- Which insurance policies are important for the self-employed and businesses?
- Why insurance is so important for the self-employed and SMEs
- Which insurance policies are mandatory in Switzerland?
- Which supplementary insurance policies make sense for businesses?
- How to find the right insurance solution for your business
- Frequently asked questions about insurance for businesses and SMEs
- Conclusion: clarify obligations and add meaningful protection
Which insurance policies are important for self-employed people and businesses?
Anyone who runs a business carries responsibility for customers, employees, orders, suppliers, infrastructure and their own financial stability. That is exactly why the topic of insurance for self-employed people and SMEs is so important: the right insurance cover meets legal obligations and protects you where a single loss can quickly become expensive.
Which solution is right for you depends above all on your company’s legal form, the sector, the number and roles of your employees, and your operational risks. Zurich supports Swiss businesses in finding the right insurance cover for their situation.
Why insurance for self-employed people and SMEs is so important
Sometimes even small incidents are enough to have major effects on day-to-day business:
- A customer slips in your business premises.
- Water damage affects your inventory.
- An illness leads to longer absences, or
- a cyberattack brings your systems to a standstill.
Particularly for self-employed people and smaller businesses, events like these can quickly become a financial burden.
Insurance therefore provides not only protection, but also predictability. It helps soften the financial impact of unexpected events and keep the business running.
Practical example:
A painting company accidentally damages a customer’s new floor while carrying out work. Without suitable liability insurance, the company has to pay for the loss itself. With public liability insurance for businesses, insured claims for damages can be covered and unfounded claims can be defended.
Which insurance policies are mandatory in Switzerland?
Whether insurance is compulsory for you depends on whether you are self-employed without employees or whether you are an employer. As soon as you hire employees, additional legal requirements automatically apply.
Social insurance for employers
If you employ staff, you must register them for social insurance and account for contributions. This includes in particular:
- AHV (Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance)
- IV (Invalidity Insurance)
- EO (Income Compensation Scheme)
- ALV (Unemployment Insurance)
As an employer, you also account for family allowances. The specific rules and rates vary from canton to canton.
UVG: mandatory accident insurance
The Federal Act on accident insurance (UVG) requires employers to insure their employees against occupational accidents and occupational diseases. Accidents on the way to work are treated as occupational accidents and are therefore also insured. If employees work at least 8 hours per week in the company, the cover must generally also include non-occupational accidents. If they work fewer hours, normally only occupational accidents are insured.
BVG: occupational benefits insurance (2nd pillar)
Occupational benefits insurance, the 2nd pillar is compulsory for employees if they are insured under AHV and earn more than CHF 22,680 per year (as at 1 January 2026). Employers with employees who must be insured are required to join a pension fund institution or run one themselves.
BVG covers not only retirement provision, but also the risks of death and invalidity.
What applies to self-employed people and sole proprietorships?
For self-employed people without employees, the situation is different:
- Mainly AHV, IV and EO are compulsory; family allowances are also part of social protection.
- Unemployment Insurance (ALV), UVG and BVG are generally not compulsory for self-employed people.
Self-employed people can choose to insure many of these areas voluntarily. These include accident insurance under UVG and occupational benefits insurance (BVG).
As soon as a sole proprietorship employs staff, the legal requirements change. The usual employer obligations then apply. This includes in particular taking out mandatory accident insurance under UVG. Depending on salary level, employees must also be included in occupational benefits insurance.
It is also important to note: depending on the sector, collective employment agreement or clients’ requirements, additional insurance policies may be required or effectively expected. A short insurance check is therefore almost always worthwhile.
Which additional insurance policies are useful for businesses?
In addition to mandatory insurance, there are extra covers that are very useful for many businesses. Which solutions are right depends on the sector, size, legal form and specific risks of your business.
Public liability insurance for businesses
Public liability insurance for businesses plays a key role in protecting your company. It protects your business if your activities cause personal injury or property damage.
