Are you a process server in Canada? If so, your job duties are probably lengthy, leaving plenty of room for mistakes. As a process server, it is your job to file court documents and serve and retrieve legal documents. However, your principal job is to serve legal documents to individuals and defendants involved in a court case. If at any time you fail to deliver these documents in a timely manner, it could delay a court case or prevent from being notified of subpoena.
As a process server, you are responsible for handling legal papers from the court clerk, local attorneys and magistrates. These papers are then distributed to defendants and others involved in criminal and civil cases. If you fail to do your job correctly, you could jeopardize a defendant’s case, which could leave to a negligence claim or civil lawsuit brought by the defendant.
Process servers also have access to the city, county and/or state’s court database. If you fail to protect the information you gather from this database, it could risk the identifying information of many residents living in the area. This could lead to a single or multiple lawsuits brought by those who were injured due your negligence.
As a process server in Canada, you are required by law to carry professional liability insurance, better known as errors and omissions. PLI insurance helps to cover expenses related to personal injury, bodily injury and property damage due to your negligence. E&O will also cover all or part of your litigation costs, settlements and monetary judgments. Even if you are found to not be at fault, PLI will still cover your defense costs.
If you fail to do your job properly, it could result in personal injury and/or financial loss for a third-party. If the court determines that you are liable for these damages, you will be forced to pay a specific amount out-of-pocket. However, if you are covered with general liability insurance (GLI), your out-of-pocket expenses will be reduced to nothing, a half or by a third.
The amount of coverage you as a professional will need will depend on your customers, risk exposure, claim history, and a few other factors.
We recommend having coverage of no less than $1,000,000 for Professional Liability insurance along with Commercial general Liability Insurance for $1,000,000, if your business demands it. Rates starting at $40/month!
Additional Coverage Recommendations
To be fully protected from financial loss associated with third-party civil lawsuits and negligence claims, you may need to carry additional coverage. Even though you may be monitoring your expenses and trying to keep them to a minimum, it is impossible to be fully protected with multiple insurance policies. Below, you will discover a list of additional coverage recommendations.
Commercial General Liability Insurance
Commercial general liability insurance, also known as business liability insurance, will protect you from financial loss as a result of third-party civil lawsuits and negligence claims. CGL will kick in if the claim falls within the terms of the policy, covering all or part of the settlement or monetary judgment. If you do not protect the persons named on the legal documents you are responsible for, it could result in reputation damage. This type of coverage will help you pay for settlements and monetary judgments related to these cases.
CGL Insurance Limit Recommendations – $500,000 per claim/$1,000,000 aggregate
Identity Theft Insurance
Process servers often work for the government so many people know them by name. If you are not familiar with the dangers caused by identity theft, you should start doing research on the topic. Identity theft has been known to leave victims with thousands of dollars in debt. Regardless, if these victims were responsible for the debt, they will be forced to pay for it. Identity theft insurance is the solution, as it will cover these expenses and prevent you from filing bankruptcy, just to pay for these debts.
Identity Theft Insurance Limit Recommendations – $25,000 per claim/$100,000 aggregate
Commercial Car Insurance
Process servers spend a big portion of their time on the road, driving from one place to another just to serve papers. Commercial car insurance is a must, as it will cover third-party damages, personal injury and bodily injury.
Commercial Car Insurance Limit Recommendations – $50,000 per claim/$100,000 Aggregate
Average Costs
Just to give you an idea of how much the lowest coverage limit of the above polices will cost you, a list of average costs are provided below.
- Professional Liability Insurance – $40 per month
- Commercial General Liability Insurance – $25 per month
- Identity Theft Insurance – $20 per month
- Commercial Car Insurance – $100 per month
To receive your free quote, please contact our office today to speak with one of our agents. Make sure to ask about qualifications that your business must meet before applying to avoid wasting time with an insurer.
Process Server Disability Insurance
You biggest asset in life is your earning ability. If you are unable to work, you will need to rely on either your savings or borrow money to sustain your lifestyle. When these unfortunate circumstances occur, dependents and spouses are also impacted financially and emotionally.
Disability insurance coverage will provide you a monthly income benefit, usually totaling 70% to 80% of your income, when you are unable to work for a period of time due to injury or illness.
Types of disability insurance
- Long-Term Disability Insurance (LTD)
- Short-Term Disability Insurance
- Key Person Disability Insurance
- Self Employed Disability Insurance
- Mortgage Disability Insurance
- Temporary Disability Insurance
- Supplemental Disability Insurance
FAQ before purchasing process servers professional liability insurance
- How much professional liability insurance do I need as a process server?
- How do I get a process server insurance policy?
- What does process servers professional liability insurance cover?
- What is the difference between claims made & occurrence form of coverage?
- When will I need to be insured as a process server?
- What other professions need this type of insurance?
Other useful posts you should also read
- Canadian insurance companies that provide professional liability insurance for process servers
- How does the claims process work if I get sued because of my services?
- What is the cost of process servers professional liability insurance?
- How do I apply for a process server professional liability insurance policy?
- How do I qualify for coverage as a process server?
- What is the purpose of getting insured as a process server?
- How long will it take to get an insurance quote for my process serving business?