Stylist insurance, made simple.

Encore is a marketplace. You are an independent professional, and you run your own styling business. Carrying your own insurance is part of that, and it’s what lets us keep you protected, keep your clients protected, and keep Encore a platform rather than your employer.

Practically: your profile stays inactive, hidden from browse and unable to take bookings, until we have current proof of insurance on file. The moment it’s verified, your profile goes live automatically.

One policy usually covers it. General liability is what we require to make you bookable; professional liability is recommended but optional, and the two typically come bundled together in a single, inexpensive plan.

• →General liability - required.Covers third-party accidents, think a client tripping over a garment bag or a spill that damages property. You carry at least $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate while you’re active, and you keep a current certificate of insurance on file with Encore as proof of that coverage.
• →Professional liability - recommended. Also called errors and omissions; covers claims tied to the service itself, the advice you gave or the work you did. Optional, and often bundled with general liability at little extra cost.

The required general-liability limit is $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate; read your own policy and confirm it meets that.

You have a few good routes. Encore can’t recommend a specific provider, but these are common starting points:

Many of these issue coverage same-day and are designed for sole proprietors, so you can be insured quickly.

The document we need is the Certificate of Insurance, usually called a COI. Your insurer issues it as a one-page summary. Make sure it shows:

• →Your name or your business name as the insured.
• →The coverage and limits - at minimum general liability at $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate (and professional liability too, if you carry it, though it is not required).
• →The effective and expiration dates, so we know it’s current.

You don’t need any special endorsement or technical wording. Just ask your insurer for a standard certificate showing your general liability coverage; Encore is not named on your policy. Here’s a request you can send as-is:

Sign in and upload your COI from your account. An operator reviews it, and once it’s on file your profile activates on its own. We’ll also remind you before it expires, so your profile never quietly goes dark.