HR consultants · CIPD

HR consultants — CIPD membership and PI cover

Reviewed by Matthew Bartlett, Director, Apex Insurance Brokers Limited (FCA FRN 724952) · Published 15 July 2026

CIPD-affiliated HR consultants operate in a claim-heavy space: employment tribunals, discrimination, unfair dismissal, TUPE. PI cover should reflect the risk.

CIPD and PI expectations

CIPD does not mandate PI cover, but employment law advisory work materially increases claim exposure.

Members providing consultancy typically place £500k-£2m PI; larger consultancies £2m+.

The employment-law claim pattern

Discrimination advice challenged at tribunal.
Unfair dismissal recommendations that fall short.
TUPE guidance leading to unexpected outcomes.
Redundancy process advice challenged for procedural failure.
Contract drafting exposing the client to claims.

Cover extensions worth considering

Legal expenses cover for regulatory investigations.
Employer's liability where the HR consultant is engaged as an employee.
Cyber cover for GDPR-relevant HR data.
Additional-insured extensions for clients where contractually required.

Frequently asked

Is PI mandatory for HR consultants?

CIPD doesn't mandate PI. However, client contracts routinely require it, particularly larger corporate clients.

How much cover is standard?

£500k to £2m for individual consultants; £2m+ for consultancies handling larger client bases.

Does PI cover tribunal claims against my advice?

Standard PI covers claims arising from professional advice that turns out to be negligent. The tribunal itself doesn't sue you — the client does, if they lose.

What about GDPR breaches?

Cyber cover is normally separate. Some PI policies extend for GDPR-linked professional errors; standalone cyber is usually needed.

Do I need HR-specific cover?

General PI usually works, but wording should not exclude employment-law advice.

What about EL where I'm the consultant?

If you're self-employed with no staff, EL isn't needed. If you have employees or subcontractors, EL is compulsory.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm reference number 724952. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570.

Professional indemnity

What might your PI premium look like?

A guideline range built from the premiums insurers have actually quoted on risks we handle. Pick your profession and enter a few details — it updates instantly.

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Annual fee income — gross, last 12 months

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Guideline range — this is not a quote

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How these figures are produced

This guide is built from Apex's own market data: the premiums insurers have actually quoted and charged on professional indemnity risks we have handled. Each night that data is aggregated into anonymised rate bands by profession, fee income and limit of indemnity. No client information is published — a band only appears where it contains at least five separate records, and unusually high premiums are excluded so a single atypical risk cannot distort the guide.

The range shown spans the typical spread of recent market outcomes for similar risks. Individual quotes can fall outside it in either direction. Figures exclude insurance premium tax at 12%.

This calculator is not a quote and is not an offer of insurance or advice. Your actual premium depends on full underwriting of your business, including your activities, claims record and insurer appetite at the time.