It is particularly relevant for:
- Trades businesses
- Hospitality and hotel businesses
- Retail
- Service providers with customer contact
- Start-ups working on client assignments
In short: as soon as your business deals with people, third-party property or third-party premises, this cover is usually a central pillar.
Property insurance
Property insurance protects what your business needs to operate:
- Inventory and fittings
- Goods and stock
- Machinery and technical equipment
- depending on the solution, also loss of earnings due to business interruption
This means you are covered for losses caused by fire, water, theft or natural hazards. Depending on your sector and needs, you can extend the cover individually.
Practical example:
In a small production business, water damage affects stored goods and parts of the business inventory. Suitable property insurance can cover the costs of the damaged stock and the necessary replacement of fittings. If loss of earnings is also insured, the financial consequences of a business interruption may also be covered depending on the policy.
Daily sickness benefits insurance
Daily sickness benefits insurance is voluntary in many cases, but it can be an important financial relief for employers. This is because when employees fall ill, there is an obligation to continue paying salary for a certain period.
With collective daily sickness benefits insurance, you can:
- cushion salary costs during longer absences.
- provide your employees with cover beyond the statutory minimum solution.
- create greater financial planning certainty.
In some sectors, such a solution may also be required by a collective employment agreement.
Cyber insurance
Cyber risks do not stop at small businesses. Whether it is a shop, practice or trades business, an attack can have serious consequences. Our cyber insurance protects you financially and offers direct support if:
- data is lost or encrypted
- systems are locked and business operations are interrupted
- there are extortion attempts
- third-party claims arise (e.g. due to data protection breaches)
Practical example:
An employee clicks on a phishing link and suddenly company data is encrypted. Depending on the cover, cyber insurance supports you in dealing with the incident and with the costs of specialists and restoring the data.
In an emergency, fast help counts: Cyber insurance offers a 24/7 cyber emergency hotline, help with restoring data, systems and applications, cover for loss of earnings due to business interruption, cyber security training and prevention services, and support from specialised IT partners and other experts in the event of a claim.
D&O (management liability) for executive management and the board of directors
For GmbH and especially AG, D&O insurance (management liability) can be useful. It protects members of executive management or the board of directors if they are held personally liable for alleged wrong decisions.
Within the scope of the agreed cover, D&O insurance covers, for example:
- costs of defending claims
- costs for lawyers and expert reports
- compensation payments for justified claims
How to find the right insurance solution for your business
1. Understand your starting point
Make a note of the following: what legal form does your business have, do you work as a self-employed individual or with employees, and in which sector do you operate? This foundation helps you build up insurance cover in a targeted way.
2. Assess risks
Note down the main risks for your business, e.g.:
- a loss at a customer’s premises for which your business is liable
- longer sickness absence
- failure of inventory or machinery
- a cyberattack
- a legal dispute
- a longer business interruption
Then consider which of these events would place the greatest strain on your business. This creates a sensible order of priority for which covers should be arranged first.
3. Keep insurance cover up to date
Businesses change: new employees, new business areas, more digitalisation. That is why it is worth reviewing your insurance cover regularly, not only when founding the business, and adjusting it when needed.
Frequently asked questions about insurance for companies and SMEs
More information on daily sickness benefits insurance
Occupational pension provision is mandatory for employees if they are insured under OASI and earn more than CHF 22,680 per year (as at 1 January 2026).
Above all for the management and board of directors of a GmbH or AG. It protects the private assets of the responsible persons if personal liability claims are brought against them. More information on management liability insurance.
Conclusion: clarify obligations, add sensible protection
Legal requirements define which insurance policies you as an employer must have – especially in the areas of social insurance, UVG and, under certain conditions, BVG. Different rules apply to self-employed people; here, the focus is often on personal income protection and retirement provision.
Beyond that, the key question is which risks your business can bear – and which it cannot. That is why, for many businesses, additional elements such as public liability, property insurance, daily sickness benefits insurance, cyber or D&O (depending on the legal form) are a sensible addition.
With Zurich’s SME Check, you can quickly gain an initial assessment. In a personal consultation, we can work with you to define the right priorities for your business.
