UK household-employer guide
Employers' liability insurance for household staff
If you directly employ a nanny, housekeeper or other domestic professional, you will usually need Employers' Liability insurance from the start of employment.
Do I need employers' liability insurance for a nanny or housekeeper?
Usually, yes. GOV.UK says you must get Employers' Liability insurance as soon as you become an employer, with at least £5 million of cover from an authorised insurer. The policy helps meet compensation if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of the work they do for you. For a household hiring a nanny, housekeeper, gardener or other person directly, GOV.UK says you are usually the employer when you hire them and they are not genuinely self-employed or paid through an agency. This is general guidance: the actual employment relationship and any statutory exemption must be checked for the individual arrangement.
Do not confuse the private-household health-and-safety position with the insurance duty. HSE explains that some direct domestic service in a private household sits outside the Health and Safety at Work Act, while GOV.UK separately lists Employers' Liability insurance among the responsibilities of a household employer. The two questions are not interchangeable. This is general information, so unusual duties, care activities or agency arrangements should be checked against current official guidance.
Who needs cover, and when might the position be different?
The practical starting point is the real employment relationship, not the job title printed on the advert.
If the household hires and employs the nanny, housekeeper or other domestic professional directly, GOV.UK says household employers must have Employers' Liability insurance. Arrange it by the time the employment starts. This is general guidance and the exact legal status should still be checked.
HSE says a person employed by an employment agency or other business to do domestic work in a home is covered by that employer's insurance. A household should not assume this from the word “agency” alone: check the contract, who employs and pays the worker, and which party holds the required cover.
Employers' Liability insurance is tied to employing people. GOV.UK says the rules differ for freelancers, consultants, contractors and agency staff. Do not label a regular domestic employee self-employed simply to avoid employer obligations; assess the real arrangement.
GOV.UK says Employers' Liability insurance is not required where you only employ a family member within its specified categories. The official list is precise, so do not assume every relative or household member falls within it. This is general information and the legal structure can matter.
GOV.UK also lists an exemption where you only employ someone based outside England, Scotland and Wales. A London household with an employee normally based here should not rely on this simply because the role includes travel.
What Employers' Liability insurance is there to cover.
It protects against the employer's legal liability for work-related employee injury or disease. It is not a substitute for every other household or employment policy.
The legal minimum is £5 million, while many policies provide £10 million.
Cover amount and policy scope are separate decisions. The statutory floor does not mean every £5 million policy is suitable for every household arrangement.
Does home insurance already cover a nanny or housekeeper?
It can, but the household should obtain confirmation rather than assume it. Specialist domestic-staff insurance guidance from Morton Michel tells household employers to check with their existing home insurer or broker because Employers' Liability for Domestic Staff may already be included under a household policy. That is a policy-specific question, not a general rule that home insurance is always sufficient.
How much does employers' liability insurance for a nanny cost?
There is no statutory premium and public prices are not a reliable market average. Use current quotes for the actual household.
Enable Insurance currently advertises a specialist nanny-employer policy at £109 per year including Insurance Premium Tax, with up to £10 million Employers' Liability and up to £5 million Public Liability cover. This is one publicly advertised product checked on 10 August 2026, not a typical market rate, FDS quote or recommendation.
If an existing household policy already contains suitable domestic-employee Employers' Liability cover, a separate policy may not be needed. Confirm that position with the insurer or broker before relying on it or purchasing duplicate cover.
Specialist policies can include different limits, public liability, legal expenses or overseas extensions. The legal requirement is the Employers' Liability cover itself; other features should be compared against the household's actual needs and policy wording.
Keep the certificate accessible and avoid a gap in cover.
Insurance is not complete as a household-employer task once the premium has been paid. The certificate has its own statutory visibility requirement.
From our work
We treat insurance as part of the household's employer setup, not candidate vetting.
