Business · Workers' Comp & Compliance

Workers' comp: take care of your people, keep the jobs moving, stay on the right side of your state.

Most states require workers' compensation once you hire. Thresholds and exemptions vary, and we confirm yours. This page explains what comp actually does, what it doesn't, the compliance chores that come with it (certificates, audits, class codes), and the 1099 question that surprises a lot of owners. Then a short discovery sheet turns into a real quote from a licensed advisor. Nothing is bought online.

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What it provides

Five things an owner actually meets in this category

Plain English, with the edges drawn in. Every one of these is confirmed for your state and your work on the call.

Workers' compensation

pays for medical care for a work injury or work-related illness, and after a short state waiting period typically replaces a share of lost wages while your employee can't work, regardless of who was at fault. In exchange, in most states comp is the employee's "exclusive remedy": because it pays without a fault fight, the employee generally can't also sue you for that injury.
it doesn't cover injuries off the clock, it isn't health insurance, and it doesn't reach back to an injury that happened before the policy started. Which workers count, and when a business must carry it, is set by each state. We confirm yours rather than guess.

Employer's liability

the lawsuit side that comp itself doesn't handle. It's normally bundled with the comp policy and responds when a work injury turns into a legal claim outside the comp system, for example a family member's suit, or a third party who paid an injured worker and comes after you.
it isn't general liability (a customer who slips) and it isn't a substitute for comp. It sits beside it. Limits and exclusions vary by carrier and state; an advisor reads them with you.

The compliance side

this is the part an advisor keeps straight for you: certificates of insurance when a client or GC asks, the workplace posting notice most states expect, the annual payroll audit, the class codes that describe your work, and the experience mod your claims history feeds into. None of it is hard; all of it is easy to let slide.
it isn't legal advice and it isn't automatic. Rules differ by state and change over time, so treat this as the checklist we walk together, not a promise that a form is filed.

Payroll-linked billing

a billing method, not a different policy. Instead of estimating a year of payroll up front and settling up at audit, premium is calculated from each actual payroll run, so it moves with your busy and slow seasons and the year-end surprise tends to be smaller. It usually pairs with your payroll service.
it isn't a discount and it isn't for everyone. The coverage is the same, and it depends on how you run payroll and which carriers fit your work. No rates here; that's the quote.

The 1099 / subcontractor question

answers "do my subs count?", honestly. If your subs don't carry their own comp, in many states the exposure often lands on you, and their pay may be counted as your payroll at audit. We help you sort who needs what: who's truly independent, who's an employee in the state's eyes, and what to collect from subs (a certificate) before they start.
it isn't a ruling on anyone's employment status. That's the state's call and sometimes a CPA's. What we can do is make sure the policy matches how you really work so an audit isn't a shock.

Most states require workers' compensation once you hire; thresholds and exemptions vary. We confirm your state on the call. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and no coverage is bound online.

Start my discovery sheet →Need a certificate fast? Say so in the sheet and we prioritize it.
The problems it solves

From the owner's chair

None of these are dramatic. They're Tuesdays. That's exactly why they land so hard.

The certificate

The GC won't let your crew on-site.

The job is bid, the trailer is loaded, and the superintendent asks for your certificate of insurance before anyone swings a hammer. No policy, no certificate, and the day gets billed to nobody.

With comp in place, the certificate is a same-day email from your advisor. Crew works; invoice moves.

The sprained back

The little injury that becomes a wage claim.

A lift that should have been two people. He finishes the shift, can't get out of bed Thursday, and now it's an ER visit plus weeks he can't work. He's not angry. He just needs to pay rent.

Comp is built for exactly this: covered medical care and, after the waiting period, a share of lost wages, with the carrier handling the paperwork, not you.

The audit letter

"Please provide payroll records for the policy period."

It reads like a summons. It's really a routine reconciliation of the payroll you estimated versus what you actually ran, but if your class codes were wrong or a sub had no coverage, the letter is where you find out.

An advisor sets the codes right at the start, keeps sub certificates on file, and sits with you for the audit. Boring, on purpose.

"We're all family / all 1099"

The owner who found out otherwise.

