Most self-employed people I work with have one very specific worry when we talk about accidents: not the paperwork, not the policy wording, but a very direct question — if I can't work tomorrow because of an accident, what do I live on? It's a fair question, because unlike an employee, a self-employed person who's injured doesn't just stop receiving a payslip: they stop billing, and often still have fixed business costs that don't stop just because they have.

What happens if a self-employed person has an accident and can't work

If you're registered as self-employed (RETA) and up to date with your payments, an accident that stops you from working entitles you to a temporary incapacity benefit, managed through your collaborating mutual insurer. That benefit is based on a percentage of your contribution base, and both the amount and when it starts depend on how the accident is classified — so don't assume you'll get the same as your last payslip if you've ever worked as an employee.

What almost nobody thinks about until it happens to them is that this benefit covers part of your income as a worker, but not the fixed costs of your business — rent, subscriptions, suppliers — which keep running whether or not you can bill. That's what other cover, like Business Insurance, is designed for: the business itself, not your personal income.

Work accident or non-work accident: why it matters so much

Not all accidents are treated the same by Social Security. A work accident — one that happens while you're carrying out your activity, or even on your way to or from it — gets more favourable public cover than one classed as non-work-related, both in the amount paid and in when the benefit starts. This distinction, which sounds like a technicality, is exactly what determines how much you'll actually receive during your time off.

The idea, in one sentence: the type of accident changes how much and when you're paid by Social Security, but private accident insurance pays out regardless of that administrative classification.

This is where accident insurance designed for self-employed people and entrepreneurs comes in: regardless of how the accident is classified by Social Security, your policy's indemnity or income is triggered according to what your policy wording sets out, without depending on that administrative distinction. In practice, it's a way of not leaving your financial peace of mind hostage to a bureaucratic nuance.

Why the public benefit doesn't always cover your income

The Social Security benefit is designed to provide minimum cover, not to replicate a self-employed person's real income, which often varies from month to month and depends on the specific activity involved. If your monthly billing comfortably exceeds that contribution base, the gap between what you earned before the accident and what you receive while off work can be considerable — right when you have the least room to absorb it.

  • ✓The public benefit depends on your contribution base, not your real self-employed income.
  • ✓The type of accident — work-related, commuting or non-work — changes how much and when you start being paid.
  • ✓Fixed business costs aren't covered by the temporary incapacity benefit.
  • ✓Private accident insurance adds to the public benefit — it doesn't replace it or depend on it.
This article is general information and doesn't replace personalised advice about your situation. The amounts, timeframes and requirements for the RETA temporary incapacity benefit are governed by Social Security rules in force at any given time and can change; for your specific situation, check with your collaborating mutual insurer or your accountant.

Lump sum or monthly income: two ways to protect your income

One of the questions I get asked most by people considering Entrepreneur Protection is whether it's better to receive a lump sum or a monthly income while the disability lasts. There's no single answer: a lump sum gives you immediate room to manoeuvre, while a monthly income spreads that protection out over time, with continuity for your beneficiaries under certain options if the accident had more serious consequences. The product lets you combine both, sized to your real income and responsibilities, not a generic table.

What's more, if the accident happens on your way to see a client or while travelling for work, the policy includes an extra specific indemnity for traffic accidents — something public cover doesn't always recognise to the same extent.

What self-employed accident insurance covers and doesn't cover

It's worth being clear from the start: this insurance doesn't replace health insurance and doesn't cover common illness, and it doesn't directly cover your business's day-to-day costs while you're off work either. What it does is protect your personal income against an accident, with disability compensation, annuity and deferred indemnity options, and an extra indemnity for traffic accidents. You can see the rest of the everyday cover options in the Accidents hub , which also includes Women's Accident Cover and Express Accident Cover.

Before recommending anything, my job is to understand what your actual activity looks like, what responsibilities you have and what you need to protect first, so we can size the capital and income with real data, not a random figure.

And if what worries you isn’t only your income, but what would happen to your family, here I compare funeral insurance and life insurance.