Business interruption insurance – policy checker

The policy checker is intended for small businesses.

The policy checker is a general guide to help you check if your policy will cover business interruption losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is based on the outcome of the FCA’s test case.

The policy checker helps you to check whether the wording in your policy is the same as, or very similar to, the 21 policies in the ‘representative sample’ considered by the Courts in the FCA’s test case.

If so, the High Court and the Supreme Court rulings provide important guidance on the way your policy should be interpreted and on the strength of your claim, based on the wording of your policy.

The policy checker will indicate whether your policy is likely to provide cover and the policyholder FAQs will give some further information about how to make a claim.

You can find a summary of what the High Court and the Supreme Court found and what it might mean for your claim on our Business interruption insurance page.

The test case does not consider individual policyholders' claims on their specific facts. Each claim will need to be individually considered to determine whether the policy provides cover for the effects of coronavirus.

Policyholders will need to check:

• the extent of their cover including how long it covers them for (length of their indemnity period)
• what losses are included - such as loss of profit, fixed costs or increased costs of working

If you have already made a claim, your insurer should be in touch with you soon about the implications of the test case for your claim.

Policyholders are encouraged to contact their broker, accountant, other advisers or insurer for further information and support with the claims process.