If you have questions about insurance for tarot and Reiki, here are some recommendations and resources. I also share which company I currently use!
I updated this article in July 2023, editing for clarity, optimizing for Google search, modernizing, and adding my current choice of provider.
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Two Types of Insurance: General Liability and Professional Liability
I don’t think getting insurance needs to be the first thing on your list. I didn’t have it until after I had gone full-time, and even then it was a couple years of building my business before I finally put up the money for it.
That said, the world has changed. If you’re a professional tarot reader, astrologer, or Reiki practitioner, the modest annual cost of general and professional liability insurance is a smart investment that relieves you of certain worries that come with running a small business.
There are two types of insurance: General Liability (slip and fall or “klutz” insurance) and Professional Liability (malpractice) insurance.
When I think about my practice, I imagine these examples of when General Liability might come into play. For instance, what if someone is woozy and falls off the Reiki table? What if someone drops a tarot card on the floor, bends down to pick it up, and gashes their head on the corner of the table? What if your client gets bit by the dog visiting the animal communicator in the office next door? In that case, you can probably get the animal communicator’s insurance to cover it, but what if they don’t have insurance?!
On the other hand, these are the things I think of when I think of Professional Liability. What if I say, “Yes, you are destined for each other and will be together until the day you die” and the next day she ends up in the hospital from him beating her to a pulp? Or what if I tell a woman that she is about to embark on a great career change with lots of money, travel, and interesting people and she ends up arrested for prostitution? What if I tell someone I’ve balanced their chakras and so they don’t go to the doctor for the pain in their stomach and die of appendicitis? You get the picture!
Obviously this is why we have disclaimers as well. And, needless to say, why we try to actually be good at what we do, accurate in our readings, and don’t diagnose when we do healing. Or for that matter, don’t even call ourselves healers! However, even when our ethics are beyond reproach, we don’t work in facts and figures. We work in metaphors, symbols, and energy. And sometimes our clients don’t necessarily follow our advice, or even understand what we mean. The vast majority of clients understand both the limitations and advantages of an intuitive reading or energy work session. But what if you get someone who doesn’t understand?
Sometimes Insurance For Tarot and Reiki is Required
Frequently if you are renting space (like an office), General Liability Insurance will be a lease requirement. Most of the insurance companies I’ve checked offer both the General and Professional liability insurance together as a package. I lucked out and the first place I rented an office the landlord waived that requirement (it was in the lease, but he crossed it out because he said he hadn’t found any practitioners who had insurance). Then when I was working as a store reader/practitioner at at a couple of local metaphysical stores I didn’t need it (or at least no one asked for it). I had already gotten the insurance by the time I rented an office full time at a metaphysical store, and the lease there did require insurance.
If you’re working out of your home, you will definitely want the insurance—there’s no one else you can pawn off the responsibility onto.
A Reiki organization that I’m a member of, Shibumi International Reiki Association, requires that you have insurance in order to be anything more than a general member. I wasn’t making that much money from Reiki, so I determined for myself that when my Reiki income reached a certain level I would get the insurance.
What actually ended up happening is that a couple years ago I was offered a job that paid $500 for reading tarot at a big fundraiser. The contract required me to have my own insurance. I determined at that time that it was worth it to pay a couple hundred dollars to get the insurance so I could do the gig. I’ve renewed my insurance every year since.
Additional Insureds
When you get your insurance, you will need to list “Additional Insureds.” This would include your landlord if you have an office, or sometimes an organization that hires you for events. Basically, if someone ever tells you that you need to have insurance to work for them or at their location, you will list that person/organization/location as an additional insured on your policy. Some insurance companies do the listing for no charge, some charge a nominal administrative fee like $10 per each additional insured added to the policy.
Reiki Insurance Options
There are some that are more focused on body work and movement therapy.
If you become a member of Shibumi International Reiki Association you can get a discount on insurance through them. They offer insurance in the U.S., U.K., and Australia.
Shibumi uses Hands On Trade Association as their insurer in the States. This insurance is specializes in bodywork and cosmetology—it covers massage, yoga, Reiki, Polarity Therapy, reflexology, estheticians, etc. They don’t cover tarot or any talk modalities.
Also, the International Association of Reiki Professionals.
William Rand’s International Center for Reiki Training offers insurance if you are a member of his organization.
My Choice for Insurance for Tarot and Reiki
***This section updated July 2023***
Currently I use Alternative Balance for my insurance. The rates are clearly posted on the site, and the insurance goes into effect immediately. You can print your policy or additional insured documents right away. Or in my case, when I rented a new office last month, I went to the Alternative Balance website, added my landlord as a new additional insured, then immediately downloaded the document and emailed it to her.
You have to know your category to find your modality — Reiki is listed under Energy Work, not surprisingly, and tarot and psychic readings are under Coaching. Astrology oddly is under Energy Work. As I’m looking at it now, I think they’ve re-worked the categories since I signed up, so keep in mind that they might change in the future.
They have an abundance of FAQ articles, so answers to most questions are available. I liked the fact that they addressed doing Reiki in group settings, such as a Reiki Share, performing remote energy work sessions, and working at different locations (which is common for us readers!). It’s also good to know that the coverage includes teaching your trade in addition to performing sessions.
