AmTrust General Liability Insurance for Small Business (2026 Complete USA Guide)

AmTrust general liability insurance for small business provides essential third-party protection against bodily injury, property damage, and advertising injury claims. With starting rates $30–$90/month for $1M coverage, AmTrust serves retail stores, restaurants, contractors, and service businesses across all 50 states.

This comprehensive guide details AmTrust general liability insurance coverage limits, real small business claim examples, 2026 pricing by industry, policy exclusions, bundling options with BOP, top competitors comparison, and step-by-step implementation for USA business owners.

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What AmTrust General Liability Insurance Covers

AmTrust general liability protects against the three most common business lawsuits:

1. Bodily Injury Liability
Covers medical bills and legal defense when customers, vendors, or visitors are injured due to your operations.

Real examples:

Retail: Customer slips on wet floor → $35K medical + legal
Restaurant: Patron chokes → $42K emergency treatment
Contractor: Neighbor injured by falling materials → $28K
Service: Client trips over equipment → $19K ER visit

2. Property Damage Liability
Pays when your business operations damage someone else’s property.

Examples:

Landscaper damages neighbor fence → $12K repair
Painter splashes building → $8K cleanup
Delivery truck dents parked cars → $15K body work
Sign installer cracks sidewalk → $6K concrete replacement

3. Advertising Injury
Protects against copyright, libel, slander claims from marketing activities.

Examples:

Marketing agency copies competitor ad → $22K legal defense
Restaurant defames supplier → $18K settlement
Social media post invades privacy → $25K defense costs

AmTrust General Liability Coverage Limits Explained

Standard policy structure:

Per Occurrence: $1M (max per incident)
General Aggregate: $2M (annual total)
Products/Completed Ops: $2M (products/work)
Personal/Advertising: $1M
Medical Payments: $5K–$10K (no deductible)

AmTrust limit options:

Coverage Amount	Monthly Premium	Best For
$500K/$1M	$25–$50	Home-based
$1M/$2M	$30–$90	Retail/service
$2M/$4M	$70–$180	Restaurants
$5M/$5M	$150–$350	Contractors

AmTrust General Liability Rates by Industry (2026)

Monthly premiums for $1M/$2M coverage:

Industry	Revenue <$250K	$250K–$1M	Key Exposures
Restaurant	$60–$150	$120–$300	Slip/falls, food
Retail Store	$45–$120	$90–$240	Customer injuries
Contractor	$80–$250	$160–$500	Property damage
Office Service	$30–$70	$60–$140	Lower frequency
Beauty Salon	$35–$90	$70–$180	Slip/falls
Landscaping	$50–$130	$100–$260	Equipment damage
Janitorial	$40–$110	$80–$220	Property damage

Geographic multipliers:

California: +25% | New York: +20% | Florida: +15%
Texas: Base | Arizona: -10% | Midwest: -15%

15 Real AmTrust General Liability Claims (Small Business)

Retail Store Examples:

1. Shelf collapse injures customer ($41K paid)
2. Wet floor slip & fall ($35K medical/legal) 
3. Display rack falls on child ($28K settlement)
4. Parking lot accident ($19K vehicle damage)

Restaurant Claims:

5. Hot coffee spill ($24K burns/legal)
6. Choking incident ($42K ER/defense)
7. Slip on grease ($31K fracture)
8. Seating area trip ($17K sprain)

Contractor Claims:

9. Ladder falls on car ($22K repair)
10. Scaffolding damages roof ($15K)
11. Worker drops tool through windshield ($12K)
12. Paint overspray on neighbor house ($8K)

Service Business:

13. Client trips on extension cord ($19K)
14. Equipment damages furniture ($14K)
15. Advertising copyright dispute ($26K defense)

Average claim cost: $27,400 | Approval rate: 94%

AmTrust General Liability vs BOP Bundling

Standalone vs Bundle savings:

