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Business insurance quote comparison worksheet

Enter up to four quotes and see total cost, the lowest limits, highest deductibles, missing coverages, surplus lines insurers, weak ratings and exclusions.

Runs entirely in your browser: nothing you enter is sent or stored by this site. Results are estimates for planning, not a quote or advice.

How to use it

Copy each quote in as you received it, one column per quote. Leave a cell blank when a quote does not include that coverage; a blank is how the worksheet notices a gap.

The quotes. Everything here comes from the quote cover page or the proposal summary.

  • Insurer. Start typing and the list offers insurers from our profiles. If the name matches a profile with an AM Best rating, the rating fills in, unless you have typed your own.
  • AM Best rating, such as A+.
  • Admitted or surplus lines. The quote or binder says. "Not sure" is allowed.
  • Premium, then taxes and fees, which covers surplus lines tax, stamping, policy and inspection fees.
  • Payment plan, and the installment or finance charges for the year.

Limits and deductibles. Eight lines: general liability (each occurrence), property, business income (limit and waiting period in hours), commercial auto (liability limit and physical damage deductible), workers' comp and employers liability (each-accident limit), umbrella (limit and self-insured retention), cyber (aggregate limit and retention) and professional liability (limit per claim and retention).

Notable exclusions. Tick any of eight that appear on the quote: assault and battery, abuse and molestation, a classification limitation, total pollution, residential work, a subcontractor condition, communicable disease, or a data breach exclusion on general liability.

Press Save to keep the worksheet in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Clear removes it.

The math

Total cost for the year = premium + taxes and fees + installment or finance charges. A quote counts only if it has a premium above zero. With two or more quotes, the lowest total is highlighted; a tie goes to the first column.

For each coverage line, the worksheet compares the numbers you typed:

  • Lowest limit is tagged when two or more quotes show limits and they differ.
  • Highest deductible (or longest waiting period, for business income) is tagged the same way.
  • Missing is tagged when another quote has a limit for that line and this one does not.

Hypothetical: Quote A is $9,800 premium and $400 in fees, paid in full, for $10,200. Quote B is $8,900 premium, $1,250 in surplus lines tax and fees, and $180 in installment charges, for $10,330. B looks $900 cheaper on the cover page and costs $130 more.

Assumptions and limits

The worksheet adds warnings; it does not decide for you.

  • Surplus lines. A non-admitted insurer draws a note: in most states the guaranty fund does not pay its claims if it fails, and surplus lines taxes apply. See admitted vs non-admitted insurers: what the difference means.
  • Rating below A-. Anything graded below A- is flagged, because many contracts and lenders require A- or better. A blank or unrecognized rating is not flagged.
  • Exclusions. Every box you tick is listed under that quote's name.
  • Not like for like. The lowest total is not a ranking when coverage differs, and the page says so. Limits are compared as numbers, not as forms: it cannot see whether defense costs sit inside the limit, whether a policy is claims-made, whether property is valued at replacement cost or actual cash value, or what sublimits and coinsurance apply.
  • Only what you enter. It cannot read a quote PDF. A typo changes the result.

Have a broker read the forms and endorsements behind every number, and ask why any line is blank. For the method, read how to compare business insurance quotes line by line and AM Best ratings explained for business buyers. To see how an insurer is positioned, use the compare business insurers. If you finance the premium, compare charges with the premium finance calculator.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

Related guides

How to compare business insurance quotes line by line Compare commercial quotes on equal terms: limits, deductibles, valuation, forms, exclusions, defense costs, audit basis, fees and the insurer behind each. Business insurance quotes: what underwriters will ask you What goes into a commercial quote: ACORD forms, loss runs, payroll by class, property details, and the questions underwriters ask and why they ask them. AM Best ratings explained for business buyers What A++ to F mean, how to read "A- VII" in a contract, and what a financial strength rating does not tell you about an insurer's claims handling. Admitted vs non-admitted insurers: what the difference means Admitted insurers are licensed in your state and backed by its guaranty fund. Non-admitted (surplus lines) insurers are not. What that changes for your policy. Paying commercial premiums: installments and premium financing Carrier installment plans, premium finance loans and pay-as-you-go workers' comp compared, with the cancellation risk, cost math and agreement terms to check.

Terms used here

Deductible The amount of a covered loss the policyholder bears before the insurer pays, set in the policy and subtracted from the loss. Self-insured retention (SIR) The amount of a loss the insured must pay itself, often including defense costs, before the insurer's liability policy begins to pay. Non-admitted insurer An insurer not licensed in your state that may still write coverage there through a surplus lines broker, outside the state's rate and form filing rules. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for specified perils, property, people or types of loss that the insuring agreement would otherwise include. Sublimit A lower cap on what a policy pays for one coverage, peril or item, set beneath the policy's overall limit.

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