E&O vs General Liability: Which Covers What?
E&O is for covered claims about professional services; general liability commonly addresses bodily injury, property damage, and certain premises or product risks.
E&O is another name for professional liability in Texas DOI’s consumer explanation. That agency separates it from general liability, which commonly handles bodily-injury or property-damage claims. California DOI describes CGL across premises, operations, products, completed operations, and contractual-liability forms. A business can face both kinds of allegations; a client may claim negligent advice and damage to equipment. Policy wording decides whether either insurer responds and how defense is allocated. Review the E&O services schedule and the GL classification, exclusions, and products-completed-operations coverage. Compare limits, deductibles, insured entities, contractual-liability terms, and any professional-services exclusion before treating one policy as a substitute for the other.
A contract may require both lines for separate exposures. Compare any professional-services exclusion in general liability with the services grant under E&O and confirm contractor status.
When comparing certificates, remember they prove insurance was issued but do not add an excluded service or amend either underlying contract.
Related Coverage
Sources
- FAQ: Professional liability insurance. Texas Department of Insurance; What’s professional liability coverage?; What types of damages…; What’s general liability insurance?; Do I need professional liability… if I have general liability…?; Is professional liability insurance required?; Can a client require…?; What’s the difference between occurrence policies and claims-made policies. Accessed 2026-09-25.
- Professional liability insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening paragraphs (professional services/advice and E&O name); Claims not covered by general liability; What types of businesses need professional liability insurance?; What’s covered… and what’s not (claims-made versus occurrence, defense and judgments, non-financial/intentional limits, BOP/in-home exclusion). Accessed 2026-09-25.
- Lines of Insurance. California Department of Insurance; Professional Liability Insurance paragraph (profession examples; wrongful acts; Errors & Omissions Insurance; Malpractice Insurance); Commercial General Liability five forms including products and completed operations. Accessed 2026-09-25.
