The last two weeks before Christmas are some of the busiest—and riskiest—of the entire year for many small businesses. More deliveries, longer working hours, seasonal staff, and increased customer traffic all create higher exposure to accidents and claims.
A common issue we see in December is business owners assuming their existing coverage will automatically handle year-end risks. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. Many claims delays and denials happen because the business activity exceeded what the policy was designed to cover.
This guide walks you through the three most important protections to review before the year closes: commercial auto insurance, workers’ compensation, and general liability.
December introduces several risk multipliers at once:
In our experience, December claims tend to be more expensive because they often involve multiple factors at the same time—weather, time pressure, and increased volume of work.
Many business owners unknowingly rely on personal auto insurance while using vehicles for business purposes. This is one of the most common and costly mistakes we see at year-end.
Commercial auto insurance is designed to protect vehicles that are used for:
If a vehicle is involved in an accident while being used for business purposes, a personal auto policy may not cover the claim at all. That leaves the business owner personally responsible for damages, lawsuits, and medical expenses.
December is when many businesses bring on temporary or part-time help. A common misunderstanding is that short-term staff do not need to be covered under workers’ compensation. In most cases, they do.
Workers’ compensation insurance helps protect:
In our experience, December injuries often happen during rushed lifting, loading, climbing, and repetitive work. Even a minor injury can result in weeks of recovery time and large medical bills.
When more customers enter your business space, your exposure to liability increases. Spilled drinks, crowded entrances, loose mats, wet floors, and cluttered walkways all become accident risks.
General liability insurance helps cover:
A single customer injury claim can easily exceed what many small businesses expect—especially when legal costs are involved.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire policy to protect your business for the end of the year. A focused review is often enough. Use this step-by-step checklist:
This simple process helps identify coverage gaps before they become financial emergencies.
Businesses with the highest year-end exposure typically include:
If your business falls into any of these categories, your December risk profile is naturally higher and deserves closer review.
December is the final opportunity to correct coverage before a new year of operations begins. Many January claims trace back to risks that were already present in December but left unaddressed.
By reviewing your protection now, you:
If your business uses vehicles, employs staff, or serves customers—December is not the month to delay protection reviews.
You can review your options through Amistad’s commercial auto insurance, workers’ compensation, and general liability services to ensure your protection matches your real-world operations.
The final weeks of the year should be spent closing strong—not dealing with uncovered claims.
