Behind the bar after midnight
Changing barrels, carrying crates of bottles and clearing broken glass are part of most shifts. Back strain and cuts top the list of injuries, and a slip on a wet floor during a rush can put you out for a while. Getting home in the early hours adds its own risks.
Late finishes also disturb sleep, and working around alcohol every night can shape habits. Insurers ask how much you drink, so give a true figure.
Flexible contracts and how much you can insure
Plenty of bar staff work on zero-hours or seasonal contracts. That does not rule you out, but the insurer wants to see a regular pattern of earnings. Payslips over the past year or two, or your tax records, give them the evidence.
Some insurers set a minimum number of hours per week for full income protection. If you work fewer, other policies pay a fixed sum for a limited period, which can still bridge a gap.
- Declared tips and service charge on your payslip usually count
- Cash tips you keep without declaring do not
- Second jobs can count if you show them on your tax records
Sick pay, savings and the waiting period
Most pub and bar employers pay statutory sick pay at best, and whether you qualify depends on your contract and earnings. If losing a month of shifts would hurt, look at a deferred period of four weeks or less. A longer wait lowers the premium.
Insurers place bar work in a risk class based on how physical it is. The class affects the price and whether a claim looks at your own job or at any work you could do.
Bar managers, mixologists and licensees
Not every bar job looks the same. Cocktail bartenders at a hotel bar may do little heavy lifting, while staff at a busy pub spend half the shift in the cellar. Bar managers split their time between serving and paperwork. Tell the insurer what you do each week, since the detail can change the risk class and the price.
Licensees who run a pub on a tenancy or lease are self-employed and face the same problem as any small business owner: when you stop, the takings stop. Insurers will look at your tax returns for income protection. Your personal policy pays you, not the brewery rent, so think about whether you also need business cover.
- Cellar work and changing barrels count as manual duties
- Supervisory time can help your rating
- Tenants and leaseholders need tax returns to prove income
What Hi Tomorrow does for bar staff
We look at your hours, how you are paid and what your employer offers, then compare insurers that accept flexible contracts. If full income protection does not fit, we show you a short term policy that does.
If you rent with a partner or have children, we can add life cover. Our advice costs you nothing.