About $141 a month
BOP with business income
The Hartford average BOP premium paid by its customers ($1,687 a year), page updated April 2025
Coverage guide
Business interruption insurance
For shops, restaurants, offices and contractors with a location they depend on: what business income coverage pays while you are closed, what it costs and the policy terms that decide a claim.
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- Licensed agents review every application
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Get business interruption insurance quotes
What similar businesses pay
- BOP with business income
- About $141 a month
- Business owner squo;s policy
- About $83 a month
- Commercial property
- About $108 a month
Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.
Cost
What business interruption insurance costs
About $83 a month
Business owner squo;s policy
Insureon customer average; annual premiums from about $400 to over $6,000, accessed November 2026
About $108 a month
Commercial property
Insureon customer average; annual premiums from about $300 to over $15,000, accessed November 2026
Business interruption is rarely priced on its own. Insureon says it is added to a commercial property policy or BOP, and The Hartford includes it in its BOP rather than selling it standalone, so the figures above are for the policy that carries it. NEXT advertises commercial property with business income from under $20 a month for some low-risk businesses. The business income share grows with your revenue, payroll and the length of closure you insure, so a busy restaurant pays far more than a small office.
What moves your price
- Annual revenue and net income, since the payout replaces earnings
- Number of employees and the payroll you would keep paying
- Industry: Insureon says a restaurant typically pays more than a law firm
- Catastrophe exposure such as hurricanes or wildfire, plus distance from a fire station
- Value and construction of the building and contents
- The limit, coverage period, waiting period and deductible you choose
- Add-ons such as extended period of indemnity or dependent properties
Who it’s for
Who needs business interruption insurance
A kitchen fire closes your restaurant for months
Property insurance repairs the kitchen. Business income pays what you would have earned plus the bills that keep coming, which The Hartford lists as rent or mortgage, payroll, loan payments and taxes.
A burst pipe or storm forces a move
Extra expense pays the added cost of staying open elsewhere, such as a temporary location or rushed replacement stock. Under the ISO form it starts immediately, with no waiting period.
Police close your street after a fire next door
Your shop is undamaged but no one can get in. The ISO form squo;s civil authority coverage can pay when covered damage within one mile triggers the order, from 72 hours after it for up to four consecutive weeks.
Your main supplier or anchor store burns down
Contingent business interruption, also called dependent properties coverage, is an optional addition for this. The NAIC notes it may still require physical damage at the other business.
Customers are slow to come back
The ISO form squo;s extended business income pays for up to 60 consecutive days after repairs while sales recover. You can buy a longer extended period of indemnity.
Most small businesses go without it
The NAIC estimates only 30% to 40% of small business owners carry business interruption insurance and cites FEMA squo;s estimate that about 25% of businesses fail to reopen after a disaster.
Coverage
What business interruption insurance covers
Lost net income
The net income, before income taxes, you would have earned without the covered damage, measured from your financial records (ISO CP 00 30).
Continuing operating expenses
Normal expenses that continue while you are closed, including payroll. The NAIC lists rent, wages, taxes and loan payments.
Extra expense
Costs you would not have had without the damage, such as relocating or equipping a temporary site, paid to keep you operating or shorten the closure.
Civil authority
Lost income when a government order blocks access because of covered damage nearby, limited in the ISO form to damage within one mile and four weeks.
Extended business income
Up to 60 days of lost income after repairs while sales recover, or longer with an extended period of indemnity.
Dependent properties
Optional cover when physical damage shuts a key supplier, customer or anchor store. The Hartford offers it in its BOP with limits up to $500,000.
Off-premises utility services
Optional cover when damage away from your site cuts power, water or communications. The Hartford squo;s version has a 12-hour wait and limits of $25,000 to $150,000.
Interruption of computer operations
Just $2,500 a policy year under the ISO form when a covered cause corrupts your data and halts work. A cyber policy goes further.
