Skip to content
CoverMatch
STATE REQUIREMENTS · CLEANING & JANITORIAL

Cleaning & janitorial insurance in Indiana

QUICK ANSWER

Cleaning & janitorial in Indiana usually carry general liability, commercial crime and workers' compensation. Indiana itself requires workers' compensation from the first employee, sets minimum auto liability for the vehicles the work puts on the road. The state's rules with their sources, what cleaning companies carry, who asks for proof and how to keep it all current are below.

Reviewed by CoverMatch licensed agents, Licensed property & casualty agents · Reviewed Oct 12, 2026 Updated
Coverage scoreA cleaning companie with the right wallet
General LiabilityRenews in 47d
Workers' CompensationLive cert ✓
Commercial AutoCan switch
CoverMatch I read your General Liability — one thing on this checklist is missing. Want quotes?
Indiana rules with sources
TopicThe rule in IndianaSource
Workers' compensation: when it appliesEvery employer with one or more employees must carry workers' compensation, with exceptions for certain farm and domestic workers and for people paid solely by commission such as real-estate agents.Ind. Code § 22-3-2-2, § 22-3-4-13, § 22-3-5-1; Worker's Compensation Board of Indiana — Employers
Penalty for being uninsuredAn uninsured employer is liable for double the compensation otherwise due, commits a Class A infraction, can be assessed civil penalties and daily amounts per uncovered employee, and may be ordered by a court to stop doing business until insured.IC 22-3-4-13 and IC 22-3-5-1; Worker's Compensation Board of Indiana — Compliance
Auto liability minimumsBodily injury $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident and property damage $25,000; proof of financial responsibility may also be met by bond or deposit, and drivers caught without it face suspension and an SR-22 filing requirement.IC 9-25-4-5; Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles — Insurance requirements

Rules change. Each row links to the agency or statute it came from; the review date above is when a licensed agent last checked them.

What Indiana asks of cleaning companies

Indiana's rules that reach a cleaning business are in the table above, each with its official source: workers' compensation: when it applies, penalty for being uninsured, auto liability minimums. Everything else a cleaning business carries in Indiana comes from leases, contracts, platforms and clients rather than from statute, which is why the next two sections matter as much as the first.

What cleaning companies in Indiana carry

Coverage Who usually asks Why it matters
General liability · expected Every commercial client, property managers, landlords A wet floor, a scratched counter, a damaged piece of equipment. The policy every cleaning contract starts with.
Janitorial bond or crime coverage with third-party theft · expected Commercial clients, property managers, residential clients who ask 'are you bonded?' Your people hold keys and work alone. This covers theft of a client's property by an employee, which general liability does not.
Workers' compensation · expected Your state once you have employees; every commercial client Slips, chemical exposure, repetitive strain. Part-time and evening staff count.
Commercial auto or hired and non-owned auto Clients; required if you own vehicles Company vans need commercial auto; staff using their own cars between sites need hired and non-owned coverage on your side.
Lost key coverage Property managers, office buildings Losing a master key can mean re-keying a building. Often an inexpensive endorsement on the general liability policy.
Umbrella / excess liability Large office parks, hospitals, schools, enterprise vendor programs Institutional contracts ask for limits above a primary policy.
Employment practices liability Prudent with a sizable, high-turnover workforce Wage-and-hour and harassment claims arise from staff, and general liability does not cover them.

Who will ask an Indiana cleaning business for proof

  • Property managers & HOAs — general liability with the manager and owner as additional insureds, and workers' compensation (what they require)
  • Enterprise clients & vendor onboarding — general liability, professional or cyber liability, workers' compensation and often an umbrella (what they require)
  • Landlords & commercial leases — general liability with the landlord as additional insured, property coverage on tenant improvements and workers' compensation (what they require)

Each of them wants a certificate, and most want it again at every renewal. A live certificate link from the wallet shows today's coverage to every holder and tells them when it changes.

Workers' comp the day an Indiana cleaning business hires

In Indiana workers' compensation is required from the first employee, so the policy belongs in place before the first shift that crosses the line. CoverMatch quotes workers' compensation from the first employee, and asks every carrier that offers pay-as-you-go to bill through your payroll company, so premium follows each payroll run instead of a large deposit against an estimate.

Bring it, control it, get matched in Indiana

Bring your policies here. Upload what you already have. If the carrier is one we are appointed with in Indiana, one signed letter moves the policy to CoverMatch with no change to carrier, coverage or price; if not, we quote a replacement now or before the renewal. The wallet only holds policies CoverMatch takes care of.

Control them here. Renewal dates, documents, the roster of locations, vehicles and staff, and a live certificate for every landlord, contractor, platform or client in the list above, all in one place and current on their own.

Let us match you. When a cleaning business in Indiana needs general liability, commercial crime, workers' compensation, we compare quotes from the carriers we are appointed with on coverage first and price second, and a licensed agent is one tap away at every step.

Sources

Questions people actually ask

Does Indiana require a cleaning business to carry workers' compensation?

Every employer with one or more employees must carry workers' compensation, with exceptions for certain farm and domestic workers and for people paid solely by commission such as real-estate agents. Whether a worker is an employee is decided by Indiana's own test of control and independence, not by the form you file, and workers who fail it are added at audit.

What insurance does an Indiana cleaning business need to sign a lease or win a contract?

Usually general liability, commercial crime, workers' compensation; Property managers & HOAs typically ask for general liability with the manager and owner as additional insureds, and workers' compensation. A live certificate from the wallet answers each request without a new call to the agent, and changes to the policy update it on their own.

What auto coverage does Indiana require for a cleaning business's vehicles?

The state minimum limits: Bodily injury $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident and property damage $25,000; proof of financial responsibility may also be met by bond or deposit, and drivers caught without it face suspension and an SR-22 filing requirement. Business policies are written above those limits because leases, platforms and clients ask for more, and hired and non-owned auto covers staff who use their own cars for the work.

Can CoverMatch take over the policies an Indiana cleaning business already has?

When the carrier is one we are appointed with in Indiana, one signed broker-of-record letter moves the policy into the wallet with no change to carrier, coverage or price, and the live certificate and renewal shopping switch on. For any other carrier we quote a replacement now or before the renewal; the wallet only holds policies CoverMatch takes care of.

What does 'bonded' actually mean for a cleaning company?

Usually a janitorial or third-party fidelity bond, or a crime policy with client-property coverage, that pays a client if an employee steals from them. It is separate from general liability and is the thing residential clients mean when they ask.

Are my cleaners employees or contractors?

If you set the schedule, supply the products and direct the work, states and carriers treat them as employees for workers' compensation whatever the paperwork says. Misclassification is one of the most expensive audit findings in this industry.

Does general liability cover damage to the thing I am cleaning?

Often not. Policies commonly exclude property in your care, custody or control. Ask for that exclusion to be removed or buffed back for the items you handle, and check the dec page for a care, custody and control limit.

MANAGE IT IN THE APP

Every policy, renewal and live certificate in one wallet.

Scan a dec page and the card appears. Share a live certificate link that updates itself. Get matched when a renewal comes around.

Cleaning & janitorial insurance in other states

Keep reading