Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)

Adding comprehensive EPLI coverage to an existing commercial package, BOP or workers’ comp policy protects small businesses from a wide range of costly employment-related claims.

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What is EPLI?


AmTrust Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) is designed to protect small and mid-sized businesses in the event of employment-related claims. Insured events include alleged discrimination, wrongful termination or demotion, sexual harassment and retaliation. Our EPLI coverage is not a standalone product, but it can be added easily to a commercial package policy, businessowners policy or workers’ compensation policy.

An EPLI policy applies to all employees of an insured business, including temporary, part-time, full-time, seasonal, volunteers and independent contract workers. Enhanced coverage protects the policyholder against both punitive damages and inappropriate third-party conduct.

Find out specific information on our Employment Risk Solutions website.

Why Choose AmTrust for EPLI Insurance?


With an A- (Excellent) rating by AM Best, AmTrust Financial always seeks to deliver superior services at a rate that’s both fair and affordable. With a variety of tools and resources at our disposal, we work with AmTrust appointed agents to provide you with a quote for small business EPLI insurance quickly and easily. We can even write policies for completely new ventures that fit emerging demands in the market.

AmTrust and our agents recognize the importance of flexibility in today’s business environment. We work closely with our agents and the small and mid-sized businesses they serve to design the specific packages they need to comply and succeed. Additionally, we offer advanced reporting, monitoring and audit options so both our agents and policyholders can always see how your AmTrust policy is performing for you.

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Employment Practices Liability Insurance FAQs
What does EPLI cover?

Our EPLI coverage is comprehensive, affordable and can be automatically added onto qualified policies with no minimum premium. EPLI-related underwriting rules are straightforward and easy for appointed agents to access and explain to policyholders.

Coverage includes full- and part-time employees, temporary and seasonal staff, independent contractors, and even volunteers. Insured events cover everything from workplace discrimination and sexual harassment to wrongful infliction of emotional distress and defamation of character. The enhanced coverage option includes third party coverage the protects your commercial customer from discrimination or sexual harassment allegations from non-employees and punitive damages. An insured event includes:

  • Discrimination
  • Sexual harassment
  • Wrongful termination, demotion or discipline
  • Failure to hire, promote, fire or demote
  • Wrongful infliction of emotional distress
  • False imprisonment, detention or malicious prosecution
  • Libel, slander, defamation of character or invasion of privacy
AmTrust Workplace EPLI coverage is easy for appointed agents to add in conjunction with your commercial customer’s commercial package policy, businessowners policy, or workers' compensation policy. In many cases, no separate application is required to qualify for coverage.
What are AmTrust’s preferred EPLI insurance class codes?

AmTrust currently underwrites over 350 class codes, which makes us an ideal fit for a vast number of small businesses. While not all-inclusive, our EPLI coverage is particularly well suited for the following classes:

However, we generally avoid industries that have an especially high risk including financial service organizations, motion picture production offices, radio/TV stations and sales organizations. Focusing on a wide variety of low-risk businesses is in the interests of our agents, our policyholders and AmTrust as a whole. For our preferred classes, we strive to provide a policy that is priced in such a way that both the policyholders and our agents are satisfied.

EPLI Coverage can be added to an AmTrust BOP, Commercial Package or Workers’ Compensation policy for eligible classes. A short form application must be completed for limits over $250,000 or Enhanced coverage. A long form application is required for applicants with over 100 full-time equivalent employees.

Why does a small business need EPLI coverage?
The cost of an employee lawsuit can be emotionally and financially devastating. Beyond damaging a company’s reputation, an employment claim can lead to lower morale, diminished productivity, lost trust and thousands in legal expenses. In fact, the average cost for defending and settling employment law cases is $160,000 – enough to stagger any small business.

According to industry experts, some of the top trending employment practices litigation cases include retaliation, sexual harassment, the gender pay gap and more. Moreover, the average cost of employment-related claims is rising, along with the length of time it takes to resolve a claim.
Who has access to EPLI coverage?

While access to EPLI coverage can be easier for larger corporations, AmTrust makes it affordable for small- and medium-sized businesses to enjoy the benefits of having an EPLI policy as well.

