General information only
This guide explains what published policy wordings say and what Australian law requires. It is general information, not advice, and it doesn’t consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Policies differ, and wordings change: the PDS, policy wording and schedule for your own cover are the documents that count. The insurers quoted here are examples we could read in full; they are not necessarily on our panel.
The short answer
- A Victorian sole-trader PT’s public liability came back at $525.80 a year.
- It was the same price at $10 million and $20 million, and at $60,000 and $150,000 turnover: a minimum premium. Three trainers on $400,000 came back at $851.78.
- One insurer of four priced it. Three declined personal trainers outright.
- The price is public liability only. Professional indemnity, for claims about your coaching and programs, is separate.
What do personal trainers pay for public liability?
$525.80 a year for a sole trader, at $10 million or $20 million. We priced one real personal trainer five times on our panel in November 2026: a Victorian business, public liability only, a $1,000 excess and no past claims. Between runs we changed only the turnover, the wages, the number of trainers and the limit.
| Turnover and limit | Price a year |
|---|---|
| $10 million public liability$60,000 turnover · sole trader · VIC | $525.80one insurer priced it |
| $20 million public liability$60,000 turnover · sole trader · VIC | $525.80one insurer priced it |
| $10 million public liability$150,000 turnover · sole trader · VIC | $525.80one insurer priced it |
| $20 million public liability$150,000 turnover · sole trader · VIC | $525.80one insurer priced it |
| $20 million public liability$400,000 turnover · 3 trainers · VIC | $851.78one insurer priced it |
Including GST, stamp duty and the insurer’s fee, before our broker fee. The insurer rates any limit under $10 million as $10 million. Your location, staff, equipment and claims history will change it, and insurers change their rates.
The flat line is the story. For a sole trader the insurer charged its minimum premium, so neither more than doubling the turnover nor doubling the limit moved the price; it took a business of three trainers turning over $400,000 to lift it, to $851.78. That matters because councils commonly ask for $20 million before you can train in a park: here it cost the same as $10 million.
Why do most insurers decline personal trainers?
Because a client hurt while training is a specialist risk that many business packs leave out. Every run went to four insurers that write business packs. Three gave the same answer each time:
- Blue Zebra: the occupation is “outside acceptance guidelines”.
- Clover: the industry code is “outside Clover’s Risk Appetite”.
- Berkley: declines to offer it online, on the occupation.
A fourth insurer on our panel, Pacific Indemnity, refers personal trainers to an underwriter rather than pricing them online. The one that priced it was Mitti Insurance, writing the Allianz Commercial Package.
The reason is the nature of the work. A personal trainer’s main risk is a client hurt while exercising under their instruction, which general business packs often leave to fitness-industry policies. For a trainer comparing prices, the practical point is that the market is narrow: fewer insurers, so a quote that prices at all is worth reading closely.
What’s included in the $525.80?
- The base premium: $400, the insurer’s charge for the risk.
- GST: $40.
- Stamp duty: $30.80, a Victorian tax on the premium; other states charge their own rate.
- The insurer’s fee: $55.
- The broker fee: on top, and Gary shows it before you pay.
More on what moves a public liability price, with real prices for other businesses, in how much is public liability insurance.
What doesn’t the price include?
Professional indemnity. The price above is public liability alone. The wording behind it excludes liability arising from professional advice or services you charge for, apart from advice given free (Mitti Commercial Package, POL0001-0826, Section 4 exclusion (c)). For a personal trainer the paid service is the coaching itself, so a claim that blames your program or instruction, rather than a trip hazard, is the kind of claim professional indemnity is built for.
That is why gyms and AUSactive commonly ask trainers for both, and some councils ask for professional indemnity as well as $20 million of public liability before issuing a park permit. Our sister brand GymCover sets out who asks for what in its guide to personal trainer insurance.
See your own price
Choose public liability, pick the limit you were asked for, and see the price and the policy wording before you decide.
Questions personal trainers ask about the cost
How much is personal trainer insurance in Australia?
For a Victorian sole-trader personal trainer, public liability alone came back at $525.80 a year on our panel, including GST, stamp duty and the insurer’s fee and before our broker fee. It was the same at $60,000 and $150,000 turnover and at $10 million and $20 million, which points to a minimum premium.
How much is $20 million public liability for a personal trainer?
The same as $10 million in our runs: $525.80 a year for a Victorian sole trader. Many councils ask for $20 million before you can train in a park, so at this size the higher limit cost nothing extra.
Why do so many insurers decline personal trainers?
A personal trainer’s main risk is a client hurt while exercising under their instruction, and many general business packs leave fitness instruction outside their appetite. Of the insurers on our panel, three declined a personal trainer outright and one referred it to an underwriter. Trainers are commonly insured through fitness-industry policies for this reason.
Does public liability cover a client injured in my session?
It depends on the claim and the wording. Public liability is written for injury caused by your business, such as a trip over equipment. Many wordings exclude claims arising from paid professional services, so a claim that your coaching or program caused the injury may need professional indemnity instead.
Can I pay for personal trainer insurance monthly?
Many policies can be paid monthly through premium funding, which is a loan for the annual premium and usually costs a little more in total than paying once. The prices on this page are annual premiums.
Is this advice for me?
No. The prices here are real examples for specific answers, not a quote for your business, and this guide is general information. It doesn’t consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Read the policy wording for any cover you are considering.
More plain-English reading in Gary’s guides.
Important
This guide is general information only and is not personal advice. It doesn’t take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It summarises published documents as they stood when we read them; insurers change their wordings, and a policy’s schedule and endorsements can change how its wording applies. Quotations are reproduced for commentary and are accurate to the versions listed. Before deciding on any cover, read the PDS, policy wording and Target Market Determination for that product. Gary is not suggesting any of the insurers named is, or isn’t, right for your business.
Want to see what public liability cover costs you?
One form, the PDS beside every price, and a broker to ask when a condition doesn’t make sense.