covered in clients' homes, in parks and abroad?
6. Who. Is the insurer authorised? GOV.UK points to the FCA register to check an insurer, and the FCA says nearly all financial service activities in the UK must be authorised or registered by it.
7. Help. GOV.UK says you may want to use an insurance broker to help you buy Employers' Liability cover, and links to a list of brokers on the British Insurance Brokers' Association website.

Is insurance a business expense?

GOV.UK lists financial costs, for example insurance, among the allowable expenses a self-employed person can deduct when working out taxable profit. If you use something for both business and personal reasons, you can only claim the business part. You cannot claim expenses if you use the £1,000 trading allowance. Remember to include your insurance when you work out what to charge as a personal trainer.

Where FitDesk fits in

FitDesk is not an insurer or a broker, it does not sell insurance and it does not give insurance advice. It is personal trainer software for the day to day running of your business: client records, scheduling and bookings, group classes, one-off forms such as a PAR-Q, Stripe card payments and recording cash.

No monthly fee. 0.7% on Stripe card payments through FitDesk, minimum 1p per card payment. Stripe's own fees still apply. Cash has no FitDesk fee.

Starting out? Our guide on how to start a personal training business in the UK covers the other first steps.

Sources

• CIMSPA Careers Hub, Becoming self-employed (Get insured): careers.cimspa.co.uk/your-career/self-employment/becoming-self-employed (checked 7 October 2026)
• CIMSPA, Delivering Sport and Physical Activity Online FAQs (PDF, June 2021), from cimspa.co.uk (checked 7 October 2026)
• CIMSPA, Introducing Protectivity: a new insurance benefit for CIMSPA members: cimspa.co.uk/introducing-protectivity-new-insurance-member-benefit (checked 7 October 2026)
• GOV.UK, Employers' liability insurance: gov.uk/employers-liability-insurance (checked 7 October 2026)
• GOV.UK, Become a sole trader: gov.uk/become-sole-trader (checked 7 October 2026)
• GOV.UK, Expenses if you're self-employed: gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed (checked 7 October 2026)
• Association of British Insurers, Liability insurance: abi.org.uk (checked 7 October 2026)
• Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register: fca.org.uk/firms/financial-services-register (checked 7 October 2026)
• The Royal Parks, Fitness training licences: royalparks.org.uk/commercial-licences/fitness-training-licences (checked 7 October 2026)
• The Royal Parks, Code of conduct for fitness training licences: royalparks.org.uk (checked 7 October 2026)
• Protectivity, Personal Trainer Insurance: protectivity.com/product/personal-trainer-insurance/ (checked 16 October 2026)
• FitPro, Personal Trainer Insurance: fitpro.com/insurance/personal-trainer-insurance/ (checked 16 October 2026)
• Insure4Sport, Personal Trainer Insurance: insure4sport.co.uk/personal-trainer-insurance/ (checked 16 October 2026)
• SportsCover Direct, Personal Trainer Insurance: sportscoverdirect.com/insurance/personal-trainer-insurance/ (checked 16 October 2026)
• Balens: balens.co.uk (checked 16 October 2026)