Short term professional indemnity insurance is asked for by people with one engagement to cover, and it sits awkwardly with how the cover works. Because professional indemnity responds to claims made rather than to work done, a policy that ends when the engagement ends leaves the work exposed for as long as a claim could still arrive.
Why the short term does not fit
A three month policy over a three month engagement covers claims made in those three months. A client who discovers a problem in month five finds no live policy. The exposure outlives the work by years in most professions, which is why annual cover kept continuous is the normal answer even for intermittent work.
What is actually available
Annual policies with monthly payment, which solve the cash flow problem the short term was meant to solve. Some insurers write policies for a single project with an extended reporting period built in, which is the honest version of short term cover and costs accordingly.
Run off, which is the same idea from the other end
Where work genuinely stops, run off cover keeps the policy live for claims about past work without insuring new work. It is much cheaper than an active policy and it is what somebody finishing a career or closing a practice should buy instead of simply cancelling.
What to do for a one off engagement
Buy annual cover, keep it while any realistic claim could arrive, then move to run off. It is more expensive than a three month policy and it is the only arrangement that actually covers the engagement rather than appearing to.
Questions people ask about short term professional indemnity insurance
Can I buy cover for one project?
Some insurers write single project policies with an extended reporting period. A plain short term policy leaves the work exposed once it ends.
Why does a short policy not work?
Cover is claims made. A claim arriving after the policy ends finds nothing live, however clearly the work fell inside the term.
What if I only work occasionally?
Annual cover paid monthly, kept continuous, and run off when the work stops for good.