Beazley vs The Hartford: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

Beazley insures EPL nationwide with limits up to US $20 million, while The Hartford builds EPLI into its Business Owner's Policy for most classes, but not in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York.

Beazley sells standalone EPL with limits up to $20 million for employers that need serious capacity; The Hartford bundles EPLI into its Business Owner's Policy for most small businesses, but not in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York. ^1,^2,³

What Are the Key Differences Between Beazley and The Hartford Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

High-Limit Standalone Cover vs EPLI Bundled With Your BOP

Beazley sells EPL as a dedicated policy or inside its ExecuGuard package and advertises limits up to $20 million. The Hartford builds EPLI into its Business Owner's Policy for most classes, includes third-party EPL and automatic wage-and-hour defense costs there, and also sells stand-alone Employers Premier Choice; its Spectrum option lists just a $25,000 limit. Choose Beazley if you need several million in limits or a standalone policy; choose The Hartford if you're a small business that wants EPLI bundled with your BOP. ¹ ² ³

The Hartford's Bundle Isn't Available in Four States

The Hartford's footnotes say there is no built-in EPL in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York, and its EPL program doesn't apply to policies written in California. If you employ people in those states, the BOP bundle is off the table. Beazley's sources describe no such carve-out. ³ ¹

Training Included vs Training at Higher Limits

BeazleySure comes with every Beazley EPL policy: harassment training, a hotline, wage-and-hour tutorials and bilingual model policies. The Hartford gives you hartfordhelp.com training and model policies only if you buy increased EPL limits, and not in every state. ¹ ³

What Should You Confirm in Beazley and The Hartford Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes?

If you operate in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York, ask The Hartford what EPL option applies. ³
Ask whether The Hartford quote is BOP-included, Private Choice Premier, Employers Premier Choice or Spectrum at $25,000. ³
Compare Beazley's $20 million maximum with the Hartford limit and retention on the quote; Beazley publishes no standard retention. ¹ ³
Ask both how wage-and-hour is treated: Hartford BOP defense cost, a Beazley sublimit, or Workplace Protect indemnity. ³ ¹
Beazley lets you choose duty-to-defend or pay-on-behalf; ask which gives you control over defense counsel. ¹

Beazley vs The Hartford Employment Practices Liability Compared

Beazley vs The Hartford: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Beazley Employment Practices Liability	The Hartford Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
Limits and Retentions	Beazley advertises EPL limits up to US $20 million. The reviewed page does not publish standard retentions. ¹Company-reported. Advertised maximum capacity, not a guaranteed quote amount or published retention.	The Hartford's EPLI footnote states a $25,000 limit applies to Spectrum business written in Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page footnote as read 2026-09-23. Applies specifically to Spectrum-program business at that writing company; other products/limits are not addressed.
Who It’s For	Beazley says it considers employers in all industries with up to 30,000 employees, with no stated employee-count limit for staffing firms, and describes an appetite for harder-to-place classes such as law firms, hospitality, high-tech, healthcare, retail and transportation; healthcare risks are instead written through Beazley Remedy. ¹Company-reported. EPL product page eligibility description; actual acceptance depends on underwriting review of a specific applicant.	The Hartford's footnotes say there is no built-in EPL coverage in California, Minnesota, North Dakota or New York, and that the EPL program described on the page does not apply to EPL coverage written in California. Coverage and limits also vary by state and business class. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page footnotes as read 2026-09-23 (page last updated by The Hartford November 26, 2025).
Coverage Features	The EPL policy covers a broad range of discrimination, harassment and other "inappropriate employment conduct" claims, lets the policyholder choose between "duty to defend" and "pay on behalf" claim handling, and includes industry-specific wordings for classes such as law firms, accountants, staffing firms and PEOs. ¹Company-reported. EPL product page coverage description; exclusions and conditions are set by the issued policy. Beazley lists sublimited extensions for immigration-practices defense costs and OSHA proceedings, and a wage-and-hour defense-costs sublimit subject to underwriting; standalone wage-and-hour indemnity (not just defense costs) is sold separately through Beazley's Workplace Protect product. ¹Company-reported. EPL product page; sublimit amounts are not published and appear only on a quote.	The Hartford says its EPLI covers claims of discrimination (including age), retaliation, FMLA violations, wrongful discipline or termination, failure to promote, and harassment, and that third-party EPLI (claims from customers, vendors or business invitees, not just employees) is included for most businesses. Its BOP also automatically includes Wage and Hour Defense Cost coverage as part of the built-in EPLI. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page as read 2026-09-23. General coverage description; the issued policy controls.
Role in This Line	Beazley underwrites employment practices liability (EPL) coverage as a standalone product on its dedicated EPL page and as one of three coverages bundled in its ExecuGuard package policy alongside D&O and fiduciary liability. ^1,²Company-reported. US EPL as described on the two reviewed product pages; does not establish which entity issues a particular policy.	The Hartford's EPLI is built into its Business Owner's Policy for most classes, is included in its Private Choice Premier package policy, and is also sold stand-alone as Employers Premier Choice. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page as read 2026-09-23.
Risk Services	EPL policyholders get free access to BeazleySure, Beazley's online risk-management platform, which the EPL page says includes sexual harassment training, a telephone hotline, wage-and-hour tutorials, and model policies and procedures in English and Spanish. ¹Company-reported. EPL product page service description; actual entitlements depend on the policy purchased.	The Hartford says it gives employers access to hartfordhelp.com, a proprietary site with web-based training on topics like sexual harassment and wrongful termination, current articles on employment-practices trends, and model employment policies and handbooks; this program requires purchase of increased EPL limits and may not be available in all states. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page as read 2026-09-23.