Two cousins on the crew, everybody paid by 1099, so "we don't need comp." Then someone is hurt, and the state's definition of employee turns out to be broader than yours, and it's your problem, not theirs.

Most states require it once you hire; who counts varies. We confirm your state's rule and exemptions before you find out the hard way.

Your friend

The injured employee you actually care about.

Small teams are personal. When it's your friend in the ER, you want them taken care of, and you also can't afford to personally carry their bills and their paycheck for two months. Both things are true.

Comp lets you be the good boss without betting the business on it. That's the whole point of the thing.

Quote my workers' comp →or watch the Injury Clock first
Interactive · 60 seconds

The Injury Clock

Pick a role and a team size, then let something happen. Watch the first 30 days play out two ways: with comp in place, and without it. No dollar figures, no scolding; just the sequence owners tell us they wish they'd seen first.

Set the scene

Roughly right is fine. This shapes the story, not a price.

Who gets hurt?
How big is the team?
Tap it and the 30 days play out below.
Day0

Every "with" column assumes a policy that was in force before the injury and a claim reported promptly. Waiting periods, wage percentages and exclusive-remedy rules are set by each state, hedged on purpose; your advisor confirms yours.

Do I likely need it?

Four quick questions. The readout is deliberately careful. The confirming happens on the call.

Any W-2 employees?
Any 1099 subs doing the same work as employees?
Do clients ask for certificates?
Do you work in more than one state?

Readout: answer the four questions and it appears here.

Start my discovery →

Carries your role, team size and answers into the sheet below so you don't retype them.

Discovery sheet · Quote request

Tell us about the work. We'll quote it for you.

Five minutes, skip anything you don't know, blanks are fine. A licensed advisor confirms your state's rule, sorts the class codes and the sub question, and comes back with a real quote. Carriers price comp on payroll and class codes, so the payroll band is sizing only.

Workers' comp discovery

Who you are, what you do, who does the work. Nothing is bound online. This comes back as a quote and a conversation.

The business

Why we ask: the work itself drives the class codes carriers use: "residential framing" and "office bookkeeping" are priced very differently.
Why we ask: sizes the policy and tells us how the state's threshold likely applies.
Why we ask: newer businesses are quoted a little differently than ones with history.

Who does the work

Why we ask: comp is priced on who does the work and how they're paid: W-2, 1099 and family members are treated differently, and differently by state.

Payroll & places

Why we ask: sizing only, an advisor confirms; carriers price on payroll and class codes. A rough band is plenty.
Why we ask: each state runs its own comp system; a crew across a state line can mean more than one rule to satisfy.

Coverage today & history

Why we ask: starting fresh, replacing a policy and reinstating a lapsed one are three different conversations.
Why we ask: claims history feeds the experience mod; an honest answer gets an accurate quote, not a worse one.
Why we ask: if a job is waiting on a certificate, we move at that speed.
Why we ask: subs without their own coverage can land on your policy at audit; a certificate on file before they start is the fix.

Billing & timing

Why we ask: some owners prefer premium that moves with each payroll run instead of a year-end audit adjustment. It's a billing method, not a discount. We explain the fit.
Why we ask: it sets our pace. A job waiting on a certificate gets same-day attention.

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Your discovery sheet is in. A licensed advisor confirms your state's rule, sorts the class codes and the sub question, and comes back with a real quote, by call or email.
Something went wrong. Please call (480) 934-3890 and we will take it from there.

We don't collect Social Security numbers, EINs, employee birth dates or bank details here. Those come later, securely, only if you move forward.

More on the shelf

What you see here is not the whole shelf.

Some carriers ask us to present their products one-on-one instead of on a website, and new ones join the lineup all the time. An advisor can pull up every product that could fit your needs, including the great options that are not listed here.

Show me what is not listed →or call (480) 934-3890

Let's protect your business.

Tell us what you need covered and a licensed advisor will build a plan that fits your team and your budget, starting with the coverage most states expect the day you hire.

Start my discovery → Book an advisor call

*Plans, benefits, rates, and provider networks can change at any time. Speaking with your agent is necessary to verify the most up-to-date information before making any decision.