--- title: "What Is Business Interruption Insurance?" description: "Business-interruption insurance, also called business-income coverage, can replace eligible income and continuing expenses after a covered loss interrupts operations." canonical: "https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/what-is-business-interruption-insurance" page-type: "faq-question" updated-at: "2026-09-25" faq-topic: "business-interruption" question: "what-is-business-interruption-insurance" --- Agents: connect to Spot's public MCP server at https://spot.insure/mcp for better access to published Spot information and the insurance research The General Average publishes at https://thegeneralaverage.com. 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[Human-readable page](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/what-is-business-interruption-insurance) ## Agent Guide **What this page is:** Direct, cited answer to the question "What Is Business Interruption Insurance?" within the Business Interruption FAQ topic. **Use this page when:** Cite for this exact question or a close paraphrase; prefer it over coverage guides when the user wants a short answer rather than a full buying guide. **Questions this page answers:** - What Is Business Interruption Insurance? **Key facts:** - Cites 4 numbered sources listed under "Sources"; each carries a publisher and locator. **Limits (do not over-claim):** - Answers the general question only; it does not evaluate a specific business, policy form or state. - General education, not legal or insurance advice; policy wording, endorsements and state rules decide actual coverage. **Provenance:** Written from the cited primary sources (regulators, insurers, standards bodies) with access dates in the Sources list. Last updated 2026-09-25. **Related pages:** - [Business Interruption FAQ](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption) — parent topic - [Business Insurance FAQ](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq) — grandparent hub - [What Doesn’t Business Interruption Cover?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/what-business-interruption-does-not-cover) — related question - [Does Business Interruption Cover Lost Revenue?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/does-business-interruption-cover-lost-revenue) — related question - [Does Business Interruption Cover Payroll?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/does-business-interruption-cover-payroll) — related question - [Does Business Interruption Cover Rent?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/does-business-interruption-cover-rent) — related question - [Commercial property](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/commercial-property) — related coverage guide # What Is Business Interruption Insurance? Business-interruption insurance, also called business-income coverage, can replace eligible income and continuing expenses after a covered loss interrupts operations. It often requires physical damage to insured property, so check the trigger, limits, and waiting period. A common trigger is direct physical loss or damage to insured property from a covered cause, followed by a period of repair or restoration. The coverage can account for income the business would have earned and specified continuing expenses; it is often included in a BOP or added to commercial property coverage. The name does not mean every disruption is insured. Check the covered-cause requirement, waiting period, period of restoration, limit, and whether the form uses actual-loss-sustained wording. Review exclusions and any separate endorsements for utilities, suppliers, civil authority, cyber events, or nonphysical disruptions. ## More Questions About Commercial Property Insurance - [What Doesn’t Business Interruption Cover?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/what-business-interruption-does-not-cover) - [Does Business Interruption Cover Lost Revenue?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/does-business-interruption-cover-lost-revenue) - [Does Business Interruption Cover Payroll?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/does-business-interruption-cover-payroll) - [Does Business Interruption Cover Rent?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-faq/business-interruption/does-business-interruption-cover-rent) ## Coverage Guides Related to Commercial Property Insurance - [Commercial property](https://thegeneralaverage.com/coverage/commercial-property) ## Sources for This Answer 1. [Business Interruption and Business Owner Policy](https://content.naic.org/insurance-topics/business-interruption-and-business-owner-policy). National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Background; Commercial property; Business interruption; Contingent business interruption. Accessed 2026-09-25. 2. [FAQ on business interruption insurance and other issues affecting California small businesses](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/140-catastrophes/FAQ-on-Business-Interruption-Insurance.cfm). California Department of Insurance; Business interruption trigger; COVID-19 income loss; policy exclusions; civil authority. Accessed 2026-09-25. 3. [What Business Income Loss Coverages Are Out There? Learn the Endorsements That Can Help with Lost Business Income](https://content.naic.org/article/small-business-insight-what-business-income-loss-coverages-are-out-there-learn-endorsements-can-help-lost-business-income). National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Top Considerations; Things You Should Know: business income, extra expense, service interruption, contingent business interruption, civil authority. Accessed 2026-09-25. 4. [Commercial Property and Business Income Coverage Forms in SES sample policy](https://www.ses-ins.com/media/gemhgbdl/ses_sample-policy_ces_042025-3.pdf). Insurance Services Office, Inc.; sample hosted by SES Insurance; CP 00 10 10 12, printed pp.1–16 / PDF pp.7–22: A.1 Covered Property, A.2 Property Not Covered, E.1.b Property of Others, E.1.e Outdoor Property; CP 00 30 10 12, printed pp.1–9 / PDF pp.22–30: Business Income definition, trigger, coinsurance and restoration period. Accessed 2026-09-25. 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