What Doesn’t Professional Liability Cover?
It depends on the form; common gaps can include bodily injury, property damage, intentional conduct, prior-known claims, and services outside the policy’s definition.
There is no single exclusion list shared by every E&O contract. III says professional liability generally does not extend to non-financial losses or intentional or dishonest acts. A sample miscellaneous E&O wording also excludes bodily injury, property damage, certain contract-assumed liability, prior-known matters, and some privacy or intellectual-property allegations. That specimen is an example, not a rule for every profession: specialized technology forms may add coverage or use different exclusions. Compare the exclusions and endorsements against your contracts, data handling, work product, and prior circumstances. Confirm whether defense costs are inside limits, what retention applies, and how the policy treats claims that overlap another coverage.
An endorsement can restore a narrow part of an excluded exposure, but its sublimit and conditions may differ from the main limit. Request the actual forms and review each endorsement with the broker.
Related Coverage
Sources
- 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.
- Professional Liability – US Direct Errors and Omissions Insurance. Hiscox Inc. specimen; About this Policy / Coverage for Claims Made Against You; I.A Insuring Agreement; I.B Defense; I.C Settlement; II.A Notice of Claims; II.C Optional Extended Reporting Period; III.A, III.K, III.M, III.R, III.S Exclusions; IV.A–B Limits and Deductible; VI.O Professional Services; VI.U Wrongful Act. Accessed 2026-09-25.
