Coverage guide

Commercial crime insurance

For businesses whose staff handle cash, checks, payroll, bank access or client property: what a crime policy covers, what it costs and when a bond is required.

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What similar businesses pay

Commercial crime, all small businesses: About $75 a month
Professional services firms: About $109 a month
Finance and accounting firms: About $307 a month

Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.

Cost

What commercial crime insurance costs

About $75 a month

Commercial crime, all small businesses

Insureon customer figure based on median premiums, updated August 2026

About $109 a month

Professional services firms

Insureon commercial crime cost by industry, updated August 2026

About $307 a month

Finance and accounting firms

Insureon commercial crime cost by industry, updated August 2026

About $27 a month

Healthcare professionals

Insureon commercial crime cost by industry, updated August 2026

Insureon reports its small business customers pay about $75 a month, or $900 a year, for crime cover, a figure based on median premiums; 56% pay under $100 a month. Its overall range is $150 to more than $6,000 a year, and most of its customers have fewer than five employees. Firms that hold client money pay more, about $307 a month in finance and accounting. Set that against the exposure: the ACFE’s 2024 Report to the Nations found a median fraud loss of $141,000 at organizations with fewer than 100 employees.

What moves your price

The limit you choose for each part of the policy, and any bond amount a client or plan sets
How many employees handle cash, checks, payroll or online banking
Your industry: Insureon’s figures run from $27 a month for healthcare professionals to $307 for finance and accounting
Controls such as dual sign-off on payments, bank reconciliation by a second person and regular audits
Optional parts such as fraudulent impersonation, computer fraud and theft of client property
Your deductible, revenue, credit and prior crime losses

Who it’s for

Who needs commercial crime insurance

A bookkeeper writes company checks to themselves

The ACFE’s 2024 study found check and payment tampering in 23% of frauds at organizations with under 100 employees, against 9% at larger ones. Employee theft coverage is the part of a crime policy that answers this.

The theft runs for a year before anyone notices

The ACFE puts the median fraud duration at 12 months, and longer schemes cost more. ISO’s 2022 forms require discovery by a “designated person” such as an owner, officer, manager or the top employee at a location, so who reviews the books matters.

Cash goes missing from the register

Skimming appeared in 19% of frauds at small organizations in the ACFE study, against 9% at larger ones. Standard crime forms will not pay a loss proved only by an inventory shortage, so shops and restaurants need other evidence of the theft.

An employee steals from a client

Cleaning crews and IT technicians working on client sites create this exposure, and Insureon notes clients may demand janitorial bonds. ISO’s 2022 forms make theft of clients’ property its own coverage, so it must be chosen.

You sponsor a 401(k) plan

Federal law requires people who handle plan money to be bonded. Many employers use their crime policy, but IRMI notes ISO’s 2022 forms require the ERISA coverage to be elected on top of employee theft.

A fake vendor email changes where you send payment

The FBI’s 2025 IC3 report counted $3.05 billion in business email compromise losses. Standard crime forms exclude money handed over because of a trick; only the optional fraudulent impersonation coverage responds.

Coverage

What commercial crime insurance covers

Employee theft

Pays for money, securities and other property your employees steal, including embezzlement.

Employee theft of clients’ property

Pays when an employee steals from a client while working for you. A separate coverage on ISO’s 2022 forms.

ERISA plan official dishonesty

Covers theft from your retirement or benefit plan by people who handle its funds, meeting the federal bond rule.

Forgery or alteration

Pays for forged or altered checks, drafts and promissory notes drawn on your accounts.

Money, securities and safe burglary

Covers theft, disappearance or destruction of money and securities at your premises or bank, plus robbery and safe burglary of other property.

Computer and funds transfer fraud

Covers money taken through fraudulent entries into your systems or fraudulent instructions sent to your bank by outsiders.

Fraudulent impersonation

Optional. Pays when you send money in good faith on instructions from someone posing as a vendor, customer or colleague.

Money orders and counterfeit money

Pays when you accept, in good faith for goods or services, a money order that is not honored or counterfeit currency.

