Insurance Made Easy
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Bookkeepers Insurance Policies
IME has insured and protected bookkeepers for over 10 years.
We are the industry experts and preferred Professional Indemnity Insurer for the peak Industry Association, The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, in addition to other professional bookkeeping franchise groups. The Policy has been developed to provide the broadest possible coverage available in Australia and our products continue to evolve with the bookkeeping industry.
Policy Highlights
◉ Employee/Contracts are automatically included
◉ Professional negligence & wrongful acts
◉ Operating as a registered BAS Agent
◉ Supply, Installation, Configuration & Training commercially available software
◉ Advancement of defence costs
◉ Fidelity Guarantee Cover
◉ Dishonesty and fraudulent activities of your employees/contractors
◉ Defence & legal costs automatically included over and above the level of cover selected
◉ Official enquiries or investigations costs including ATO, ASIC, APRA, ACCC, Tax Practitioners Board
◉ Retroactive Cover- covers you for all past work provided that you have had continuous Professional Indemnity
◉ Breaches of Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Related Legislation
◉ Libel/Slander/Defamation
◉ Continous Cover¹ – Provides Cover for a claim that should have been reported to insurer under a previous policy.
¹ Refers to policies insured via IME only.
New & Improved Additional Benefits
◉ Fidelity Guarantee cover is now increased to $250,000 (misappropriation of your money by staff member)
Policy Coverage
What is professional indemnity?
Professional indemnity insurance is a category of insurance that is based around Claims Made or when the Claim is notified, not when the event happened. This is why it is so important to continue to renew your Professional Indemnity insurance each year.
An example: You did work for a client in 2015; however, it is not until 2017 that the ATO investigates your client for some discrepancies in their activity statements. The ATO investigates and alleges that their bookkeeping has been prepared incorrectly. This is the time that potentially a professional indemnity claim may exist, and this will be the date you need a current Professional Indemnity Policy, not when the event happened (2013).
Not only does our Professional Indemnity Policy cover you for professional negligence, but it also covers defence costs to defend any legal action brought against you and it also covers any costs associated with an official enquiry or investigation.
Public and Product Liability Insurance
Protects you against claims alleging financial loss, injury or property damage due to your negligence for as little as $184.25 per year and the cover of $10 million, higher limits available.
The policy closes the circle of protection by indemnifying you against claims by third parties (clients, their employees and the general public) alleging you are legally liable for personal injury or property damage they have suffered due to your negligence.
General Property
Provides cover for portable items such as iPads and laptops in addition to Personal Accident & Illness policies.
FAQ
Does the Policy include legal and defence costs in addition to the sum insured?
The policy offered by Insurance Made Easy through Chubb Insurance Australia Limited covers legal, and defence costs in addition to the sum insured with no policy limit.
Run-off cover – what is it?
The insurance policy offers free run-off cover for a minimum of one year. Most professional indemnity policies only offer this cover at an additional cost.
When you sell your business, retire or simply close it down, you may still be responsible and liable under the statute of limitations for claims made against you for up to seven years. This cover is only available to you provided you do not cancel your policy mid-term or insure with another company.
Does the Policy include legal and defence costs in addition to the sum insured?
The IME policy provides cover for such work where the bookkeeper has written authority from the client to undertake such work. This authority also needs to stipulate the levels of authority for such monetary transactions.
Definition and recognised duties of a bookkeeper
Bookkeeping and payroll
◉ Calculating
◉ Processing
◉ Reconciling
◉ Reporting
Administration
◉ Completion of regulatory documents (where authorised to do so) including superannuation guarantee charge, workers compensation documentation, data processing, payment processing (subject to client authorisation)
Accounting and financial management or related software packages
◉ Installation
◉ Set up
◉ Configuration
◉ Training and use
BAS Agent Services
◉ As defined in the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 including; BAS preparation and advice, GST advice, Payroll services, PAYG withholding calculations and advice
Data File Management
Consulting and advice in relation to the foregoing data file management (including backup management & file location management) in relation to the above services may be provided at the client site utilising your clients booking system, or at a different location, or via remote access software, or Cloud computing.