Freelance QA professionals – software test managers, ISO-systems consultants, manufacturing quality specialists, compliance auditors – sell a distinctive product: the assurance that something else is right. When defects ship anyway, the question "didn't QA sign this off?" arrives with your name on it. The insurance need splits by domain, because a missed software bug and a missed manufacturing defect have very different downstream physics. This guide covers both.
What insurance does a QA manager need?
Professional indemnity – the core. Claim shapes: defects released under your test sign-off, audit and certification-preparation failures (the client who failed their ISO audit after your readiness engagement), quality-system designs with gaps, and inspection or validation errors. £1m covers most software/service QA contracts; manufacturing, food, medical-device and safety-critical QA rates harder – the consequence of a missed defect there is product recall or physical harm, pulling product-liability logic into your professional exposure. Declare the domain precisely; "QA manager" spans a wide rating range.
The sign-off question is the wording question. QA professionals whose role includes formal release authority carry more exposure than advisory testers; make sure the policy contemplates certification/sign-off activity if that's the job.
Also: public liability (client sites, factory floors), cyber (test environments frequently hold production-data copies – a quietly serious data-protection exposure worth insuring and worth fixing), employers' liability with any staff, legal expenses, and the contractor bundle (Kingsbridge/Qdos, Markel's contractor proposition) for PSC-based QA contractors.
How much does it cost?
Software/service QA prices with IT consulting: £150–£350/year at £1m PI (entry floors: Markel from £5/month; Simply Business PI from £6.62/month; AXA from £66/year). Manufacturing and regulated-product QA rates individually and upward – expect underwriter questions about products, standards and recall exposure.
Comparison of providers
| Provider | Type | Notable features |
|---|---|---|
| Markel Direct | Direct insurer | Contractor-friendly; QA/testing trades listed; from £5/mo; legal helpline |
| Hiscox | Direct insurer | Strong wordings for assurance/advisory work; 4.4 Trustpilot |
| Simply Business | Comparison | Multi-insurer benchmark; quick contract certificates |
| Superscript | Digital broker | Monthly flexibility; 4.5 Trustpilot |
| Kingsbridge / Qdos | Contractor specialists | PSC bundles for contract QA |
| Specialist brokers | Brokers | For manufacturing/medical/food QA where product consequences enter |
Reviews and expert ratings
Superscript 4.5/5; Hiscox 4.4; AXA 4.3; Simply Business 4.2; Markel 4.0. Which?/Fairer Finance: not rated.
Key takeaway
Name your domain and your authority level when you buy – advisory tester and release-signing QA manager are different risks wearing one title. Software QA: £1m PI plus a hard look at test-data handling. Physical-product QA: broker conversation, higher limits, recall-aware wording. In every domain, your traceability matrices and sign-off records are the claims file – keep them like it.
Sources
- markeluk.com; hiscox.co.uk; simplybusiness.co.uk; axa.co.uk
- trustmypolicy.com (IT-band pricing context)