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Make this coverage review specific to your business

A shutdown can affect revenue long after the immediate physical repairs begin.

Prepare these details

Financial statements, recovery timeline, dependencies and continuing expenses.

Ask before accepting a proposal

What insured event must trigger cover, and how long is the indemnity period?

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Hypothetical situation

Damage closes a business while repairs and replacement equipment are arranged.

Ask which wording, conditions and notification requirements would apply. A scenario does not establish coverage or guarantee an outcome.

Home / Business Insurance / Knowledge base / Business Interruption
Property & income

Business Interruption (BI)

Replaces the income you would have earned had the loss not happened.

20%
What could a lower premium mean for you?Illustrative example: $2,400 → $1,920 per year is $480 less. Not an available offer. Try your own numbers →
Your next step starts hereNo obligation to buy

Choose your insurance type and continue to the contact options. This step does not submit an application.

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Plan for an interruption.Understand the covered-loss trigger
Income and recovery time.Review the period and basis of cover
Live examples
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From Insurance Genie

Recent business insurance purchases

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Who needs it

Any business that would stop earning if its premises were unusable.

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What it does not cover

It is not extra expense. BI replaces lost income; extra expense pays the added cost of continuing to trade. Most businesses need both.

Canadian wording

Where the Canadian form differs.

The Canadian form choice matters more than the limit. Gross Earnings stops when the property could reasonably have been repaired. Profits continues through a stated indemnity period while customers return. A restaurant rebuilt in four months but trading at 40% for a year is uninsured for that year under Gross Earnings. This is the most consequential Canadian BI distinction and almost nobody explains it.

Also calledBusiness income, loss of profits, time element

At a glance

Canonical nameBusiness Interruption
AbbreviationBI
How it is boughtProperty extension
CategoryProperty & income
Typical limitsRange only, with the basis stated — Canada publishes no commercial tariff

Limits are written to the exposure and to what your contracts demand, not to a rule of thumb. Any page quoting a single “standard” limit for a class of business is quoting one broker’s habit.

Know what you need. Now get it priced.

One request, and someone licensed to place this coverage picks it up.

Is this the wording my policy actually uses?
Not necessarily. Canada has no single mandated commercial wording the way the US has ISO. The IBC form is the reference; many Canadian insurers write their own manuscript wordings derived from a mix of IBC and ISO. Where we describe the IBC form we say so, and the only authority on your coverage is your own policy document.
How much does this cost?
We publish ranges with the basis stated, never a single figure. Commercial premiums are driven by class, revenue, payroll, claims history, limits and the market cycle. A page quoting one number for a whole class of business is quoting a habit, not a market.
My contract demands this. How fast can I get it?
For most standard coverages, same day to a few days. Bonds and specialty lines take longer because they are underwritten individually. If you have a deadline, say so at the start of the request rather than at the end.
Does Insurance Genie sell this?
No. InsuranceGenie.ca is not a brokerage or an insurer. We explain the coverage and connect you with an appropriately licensed organization that can quote and place it, and we name them before your details are shared.

Be prepared

Claims scenarios: what happens next?

Hypothetical situations to help you prepare questions—not actual client claims or promises of coverage.

A shop employee assisting a customer after a slip

A customer alleges an injury

Scenario: Someone alleges an injury arose from the business operations.

What happens next: Preserve incident records and notify the insurer. Declared activities, liability wording and the facts determine whether a policy responds.

Illustration: equipment is damaged

Equipment is damaged

Scenario: Equipment used by the business is damaged or stolen.

What happens next: Document ownership, location and cause. Ask the insurer to review the insured property, exclusions, valuation and deductible.

Illustration: operations are interrupted

Operations are interrupted

Scenario: Damage prevents the business from operating normally.

What happens next: Keep revenue and expense records. Business interruption depends on the insured trigger, selected coverage and applicable terms.

Actual outcomes depend on the facts and applicable wording. Read claims guidance · Ask about the next step