Because I was telling everyone about this company from the moment I signed up, I decided to join the affiliate program. If you do this, you can get a small commission ($20 at time of writing) for anyone who joins Alternative Balance. In fact, here’s my affiliate link. If you click on the link, or the banner below, and then join Alternative Balance within 60 days, I’ll get a commission, and of course it doesn’t affect the price you pay.
Other Reiki and Tarot Insurance Options
Previously I used Healing Touch Professional Association because they included both energy therapies like Reiki and talk modalities like tarot. HTPA covered a number of modalities besides healing touch. Also, you didn’t have to be a healing touch practitioner to get the insurance. They are also pretty flexible and will allowed me to add a modality even though it wasn’t covered in their list (they let me add astrology). They require you to have some kind of certification or proof that you are trained in the modality. In addition,, they have an Instructor level of insurance available. That covers classes of 10 to 99 students per class in addition to client sessions.
The International Institute for Complementary Therapies has been the main insurer for my tarot colleagues in the U.K. and Australia for years. They finally opened up a U.S. branch. They cover tarot, Reiki, Polarity Therapy, astrology, angel card readings and 771 other modalities. I would probably have gone with them if they had a U.S. presence at the time I got my insurance. Now that they finally have tarot listed, I might change to them. I think they are a little cheaper than the others. I linked to the U.S. version but they also have membership in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Use the flags at the top of the site to switch to the right country.
Note that with many of these, you may need to pay an annual membership fee first, then buy the insurance. So to determine the total cost, look at the membership fee, the insurance, and the additional insureds.
Other Insurance Options
One last option is entertainer insurance. In addition to the usual annual policies, they have an option for insurance to cover a single event. That might work if you are only worried about a single big fair that you do every year or something along those lines.
Questions to Ask
When you call or inquire about insurance, definitely ask about all the different modalities you offer and environments you work in. Will they cover you if you do sessions at a location that is not your primary business location? We all do that, working at fairs, events, etc. Will they cover you if you are on stage (doing a talk, doing gallery readings? Maybe someone trips and falls trying to get to the microphone to ask a question, who knows! Will they cover you at an outdoor fair? Will they cover you if you are working in a room full of hundreds of people like a big fair, as opposed to an office with a door that shuts? Ask if burning a candle or incense affects or negates your general liability insurance. Will your professional liability cover you for phone readings or distance energy work? What if there are animals in the building where you see clients? These seem like odd things, but it’s important to know what’s covered. Insurance companies will have definitely thought of every crazy detail, so you should too.
Also be aware of what requirements you must follow in terms of informed consent, letting people know about your insurance, etc. People have told me that they have insurance but would never tell anyone because it would invite litigation. But sometimes you might be required by law to state whether or not you have insurance. The Colorado Natural Health Consumer Protection Act (for alternative healing practitioners) requires you to include whether or not you have insurance on your informed consent form.
In some countries insurance is required, or there are more strict laws about it. Always check local laws.
It might be helpful to review famous litigation cases in our profession, such as Miss Cleo and the Long Island Psychic (or whatever she’s called). I don’t know any details on either one. But if you research both cases with an eye to finding out what people accused them of and how the case was handled, you might get some good insight into what you need to be insured for.
I hope this answers most of your questions about insurance for tarot and Reiki!
Oh, and needless to say, I’m a tarot reader, not an attorney. This is just my understanding of the topic and could be full of errors. Please forgive me if I’ve made a mistake!
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Joy Vernon has been studying and teaching energetic and esoteric modalities for more than twenty years. She is one of the psychics at Isis Books and is a Certified Professional Tarot Reader and a member of the American Tarot Association and Tarosophy Tarot Association. Joy is also a Reiki Teacher specializing in Traditional Japanese Reiki. She is a Reiki Practitioner and Teacher in the Usui Reiki Ryôhô lineage through the International House of Reiki. She is also a certified Komyo Reiki Shihan (Teacher) and studied under Komyo Reiki Kai Founder Hyakuten Inamoto in 2011 and 2013. Joy first trained in Usui Shiki Ryôhô/Usui Tibetan Reiki in 2003, earning her Teacher certification in that lineage in 2005. She is the Organizer of the Denver Traditional Reiki Meetup and is a member of Shibumi International Reiki Association and the Healing Touch Professional Association.
© 2015 by Joy Vernon. All rights reserved.
Hi, I have read your article regarding Tarot Cards Reader Insurance. St the moment, I am studying a Certified Course to become a Tarot Cards Reader. As for a student, do I need to purchase Insurance for protection? I need to do 40 case studies as a Volunteer.
Please let me know. Thanks. I am looking forward to your reply.
Hi Lavinia! I’m glad you found my blog! I can’t answer that question directly — I don’t know the laws in your area or the requirements of your course. However, I can tell you that you can get student level insurance at a reduced rate. If you choose Alternative Balance, they list it as “Trade School Student Only ($189)” and describe it as, “Must be currently enrolled in a school for the insured services and not getting paid for those services.” You might look into that and see if it would suit you. This is my affiliate link to Alternative Balance: https://alternativebalance.com/#64ad882b6deac.
Healing Touch Professional Association also has a student level, but the cost is a little higher, at $245/year, (https://htpa.wildapricot.org/page-18224; I’m not an affiliate with them). This one says it’s for students and part-time practitioners, and there’s no clause about doing unpaid work.
I hope that helps!