Plan Comparison
Every column, every row —
no fine print left unread.
Scroll each row to isolate the exact benefit that's keeping you up at night. Green checkmarks confirm inclusion. Dashes tell you what's excluded before you buy.
| Coverage Benefit | Essential Lean months, lean premiums From $28 / mo | Professional The working freelancer's standard From $54 / mo | Most Popular Maximum coverage, no surprises From $89 / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||
Monthly Premium Sized to your revenue bracket, not a family budget | $28 – $42 / mo | $54 – $78 / mo | $89 – $124 / mo |
Annual Deductible | $500 | $250 | $100 |
Reimbursement Rate The % Shield pays after your deductible | 70% | 80% | 90% |
| Wellness | |||
Annual Wellness Cap Vaccines, checkups, dental cleaning | $300 | $600 | $1,200 |
Telehealth Vet Access | — | ||
Prescription Food Coverage Hill's, Royal Canin therapeutic diets | — | — | |
| Emergency | |||
Emergency Surgery Limit Per-incident ceiling — not per-year | $5,000 / incident | $10,000 / incident | $20,000 / incident |
Emergency Hospitalization | |||
Specialist Referral Coverage | — | ||
24/7 Emergency Hotline | |||
| Hereditary | |||
Hereditary Condition Coverage Hip dysplasia, BOAS, MVD — common in purebreds | — | Partial (50%) | Full (90%) |
Congenital Defects | — | — | |
Breed-Specific Conditions | — | After 12 months | After 6 months |
| Business | |||
Schedule C Premium Deduction Letter IRS documentation for business-use pet deduction | |||
Quarterly Claims Summary (CSV) Export directly to your accounting software | — | ||
Dedicated Claims Concierge | — | — | |
Not sure which fits? Complete the 3-step quiz above — we'll rank these for your profile.
Your Goldendoodle tears an ACL.
Here's what each plan actually pays.
TPLO surgery at a specialty clinic: $6,200 total bill. This is the exact arithmetic — deductible first, then Shield covers the rest up to your plan's per-incident limit. No rounding. No asterisks.
70% covered
77% covered
89% covered
The cash flow math that actually matters
On a $3,500 / month freelance income, a $1,860 out-of-pocket bill (Essential plan) is 53% of your monthly revenue — enough to blow your Q3 estimated tax payment. Founder's Shield drops that same bill to $710 — 20% of monthly revenue. Manageable. Budgetable. Not a crisis.
Essential out-of-pocket
$1,860
53% of $3.5k monthly revenue
Founder's Shield out-of-pocket
$710
20% of $3.5k monthly revenue
You keep
$1,150 more
difference between plans
From the Field
Freelancers who've filed.
Real claims. Real amounts. Real names.
"My BOAS surgery bill for Mochi was $7,400. I was genuinely scared I'd have to pull from my inventory fund. Shield covered $6,390 of it. I filed the claim on a Tuesday, had a check by Friday. That's it."
BOAS corrective surgery
$6,390 reimbursed
Plan
Founder's Shield
Marisol Vega
Etsy Ceramic Studio · Austin, TX
"Pepper had a urinary blockage — $2,800 emergency visit at 2am. I file Schedule C, so every dollar counts. The telehealth follow-up alone saved me two more vet visits. Professional plan is exactly what I needed."
Emergency urinary blockage
$2,100 reimbursed
Plan
Professional
Devon Okafor
Independent IT Contractor · Atlanta, GA
"I drive a grooming van, I'm my own boss, and Biscuit is literally in the van with me every day. When he ate a corn cob and needed surgery, the $250 deductible hurt less than the $500 would have on a slow month. The quarterly CSV export goes straight to my QuickBooks."
Foreign body removal surgery
$3,640 reimbursed
Plan
Professional
Jenna Kowalski
Mobile Dog Groomer · Portland, OR
4,200+
Active freelancer policies
$2.8M
Claims paid in 2025
96%
Claims approved within 72h
4.9 / 5
Average claims rating
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Shield Insurance Inc. is licensed in all 50 states. Premiums vary by breed, age, and zip code. Schedule C deductibility subject to IRS guidelines — consult your tax professional.