Carpenter insurance, banking and accounting — built into one app.
Carpenters carry the highest tool value of any UK trade, often £10,000+ in Festool, Mafell and Makita systems alone. Onsite's tools policy schedules the kit properly, and bundles in PL, van, EL, banking and accounting so you spend more time on the bench and less on admin.
Powered by Admiral. Authorised and regulated by the FCA. 14-day cooling-off on every policy. Cancel anything any time.
What insurance does a UK carpenter actually need?
Carpentry and joinery sit across both first-fix structural work and second-fix joinery. The insurance ask varies — first-fix is structurally adjacent to builder PL; second-fix is closer to finishing-trade PL. Both fit inside the Onsite bundle.
- Employers' liability — legally compulsory. Required from your first labourer or apprentice. Carpentry EL is mid-priced (lower than roofing, higher than decorating). £10m of cover.
- Public liability — contractually required. Most main contractors want £2m PL for fit-out and joinery sub-contracting. £5m for new build. Listed buildings and heritage joinery usually require £5m and BWF-Certifire or equivalent fire-door competence.
- Tools cover — high-value carpentry kit. Festool TS 75 saw + MFT3 + rails: £2,000. Mafell ZSX cross-cut: £1,800. Domino DF 500: £1,000. Most carpenters easily exceed £10,000 in kit. Standard 'tools cover' from non-trade insurers undervalues this. Onsite schedules each high-value piece.
- Goods in transit — for joinery and kitchens. You're transporting £6,000 of made-to-measure joinery from your workshop to the site. A scrape or a snatched van means you owe the customer the joinery, not your van insurer. GIT covers it on the Onsite van policy.
- Fire door installation — BS 8214 + BWF-Certifire. Certifire and BS 8214 competence is increasingly required after Grenfell. Listed-building, school, care-home and hospital fit-out specifiers require it. Onsite records your certificates and prompts renewal.
Every cover a UK carpenter needs — in one place
Tick what you need. Skip what you don't. The bundle saves more than buying each cover from a different insurer, and you get one renewal date, one login and one team to call.
Build your carpenter bundle in 60 seconds
Real Admiral and partner panel quotes. No broker shuffle. Certificate of insurance in your dashboard the same day.
How to get carpenter insurance with Onsite
Four steps. Two minutes. Certificate same day.
Tell us what you cut
First-fix carpentry, second-fix joinery, kitchens, staircases, fire doors, heritage. Add typical contract size and whether you work bench or on-site.
Pick your cover levels
£1m, £2m or £5m PL; £5,000 or £10,000 tools (with Festool/Mafell scheduled separately if needed); van; EL.
Get a quote in 60 seconds
Admiral and partner quotes return instantly. First-fix vs second-fix risk profile is asked once and applied properly to the premium.
Bind it and download certificates
PL, EL and tools schedules in your dashboard within 60 seconds. Main-contractor- and architect-ready.
Real carpenter claims Onsite settled this year
Anonymised but representative — the claims that pay back the policy in a single incident.
Why Onsite beats a traditional broker for carpenters
Brokers sell you cover and walk away. Onsite is the platform you live in between renewals — banking, accounting, expense capture, CIS handling, an AI assistant that knows your business. The insurance pricing is competitive on its own. The platform is the differentiator.
| What you get | Traditional broker | Onsite |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability, tools, van, EL | Yes | Yes |
| One login for all policies | No — separate insurers | Yes |
| Business bank account + Mastercard | No | Free with bundle |
| Live expense categorisation | No | Yes |
| CIS scheme registration + filing | No | Yes (£39/mo) |
| Mid-term changes (add a labourer, lift a tools limit) | Via email + admin fee | In-app, instant |
| Certificate of insurance issuance | 1-3 working days | Within 60 seconds |
| Powered by Admiral | No | Yes |
UK-specific regs and risks every carpenter should price into a policy
These are the bits a generic broker policy gets wrong. Onsite quotes around them on purpose.
BS 8214 fire door installation
Grenfell has tightened fire-door installation standards. BS 8214:2016 is the recognised installation standard. BWF-Certifire installer registration is increasingly required by schools, care homes and hospital fit-outs. Onsite stores your certs.
Listed building and heritage joinery
Listed building consent applies to internal joinery in many listed properties. PL claim defence requires evidence of conservation officer engagement. Onsite stores listed-building consents on the project file.
First-fix vs second-fix risk profile
First-fix carpentry (structural — joists, studs, roof timbers, formwork) is structurally adjacent to builder risk. Second-fix (skirting, architrave, doors, kitchens) is finishing-trade risk. Premium reflects which you mostly do.
Damage to existing finishes — the top claim
The most common carpentry PL claim isn't a structural failure — it's damage to existing flooring, plaster, paint or kitchen cabinets during install. Onsite's PL specifically covers this without contributing-cause excess disputes.
CIS for carpenters on a building site
If you're sub-contracted to a main contractor, you're inside CIS. Verify your status, register if needed, and reconcile gross-vs-net invoices against your bank. Onsite Accounting handles the lot.
