Excess Liability Insurance
Increase your general liability protection with easy-to-buy excess liability coverage from Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP).
What Is Excess Liability Insurance?
Excess liability insurance is an optional coverage that increases your general liability policy limits. It’s a simple way to protect your food business beyond the standard policy.
FLIP offers excess liability coverage in $1 million increments, up to $5 million.
Excess Liability Insurance vs Umbrella Insurance: What’s the Difference?
Excess liability insurance only extends the limits of an underlying policy, your general liability insurance. On the other hand, umbrella insurance can increase limits of an underlying policy, in addition to covering claims outside of the original policy’s scope in certain cases.
Excess Liability Insurance | Umbrella Insurance | |
What it does | Increases your general liability policy limits | Can extend limits and coverage of multiple underlying policies |
How it works | Designed to kick in when your base policy limits are exhausted | Also requires base policy limits to be used up, but may cover additional loss types |
Best for | Food business owners who want extra protection or need to meet specific insurance requirements to operate | Food business operators with higher risk exposures who need enhanced, broader coverage |
Who Needs Excess Liability Limits?
If you need general liability coverage beyond FLIP’s standard limits, then excess liability insurance could be the right fit for your business.
Excess liability coverage is a smart choice for all of these business types:
- Bartenders and Alcohol-Serving Businesses
- Chefs and Caterers
- Food and Beverage Vendors
- Food Distributors
- Food Manufacturers
- Home-Based Food and Beverage Businesses
- Mobile Food and Beverage Businesses
- Restaurant Owners
Don’t see your food business or industry here? See our Who Qualifies page for more.
Common Scenario for Food Businesses
A food festival requires all participating vendors to carry $4 million in general liability coverage, which is $2 million more than FLIP’s standard aggregate limit. To meet this requirement and enhance your protection, you secure two $1 million increments of excess liability.
Combined with the base general liability policy, you now have a total liability limit of $4 million — and your business is ready for a successful event!
How Does Excess Liability Coverage Work?
To purchase excess liability coverage, you must have an active general liability policy. Confirm the specific limits your contract or venue requires to ensure your coverage matches those requirements.
Add excess liability insurance right from your FLIP user dashboard in $1 million increments, up to $5 million in extra protection. Most insurance companies require underwriting review before you can purchase excess limits, but FLIP makes it easy to increase your general liability coverage online in just a few minutes.
Once you’ve secured excess liability insurance, your food business is protected beyond the standard policy limits, so you can operate with confidence.
What Does Excess Liability Cover?
FLIP’s excess liability insurance is written on a “follow form” basis, meaning it follows the rules of your general liability policy. In other words, the excess liability policy is subject to the same coverage terms and conditions as the base general liability policy.
As a reminder, FLIP’s general liability insurance is designed to cover third-party bodily injury or property damage claims arising from your business operations.
What Does Excess Liability Not Cover?
Excess liability does not apply to coverages outside of general liability, so it does not cover inland marine, cyber liability, professional liability, or other optional coverage add-ons.
Excess Liability Example
How Much Does Excess Liability Insurance Cost?
FLIP’s excess liability limits cost $500 per additional $1 million in coverage. Once you purchase a FLIP policy, simply select your desired excess liability limits from your user dashboard at a simple flat rate. We don’t charge extra processing fees for this add-on!
Why FLIP for Excess Liability Coverage?
FLIP offers simple, affordable coverage built for food operators. Our insurance coverage types help protect your business from the everyday risks you face serving, packaging, or selling food products.
Get excess liability coverage online in under 10 minutes so you can show venues or partners you’re properly insured. Or, if you need help, our team of U.S.-based, licensed agents is happy to walk you through coverage options — contact us.
With free additional insureds, 100% online policy management, and protection tailored to the food industry, you can feel confident your coverage will stand the heat.
See Why Food Businesses Trust FLIP
Real reviews from real food and beverage business owners like you.
Coverage Details Limits
General Liability Aggregate Limit
$2,000,000
Products – Completed Operations Aggregate Limit
$2,000,000
Personal and Advertising Injury Limit
$1,000,000
General Each Occurrence Limit
$1,000,000
Damage to Premises Rented to You Limit (Any One Premises)
$300,000
Liability Deductible
NO DEDUCTIBLE
Inland Marine Limit (Any One Article / Aggregate)
$5,000/$10,000
Inland Marine Limit (Per Occurrence) – Deductible
$250
Medical Expense Limit
$5,000
Excess Liability Limits (Optional)
+$1,000,000 – $5,000,000
FAQs About Excess Liability Coverage
Is Excess Liability the Same as Just Raising My General Liability Limit?
Essentially, yes! Excess liability adds to your general liability limit in $1 million increments, so you have a larger bucket of coverage in case of third-party injury or property damage claims. Your excess liability policy is a separate policy that can kick in once your base general liability policy is exhausted.
How Fast Can I Get a Certificate of Insurance Showing Excess Limits?
Generate a digital Certificate of Insurance (COI) to serve as proof of your excess liability limits in about 10 minutes. With a FLIP policy, log in to your dashboard, select and pay for your limits, and your COI will be ready to send to venues or event organizers instantly.
How Much Excess Liability Do I Need?
You may need specific excess liability limits to meet event or contract requirements. In that case, confirm what’s required from the organizer or business partner so your excess liability policy matches.
Is Excess Liability Worth It?
Excess liability is a smart, simple way to increase your general liability limits so you can secure larger contracts and help protect your business from high-severity claims. Every business is different, which is why FLIP offers convenient $1 million increments, so you can choose what makes sense for how you work.
Reviewed by: Andrew Adamus
Andrew Adamus is a Program Manager for Food Liability Insurance Program (FLIP). He is an underwriting leader with more than a decade of experience in commercial insurance, holding an MBA from Syracuse University along with AINS, API, AU, and AIS designations. Andrew believes that successful underwriting is built on strong relationships, thoughtful analysis, and a commitment to helping policyholders protect what matters most. His goal is to deliver insurance solutions that support long-term success.