Hired & Non-Owned Auto Insurance for North Carolina Home Care Agencies
This is the exposure many North Carolina agencies overlook. Your caregivers use their own vehicles for agency business: driving from one client to the next, picking up groceries or prescriptions for clients, and in some cases commuting to and from work. If one of them causes a serious accident on the job, the injured person’s attorney may not stop at the caregiver’s own policy. The agency could be the next target.
Why a Caregiver’s Own Policy May Fall Short
A caregiver’s personal auto policy pays first. But caregiver pay is modest, so most caregivers buy limits at or close to the state minimum: $50,000 per injured person and $100,000 per accident in North Carolina, up from $30,000 and $60,000 before July 2025. A serious crash could use up those limits quickly, and the plaintiff’s attorney may then turn to whoever else is connected to the trip: your agency. Hired and non-owned auto is the coverage that responds at that point.
What This Coverage Includes
- Your agency’s liability when employees drive their own vehicles on agency business, including travel between clients, errands, client transportation if your model includes it, and in some cases the commute.
- Defense costs when your agency is named in an auto lawsuit, which in serious accidents it often is.
Commercial Auto vs. Non-Owned Auto
Vehicles your agency owns go on a commercial auto policy, such as a car purchased through the agency by an owner or a vehicle assigned to a key manager. Hired and non-owned auto covers the vehicles you do not own but may still be held responsible for. At most home care agencies, that second group is much larger, because every caregiver with a set of car keys belongs to it.
Lowering the Risk Before You Insure It
We help North Carolina agencies back this coverage with practical controls: confirming caregivers carry their own coverage at reasonable limits, pulling motor vehicle records at hire, and putting client transportation rules in writing. That is how we approach every line. Reduce the risk first, insure what is left, and match the policy to how your agency really works. Request a North Carolina quote, and we will review your driving exposure with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
My caregivers have their own car insurance. Isn't that enough?
It pays first, but it is seldom enough. Most caregivers carry limits near North Carolina's minimum of $50,000 per injured person, which a serious accident can exhaust quickly. The injured party's attorney may then pursue your agency, and hired and non-owned auto is what responds.
My caregivers don't transport clients. Do I still need this?
Very likely yes. Driving between clients and running errands for them may also count as agency business. The coverage can also pay your defense if the agency is named in an auto suit.
How can my agency reduce its driving exposure?
Confirm caregivers carry reasonable personal limits, check motor vehicle records when you hire, and set written rules for client transportation. We help North Carolina agencies put all three in place.