Filipino Domestic Services' current staffing enquiry asks the household to define the role, postcode, live-in or live-out arrangement, normal days and hours, recurring duties and preferred start date. The employer guide then asks the household to confirm the employment package before the candidate starts, including payroll, pension and insurance arrangements.
That sequencing matters because Employers' Liability insurance does not tell us whether a nanny or housekeeper is suitable for the household. It tells the household whether it has dealt with one of the responsibilities that can follow a direct hire. The relevant facts are therefore the real employment relationship, the intended start date and the policy that will cover the employee, rather than the candidate's nationality or a generic promise that “home insurance should cover it”.
For a direct placement, Filipino Domestic Services introduces candidates and the household makes the employment decision. We keep the agency's introduction fee separate from the household's employer costs, so Employers' Liability insurance belongs in the household's own pre-start budget and compliance checklist. Where the home policy may already include domestic-employee cover, the sensible next step is insurer or broker confirmation of the exact section, limit and employee covered before relying on it. That keeps the insurance check tied to the role the household is actually employing rather than to a generic assumption about household cover.
Before the employee starts, check these insurance points.
This is a practical household-employer sequence, not a substitute for the insurer's proposal form or legal advice.
Do not buy or omit Employers' Liability cover solely because the role is called “nanny”, “housekeeper”, “temporary” or “agency”. Check the real contractual arrangement.
Confirm whether suitable Employers' Liability cover already exists, the limit, employee categories and any conditions that affect the household.
GOV.UK requires at least £5 million of Employers' Liability cover from an authorised insurer where the duty applies.
GOV.UK says Employers' Liability insurance is required as soon as you become an employer. Do not plan to arrange it retrospectively after the first working day.
Store the certificate where the employee can access it and be able to produce it if an inspector asks.
Review the cover when the policy renews or when the employment arrangement changes materially, and tell the insurer about changes it requires you to disclose.
Questions about employers' liability insurance for domestic staff.
Do I need employers' liability insurance for a nanny?
Usually, yes, if you directly employ the nanny. GOV.UK says an employer must obtain Employers' Liability insurance as soon as they become an employer, with at least £5 million of cover from an authorised insurer. The exact employment status and any statutory exemption should still be checked.
Do I need employers' liability insurance for a housekeeper?
If the housekeeper is your employee, the same Employers' Liability requirement normally applies. If they are genuinely self-employed or employed by an agency, the position can be different. Check who the legal employer is rather than relying on the job title.
Does my home insurance cover a nanny or other domestic employee?
Some household policies may include Employers' Liability for domestic staff, but this is policy-specific. Check the schedule and ask the insurer or broker to confirm the employee is covered and that the Employers' Liability limit meets the legal requirement.
How much employers' liability cover do I need?
GOV.UK requires at least £5 million where Employers' Liability insurance is required. Many policies provide £10 million, but that is a common policy limit rather than a higher statutory minimum. The insurer should confirm the applicable limit and policy terms.
How much does employers' liability insurance for a nanny cost?
There is no statutory premium. As one current public example, Enable Insurance advertised a specialist nanny-employer policy at £109 for 12 months including Insurance Premium Tax when checked on 10 August 2026. Treat that as one product price, not a market average or FDS quote, and obtain a current quote for the actual household.
Where do I display the employers' liability certificate in a private home?
GOV.UK says the certificate must be displayed where employees can access it, and gives electronic access such as a website or intranet as examples. A household can therefore make the certificate accessible electronically or in another suitable accessible place and must show it to inspectors if asked.
Sources and compliance boundary.
This guide summarises Employers' Liability insurance for UK household employers. It is educational content, not personalised legal or insurance advice. Employment status, exemptions, policy wording, insurer authorisation, duties and later rule changes can alter the correct treatment.
Put the employer setup in place before the first working day.
Insurance sits alongside the employment contract, payroll, pension and other household-employer duties. Define the role first, then make sure the legal and administrative framework matches the person you actually employ.