Auto-entrepeneur insurance issues

In our helpsheet on this simplified business set-up we say the scheme is suitable for building trades but point out that in this case, as in a number of others, being an auto-entrepreneur

does not exonerate you from having the appropriate professional qualifications.

This information was obtained from the Small Business Ministry when they launched the scheme last year.

An adviser at APCE, an entrepreneurship body that was the government’s partner in the launch of this scheme, said while it is true that building trades are suitable for the scheme, some

insurers are still unfamiliar with it and are not currently insuring people with auto-entrepreneur status, especially in some trades usually requiring significant investment in equipment,

such as being a maçon.

The firms are free to set their own rules on this, the spokeswoman said.