Business interruption insurance is coverage for lost profits or earnings during a forced closure on your business. Some expenses of the business may also be covered in this policy. The best part of the policy is the peace of mind it brings to the business owners who without it could risk the total loss of their business.

Property insurance takes care of repairs needed to the building and the replacement of damaged equipment but lost income or profits and any expenses will be left to the business owner to handle. The responsibility of having to maintain the business financial requirements with no profit from the business can weigh heavy on most business owners. The majority of business owners will fold and the business will fail.

Business interruption insurance is an extension of another policy such as a business owners package or property insurance plan. Your agent will be able to explain the different policies that are available to you and help you in deciding which one is the most effective for your current needs.

The plan you decide on can be completed with various options that you choose. The most popular options are the extra coverage amounts and extras coverage time. Additional coverage time is there to protect you from delays in repairs to the business. It is necessary for you to understand that most policies will not be in effect right away, most take up to 72 hours to start.

As with any insurance policy the business interruption insurance will be priced according to risk factor as well as options you choose. The location of your business as well as what type of business it is and the ease of being able to be relocated during a forced closing is considered in the total overall cost of the policy.

You can expect a reduced cost in the policy if your business is easy to relocate and production can be continued if the building is closed. The insurance covers the expense of relocation for your business so they will not have to pay for lost profits and earnings.

Business interruption insurance covers lost profits and earnings for the business during the times it is not producing due to a forced closure. Your company financial records are used to determine the amount of profits or earnings you would have expected to make. Business records should always be maintained properly and be up to date, this is extremely important in the event of a disaster.

Any business expenses considered to be continuing will be covered by the policy, electricity or water could be a covered expense if it is necessary for the repair of the building. If you are collecting lost earnings and or profits you should not expect that the coverage will pay for the lease payment for the building. You can expect that the policy will cover the relocation costs so that lost profit payments can be stopped.

There are several options for coverage amounts as well as time for coverage. You should not only ask your current agent but shop around for comparisons on cost and coverage amounts and terms.

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Insurance provider who specialises in Commercial Insurance.