Working with AmTrust agents to design the right EPLI policy for your business can do more than cover you for losses associated with employment-related claims. AmTrust's industry experience, dedicated agents, proven guidance, and convenient online tools and resources help bolster our policyholders' understanding of the best employment practices and procedures. With our support, you can take steps to reduce claims, litigation and losses surrounding poor employment practices.

Why do I need EPLI (Employment Practices Liability Insurance)?
The threat of being sued is a reality that any business must face. For small- to medium-sized businesses, it can be cost-prohibitive to dedicate an entire department to employment practices, as large corporations do. Any business without a human resource department that is fully equipped to monitor and maintain the complex laws, regulations and rules that apply to employment practices will be at greater risk for errors, claims and litigation surrounding an employment-related claim. An EPLI policy from AmTrust can affordably cover your business from many of the most common – and costly – employment-related issues you might face. 

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), almost 100,000 charges of employment discrimination were made in 2021. Small to mid-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable to claims due to their lack of resources to support an effective loss prevention program, inadequate employment law management and easily targeted unprotected assets.

With just a single disgruntled worker, an entire business can be put at risk, even if the claim is not valid. The costs associated with defending your case can be substantial – more so if you lose the trial. Without EPLI, you will be forced to pay out of pocket for any losses associated with employment practice litigation.
What are the benefits of EPLI (Employment Practices Liability Insurance)?
Due to the laws and regulations surrounding employment practices and how easy it is for employees to make a charge, it is not uncommon for a reputable company to have a claim against it. Having coverage for such an event can protect your business from soaring litigation and/or settlement costs. Due to increased employee litigation in recent years, EPLI coverage has become equally important to small to medium-sized businesses as general comprehensive liability insurance.

The advantages of AmTrust EPLI for small and mid-sized businesses include flexible packages, no minimum premiums and competitive pricing. We have teams of dedicated claims handling professionals who will personally contact you 24-48 hours after a claim is made so you have the support you need as soon as an employee files a charge.

AmTrust can even help coordinate your defense counsel. Insureds see a 35% reduction in costs when they choose AmTrust to handle their defense. In fact, our EPLI coverage includes options for a variety of support tools that can help address standing concerns and prevent many future employment-related issues.

Our convenient online portal makes it easy to see the state of your claim and access human resources content to help you manage your workforce and any charges that arise. Enjoy unlimited access to online training to help your employees understand the strict laws surrounding sexual harassment on both the state and national level. Other important online training includes understanding how to approach employee terminations and how to prevent employee discrimination. Information on wage and hour laws compliance is also available.

AmTrust provides policyholders with customizable human resource procedures and policies in both English and Spanish. These materials include helpful examples, policies and procedure manuals you can use to create compliant forms and information for your business.
How do I get EPLI (Employment Practices Liability Insurance)?
Preferred exposures for AmTrust EPLI policies include doctors’ offices, contractors, hotels, restaurants, law offices, manufacturers and retail establishments. Ineligible exposures include motion picture production offices, TV and Radio stations, financial services organizations and sales organizations. For eligible classes, EPLI coverage can be easily or even automatically combined with your other AmTrust commercial package policies. Current policyholders should speak with your AmTrust agent about adding EPLI coverage today. Some industries need EPLI coverage more than others. 

If you are not a current AmTrust policyholder, use our easy online portal to request a quote, learn more or apply for EPLI coverage today. Our agents are always available to provide you with the information you need to protect your business and people.

Who does EPLI (Employment Practices Liability Insurance) protect?
AmTrust EPLI is designed to protect small- and medium-sized businesses in the event of employment-related claims. Insured events include alleged discrimination, wrongful termination or demotion, sexual harassment and retaliation.

An EPLI policy applies to all employees of an insured business, including temporary, part-time, full-time, seasonal, volunteers and independent contract workers. Enhanced coverage protects the policyholder against both punitive damages and inappropriate third party conduct. While access to EPLI coverage can be easier for larger corporations, AmTrust makes it affordable for small and medium-sized businesses to enjoy the benefits of having an EPLI policy that's designed specifically for them.

Working with AmTrust agents to design the right EPLI policy for your business can do more than cover you for losses associated with employment-related claims. AmTrust's industry experience, dedicated agents, proven guidance, and convenient online tools and resources help bolster our policyholders' understanding of the best employment practices and procedures. With our support, you can take steps to reduce claims, litigation and losses surrounding poor employment practices in the first place.
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