What it doesn’t cover

Theft or dishonest acts by you, your partners or your LLC’s members
Theft by an employee whose criminal record you knew of when hiring, Insureon notes
Losses shown only by an inventory shortage or a profit and loss comparison
Indirect losses such as lost income, and your own legal fees
Money handed over because of a trick, unless fraudulent impersonation is added
Data breach costs such as notifying customers, which belong on a cyber policy
Honest mistakes and accounting errors

Rules

Requirements and filings

Insureon notes crime insurance is not usually required by law. The exceptions are federal bonding rules for benefit plans and the client contracts that set their own terms.

Requirement	Applies to	What it means
ERISA fidelity bond	People who handle funds of a 401(k) or other ERISA plan	At least 10% of funds handled the prior year, minimum $1,000, maximum required $500,000 per plan or $1,000,000 if it holds employer securities. ERISA section 412; DOL Field Assistance Bulletin 2008-04.
No deductible on the required amount	ERISA bonds and crime policies used as one	Must pay from the first dollar up to the required amount, per 29 CFR 2580.412-11.
Approved surety	Insurers writing ERISA bonds	Must be on the Treasury’s Circular 570 list, per DOL Field Assistance Bulletin 2008-04.
Owner cannot be excluded	Owners who handle plan money	If the crime policy excludes an owner who handles plan funds, the DOL says you need an ERISA rider or a separate bond.
ERISA coverage elected separately	Policies on ISO’s 2022 crime forms	ERISA plan official dishonesty must be chosen in addition to employee theft, per IRMI.
Client bond or crime limit	Cleaning, IT and firms handling client money	Contracts may require a fidelity or janitorial bond or third-party crime cover, per Insureon.
Sworn proof of loss	Claims under ISO’s 2022 crime forms	File a detailed, sworn proof of loss within 120 days of discovering the loss.

Compare commercial crime 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

Require two approvals for payments and vendor bank changes; Insureon lists dual authorization among the controls insurers weigh.
Never let the person who writes checks reconcile the bank statement. The ACFE traced 32% of frauds to missing internal controls.
Run surprise audits, which the ACFE links to at least a 50% drop in fraud losses and duration.
Do not rely on background checks alone: in 84% of ACFE cases where one was run, it showed no red flags.
For a small limit, price an employee dishonesty endorsement on your BOP against a standalone crime policy.
Compare several quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.

Before you start

What underwriters ask for

Number of employees and how many handle cash, checks, payroll or banking
Annual revenue, typical cash on hand and deposit sizes
Who signs checks, who reconciles and whether payments need two approvals
Limit and deductible wanted for each part of the policy
Any 401(k) or benefit plan, its assets and whether it holds company stock
Client contracts that require a bond or crime limit
Whether staff work inside clients’ homes or offices
Past theft or fraud losses and loss runs

Common questions

Commercial crime insurance: questions

Does a business owner’s policy cover employee theft?

Usually not as standard. Insureon says property insurance typically does not cover employee theft, but employee dishonesty coverage can often be added to a BOP or property policy by endorsement.

Is a fidelity bond the same as crime insurance?

Not quite. Insureon describes a fidelity bond as mainly protecting your clients from your employees, while a crime policy protects your own business and can include client cover.

Does crime insurance cover theft by an owner or partner?

No. Standard ISO crime forms exclude dishonest acts by the named insured, its partners and LLC members. A 401(k) bond must still cover an owner who handles plan money.

How big does my 401(k) bond need to be?

At least 10% of the plan funds each person handled the prior year, with a $1,000 minimum and a $500,000 cap per plan, or $1,000,000 with employer securities. Someone who handled $600,000 needs a $60,000 bond.

Will crime insurance pay if an employee is tricked into wiring money?

Only if your policy includes fraudulent impersonation or similar social engineering cover. Standard ISO crime forms exclude property you part with because of a trick.

What if I discover a theft after switching insurers?

Crime policies are written on a discovery or loss sustained basis, and both limit how long after cancellation older losses can be found. Replace coverage with no gap and give the new insurer your prior policy details.

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Tell us about your business once. We compare options and a licensed agent follows up, usually the same day.

Sources (8)

Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated October 2026.