Transparent pricing — no broker fees, no admin uplift
Below are the standard monthly starting points for carpenters on Onsite. Final quote depends on cover levels, postcode and underwriter answers. Bundle two or more covers and the bundle discount applies automatically.
| Cover | Starting price | Typical carpenter | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public liability insurance | from £14/mo | £14 – £42/mo | £1m, £2m or £5m. Covers third-party injury, property damage and the most common carpentry claim type — damage to existin… |
| Tools insurance | from £10/mo | £10 – £30/mo | Up to £10,000 new-for-old. Festool, Mafell, Makita and DeWalt scheduled. Theft from a locked van overnight included. Ben… |
| Van insurance | from £49/mo | £49 – £147/mo | Goods in transit for joinery, doors, kitchens, staircases. UK and EU cover. Multi-van discount. Powered by Admiral.… |
| Employer's liability | from £12/mo | £12 – £36/mo | Legally required from your first apprentice or labourer. £10m of cover.… |
| Professional indemnity | from £16/mo | £16 – £48/mo | Covers design errors on bespoke staircases, fire-door specification and joinery commissioning sign-off. Useful for secon… |
Carpenters insurance — frequently asked questions
The 12 questions UK carpenters ask us most often. Each answer is referenced into the FAQPage schema on this page so AI assistants and voice search can cite directly.
Do UK carpenters need insurance by law?
Employers' liability is legally compulsory once you pay a labourer or apprentice. Public liability isn't a legal requirement for a sole-trader chippie but is contractually required by virtually every main contractor and almost all domestic clients over £5k contract value. Van insurance is legally required to drive.
How much does carpenter insurance cost per month in the UK?
Self-employed UK carpenters typically pay £14–£26/mo for £2m public liability, £10/mo for £10,000 tools cover, and £49/mo+ for van. Bundled through Onsite, all-in for the standard carpenter bundle is £85–£130/mo — around £400-£500/yr cheaper than buying covers separately.
How much tools cover does a carpenter actually need?
Most carpenters underestimate their kit value. Add up Festool, Mafell, DeWalt, Makita, bench tools and consumables — for a working chippy, £10,000 is realistic. Onsite's £10,000 tier with high-value items scheduled separately (so the Festool TS 75 is replaced new-for-old, not at the policy excess) is right for most carpenters.
Is my Festool gear covered if it's stolen from a locked van overnight?
Yes, on every Onsite tools policy — provided the van was locked, alarm activated if fitted, and the theft was reported to police within 24 hours with a crime reference. Standard van insurance excludes overnight tools cover, which is why a dedicated tools policy matters.
Does Onsite cover fire-door installation?
Yes. BS 8214 and BWF-Certifire competent installer registrations are recognised at quote time, and PL specifically covers fire-door installation. Schools, care homes and hospital fit-outs almost always require BWF-Certifire — Onsite stores your registration and shares it with the specifier on request.
Can I be covered for both workshop and site work?
Yes. Onsite's standard carpenter policy covers tools at your workshop, in your van and on site, at the same single tools limit. Bench machinery at the workshop (table saw, planer-thicknesser, dust extractor) can be added separately if the total exceeds £10,000.
Do I need professional indemnity as a carpenter?
If you design bespoke joinery (staircases, kitchens, fitted libraries), specify fire-door doorsets, or sign off heritage joinery method statements, yes — PI defends the design decision. Production-only carpenters working to others' drawings can usually skip it.
What public liability cover do I need for new build vs domestic?
£2m is usually enough for domestic refurb and fit-out. £5m is the standard ask on new build and commercial fit-out — most main contractors require it. Onsite's quote flow asks the right questions to land you on the right tier.
How does Onsite handle CIS for carpenters?
If you sub-contract to another carpenter or labourer, you're inside CIS as a contractor. Onsite Accounting handles registration, verification, deductions, monthly returns and gross-payment-status applications. If you're the subbie, Onsite reconciles the gross-vs-net deductions against your bank account automatically.
Are listed-building and heritage joinery jobs covered?
Yes — pick the £5m PL tier and declare heritage work at quote time. Listed-building joinery has a higher claim severity than standard work because of irreplaceable historic fabric, but it's not excluded. Onsite stores listed-building consents on the project file.
What's the most common carpenter PL claim?
Damage to existing finishes — usually flooring, plaster or kitchen cabinets — during install. It's not glamorous but it accounts for over half of UK carpenter PL claims by count. Onsite's PL specifically covers this without the contributing-cause excess disputes that some cheaper policies use to push back.
How does Onsite compare to a broker like A-Plan or Simply Business for carpenters?
A-Plan and Simply Business both quote competitively for carpenters. Onsite is competitive on insurance pricing (we benchmark monthly) and adds banking, accounting, CIS handling and expense tracking in one app — usually 4-6 hours of admin a week saved. Most chippies pick Onsite for the time saving, not the insurance saving.
Get your carpenter insurance + bundle in 60 seconds
Real quotes from Admiral and our panel. Certificate of insurance, EL poster and schedule of cover land in your dashboard the same day.