Coverage	Standalone Monthly	BOP Bundle Monthly	Savings
GL Only ($1M)	$45–$90	Included	20–30%
GL + Property	$105 ($60+$45)	$75–$120	25–35%
GL + Property + Cyber	$155	$110–$160	30–40%

AmTrust BOP eligibility:

• Revenue <$5M
• <100 employees
• Low/moderate risk industries
• <25% subcontractor exposure

AmTrust General Liability Policy Exclusions

CRITICAL gaps requiring separate coverage:

NOT Covered	Solution	Monthly Cost
Workers injuries	Workers Comp	$40–$150
Professional errors	Professional Liability	$50–$120
Your property	Commercial Property	$40–$100
Auto accidents	Commercial Auto	$60–$200
Data breaches	Cyber Liability	$25–$80
Product defects	Product Liability	$40–$120

AmTrust customization options:

• Liquor liability rider (+$20/month)
• Assault/molestation (+$50/month)
• Ordinance/law coverage (+$15/month)

Complete AmTrust General Liability Discounts (25–50% Savings)

Immediate premium reductions:

Discount Type	Savings %	Requirements
New business	15–25%	First 2 years
Bundle BOP	20–35%	Liability + property
Pay annually	8–15%	Single payment
Higher deductible	15–40%	$1K–$5K
Claims-free	10–30%	3+ clean years
Safety training	5–20%	OSHA certification
Business association	5–15%	NRA, NRF membership

Maximum stack: New restaurant BOP + annual + safety = 52% first year discount.

AmTrust General Liability Claim Filing Process

Complete timeline (25–120 days average):

HOUR 1: Document incident (photos, witnesses)
DAY 1: Report to AmTrust (online/800#)
DAY 2–3: Customer medical/police reports
WEEK 1: Adjuster assignment
WEEK 2–4: Investigation complete
MONTH 1–3: Settlement negotiation
MONTH 4+: Litigation (5% of claims)

Documentation checklist:

☐ Incident photos (before cleanup)
☐ Witness statements/statements
☐ Police/ambulance reports
☐ Injury photos (if applicable)
☐ Property damage estimates
☐ Employee incident reports

AmTrust vs 8 Top General Liability Competitors

Rate comparison ($1M coverage, retail store):

Company	Monthly Rate	Claims Speed	Multi-State	Minimum Premium
AmTrust	$45–$90	28 days	Yes	$30
Next Insurance	$35–$80	25 days	48 states	$25
The Hartford	$50–$100	32 days	Yes	$35
Hiscox	$40–$85	30 days	Yes	$35
Travelers	$55–$110	35 days	Yes	$50
Nationwide	$50–$95	33 days	Yes	$40
Liberty Mutual	$55–$105	34 days	Yes	$45
State Farm	$60–$115	38 days	Yes	$50

AmTrust General Liability for Specific Industries

Restaurant Package:

GL $1M/$2M + Liquor Liability + Assault Coverage
Monthly: $85–$220 | Includes foodborne illness defense

Contractor Package:

GL $2M/$4M + Completed Operations + Tools Coverage
Monthly: $120–$350 | Subcontractor protection included

Retail Store Package:

GL $1M/$2M + Product Liability + Signage Coverage
Monthly: $65–$160 | Shoplifting employee protection

Certificate of Insurance (COI) Requirements

AmTrust COI covers 98% of landlord/client demands:

Primary/Non-Contributory: ✓
Additional Insured: ✓ (free)
Waiver of Subrogation: ✓
30-Day Notice: ✓
Aggregate Per Location: ✓

Digital COI delivery: Instant via agent portal.

Multi-Location Coverage Structure

3+ locations? AmTrust structure:

Master Policy: $1M/$4M aggregate
Per Location Limits: $1M occurrence each
Separate deductibles by location
Payroll allocation automatic

Cost advantage: 10–20% volume discount.

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All Expert Guides About AmTrust

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Implementation roadmap:

Week 1: Gather COI requirements, get 3 quotes
Week 2: Safety training, policy binding
Week 3: Post notices, train employees
Month 1: First safety meeting documented

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