biBERK business insurance

Overview

biBERK is Berkshire Hathaway's direct small business insurer: you answer a questionnaire on biberk.com or call a licensed rep, pay, and get a policy without an agent in between. The name stands for "Business Insurance Berkshire Hathaway," and the site now styles it biBerk. Policies are issued by Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company, the admitted carrier behind both biBERK and its sister platform THREE.

It is one of the separately run units in the Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. Berkshire's 2025 annual report describes Berkshire Hathaway Direct as an admitted writer of workers' compensation, property, commercial auto, and general and professional liability, sold mainly through biBERK.com and Threeinsurance.com and based in Stamford, Connecticut. Its premium grew 15.8% in 2025, while sister unit GUARD, which sells through agents, cut its premiums by about a third.

The pitch is price and convenience. biBERK says that by skipping the broker it can charge up to 20% less than other insurers, and it claims 2 million policies sold. Those are the company's own figures.

History

biBERK dates its founding to 2015. The operation started out under the name "Cover Your Business" and took the biBERK name in March 2017. Reuters, as reported in trade press in May 2017, said Ajit Jain, Berkshire's insurance chief, coined the name. The unit was then about a year old and run by chief operating officer Rakesh Gupta. It sold commercial auto, general liability, property and workers' comp, with professional liability to follow. About 60% of applicants got an instant quote, 20% were declined and 20% were routed to a person. At that point Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company had about $118 million of surplus and reinsurance support from National Indemnity.

Since then the product list has filled out with a business owner's policy, professional liability (E&O), umbrella and a cyber add-on. Berkshire Hathaway Direct also launched THREE, a single policy that bundles property, liability and workers' comp for small firms. THREE's site says it is issued by the same company.

The direct-only model has loosened at the edges. London Underwriters, an insurtech distributor, began offering biBERK's comp, BOP, general liability, umbrella and professional liability to its retail agents in the fourth quarter of 2022, starting in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

Business insurance products

biBERK sells to small businesses only, and everything is built for an online quote:

• Workers' compensation, priced on payroll by class and state. The premium is a deposit: a premium audit after the term trues it up, and you complete the audit online. See workers' compensation insurance: how it works.
• Business owner's policy (BOP) combining property, business income and liability. biBERK says BOPs start around $500 a year and that most buyers pay under $2,000. A BOP is the only way to buy property coverage here. See What is a business owner's policy (BOP)?.
• General liability as a monoline policy, for businesses with no property to insure.
• Professional liability (E&O) for consultants, accountants, IT firms and other service businesses.
• Commercial auto for owned and leased vehicles, including for-hire trucking with add-ons such as cargo, trailer interchange and downtime. Hired and non-owned auto coverage is bought on the GL or BOP, not the auto policy.
• Umbrella, written in $1 million increments over the underlying liability policies.
• Cyber and data breach, sold only as an add-on to a GL, BOP or professional liability policy, with limits up to $1 million. First-party response costs come only with the GL or BOP version.

You won't find standalone commercial property, inland marine, D&O, EPLI, surety or excess and surplus lines coverage here. Those go to GUARD, other Berkshire units or another market.

Who it insures

Its industry pages cover a long list of main-street classes: restaurants and food service, bakeries, retail and liquor stores, cleaning and janitorial firms, handymen, electricians, landscapers, salons, personal trainers, pet services, photographers, consultants, accountants, lawyers, insurance agents, real estate offices, landlords and HOAs, hotels, auto service shops, manufacturers and trucking. The quote engine asks you to pick a class from a list of several hundred descriptions, and how you classify the business drives both price and eligibility.

biBERK says it writes across the U.S. and lists all 50 states and D.C., but "the coverage biBerk provides varies by state." Each line has its own state map, so check that the coverage you need is offered where you operate. In 2017 one applicant in five was declined, so an unusual or higher-hazard class should expect a referral to an underwriter or a decline.

How to buy

Start a quote at biberk.com, pick your business class and state, and choose coverage and limits. Many policies bind online the same day. You can also call 844-472-0967 and buy from a licensed rep. biBERK doesn't pay agent commission, so there's no broker reviewing your contracts or certificate requirements. If a lease or a general contractor's subcontract calls for specific endorsements, read it before you bind (see independent agent, broker, captive agent or direct? and buying business insurance online: what works and what to watch).

Once you're insured, the online service tools are a real strength. You can download a certificate instantly or request a custom one, add an additional insured or waiver of subrogation, change limits and drivers, renew, pay or set up autopay, upload loss runs and complete the comp or BOP audit.

Claims

Report a claim online by choosing the policy type on biBERK's claims page, or call 844-472-0966. Send photos, demand letters and other documents to [email protected] with the insured's name and policy number in the subject line. biBERK says an assigned rep updates you by email. It publishes no claims-handling times or specialty services such as nurse triage. Report workplace injuries promptly, since most states set deadlines for the employer's first report of injury.

Financial strength and ratings

The real draw is the balance sheet behind the policy. biBERK's site says each key Berkshire Hathaway insurance subsidiary holds an A++ (Superior) rating from AM Best. Berkshire's 2025 annual report, dated February 2026, says its major insurance subsidiaries are rated A++ by AM Best and AA+ by S&P. Ask for the rating of Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company itself, since that is the company named on the policy.

Berkshire doesn't publish separate profit figures for Berkshire Hathaway Direct. The annual report credits it with premium growth across several product lines in 2024 and a 15.8% increase in 2025. The commercial primary group overall ran a 95.8% combined ratio in 2025.

Strengths and weaknesses

biBERK is a good way for a small, simple business to put A++ paper in place quickly. You trade advice for speed and price, and it suits buyers who already know which coverage and limits their contracts require.

• Strengths: Berkshire Hathaway backing, with A++ (Superior) ratings cited for the group's key subsidiaries as of February 2026. Real online quote, bind and self-service for certificates, endorsements, payments and audits. One account can hold comp, BOP, GL, E&O, auto and umbrella. Premium grew 15.8% in 2025, so the unit is expanding rather than pulling back.
• Weaknesses: No agent advice by default, so gaps in limits or endorsements are your responsibility. Lines vary by state. No standalone property, inland marine, management liability or E&S options. Cyber is an add-on capped at $1 million. Unusual or higher-hazard classes may be declined or referred.

How to contact biBERK