What it doesn’t cover
- Closures without physical damage, such as a slow season or downturn
- Viruses and pandemics: ISO developed a virus and bacteria exclusion in 2006, per the NAIC
- Flood, earthquake and mudslide unless bought separately, per the NAIC
- Extra closure time needed to meet building codes, under the ISO form
- Lost sales after reopening caused by area-wide poor conditions, under the ISO form
- Off-premises utility outages without the matching endorsement
- Repairing the damaged property itself, which falls under commercial property
Rules
Requirements and filings
No state law requires business interruption insurance, but the policy wording decides every claim. These are key terms in the ISO form CP 00 30 (2012 edition), which many insurers use or adapt; yours may differ.
| Requirement | Applies to | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Physical damage trigger | Every claim | Operations must be suspended by direct physical loss or damage at your premises from a covered cause (ISO CP 00 30). |
| Waiting period | Lost business income | Starts 72 hours after the damage; extra expense starts immediately (ISO CP 00 30). The Hartford advertises zero hours. |
| Period of restoration | How long payments run | Until the property should be repaired with reasonable speed or you reopen at a new permanent location; policy expiration does not cut it short. |
| Civil authority | Orders blocking access | Damage within one mile; begins 72 hours after the order, up to four consecutive weeks (ISO CP 00 30). |
| Extended business income | Recovery after reopening | Up to 60 consecutive days; an extended period of indemnity option sets a longer period (ISO CP 00 30). |
| Coinsurance | Policies with a coinsurance percentage | Limit must equal that percentage of the next 12 months squo; net income and expenses. In the ISO example, a $100,000 limit against $200,000 required pays half of an $80,000 loss. |
| Maximum period or monthly limit of indemnity | Options that remove coinsurance | Pays losses in the first 120 days, or caps each 30 days at a set fraction of the limit (ISO CP 00 30). |
| Newly acquired locations | A new site | Up to $100,000 per location for 30 days or until you report values (ISO CP 00 30). |
Compare business interruption insurance options.
One application, quotes from several insurers, reviewed by a licensed agent. Start with your email and finish later if you need to.
Pay less
How to lower the cost
- Buy it inside a BOP if you qualify; Insureon says BOPs typically suit lower-risk businesses with fewer than 100 employees and under $1 million in sales.
- Ask for actual loss sustained cover for a set term; The Hartford squo;s BOP offers 6 to 24 months with no dollar limit.
- Base your limit on the next 12 months of net income and expenses, or choose a monthly limit option, so coinsurance cannot cut your claim.
- Choose a deductible you can afford; Insureon notes a higher deductible lowers the premium.
- Install sprinklers and fire alarms, which Insureon says can reduce costs.
- Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.
Before you start
What underwriters ask for
- Profit and loss statements and tax returns for recent years
- A 12-month projection of revenue and operating expenses
- Monthly fixed costs: rent, loan payments and payroll
- A realistic estimate of rebuild and equipment lead times
- Building construction, sprinklers, alarms and distance to the fire station
- Key suppliers or customers your income depends on
- Lease or loan clauses requiring business income coverage
- Loss runs from current and prior insurers
Common questions
Business interruption insurance: questions
Is business interruption the same as business income insurance?
Yes. The Hartford says insurers use both names for the same coverage.
Can I buy business interruption insurance on its own?
Usually not. Insureon says it is added to a commercial property policy or BOP, and The Hartford includes it in its BOP rather than selling it standalone.
How long will it pay?
Under the ISO form, until the property should be repaired or you reopen elsewhere, plus up to 60 days of extended business income. The Hartford squo;s BOP instead pays actual loss for 6 to 24 months, with 12 as the default.
How soon does coverage start after a fire?
The ISO form waits 72 hours before paying lost income, though extra expense starts immediately. The Hartford advertises a zero-hour wait on its standard coverage.
Does it cover a power outage?
Only if the cause is covered damage at your premises or you add off-premises utility services coverage, which The Hartford offers with a 12-hour wait.
Did business interruption insurance pay for COVID-19 closures?
Rarely. The NAIC reports that of 201,285 COVID-19 business interruption claims in its October 2020 data, only 3,001 were paid.
How much business income coverage do I need?
Insureon suggests projecting next year squo;s net income and estimating a worst-case restoration period. With coinsurance, your limit must meet that percentage of the next 12 months squo; net income and expenses.
Get covered.
Tell us about your business once. We compare options and a licensed agent follows up, usually the same day.
Sources (8)
- Insureon: business interruption insurance cost
- Insureon: business owner squo;s policy cost and eligibility
- Insureon: commercial property insurance cost
- NAIC: business interruption and business owner policy (updated June 2026)
- The Hartford: business income insurance FAQs (updated April 2025)
- The Hartford: Spectrum BOP business income coverage flyer
- NEXT: business income insurance
- ISO: business income and extra expense coverage form CP 00 30 10 12
Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.