Workers Compensation Insurance

In most states, Workers Compensation is required by law, and every state has a different threshold for when coverage is required. More importantly, all businesses with any labor expenses SHOULD have Workers Comp. In most cases, a business is responsible to pay workers compensation benefits- regardless of whether they carry a workers compensation policy. 

The North Carolina Workers Compensation Act requires “all businesses that employ three or more employees, including those operating as corporations, sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, and partnerships, obtain workers’ compensation insurance or qualify as self-insured employers for purposes of paying workers’ compensation benefits to their employees”. If you are a corporation, the owners/officers DO count as employees, although they can choose to be excluded from coverage.  

Workers Compensation is an Exclusive Remedy, which is a legal term that means it is the only possible way for an injured worker to receive compensation. They cannot bring a lawsuit against the entity who is paying them that falls outside of workers compensation law. Since this is the only way that injured workers can be compensated, the laws in virtually every state are designed to protect those workers. While some of the rules and requirements may not seem fair to the employer, the system does not have any other way of helping laborers who get hurt on the job. As with many well-intentioned public policies, the practical application doesn’t affect everyone equally. Our job is to help you protect your business from the workers comp risks you didn’t even know you had.

Whether you use traditional employees, temporary or casual labor, or subcontractors, you need to be aware of your exposures and how a workers comp claim can affect your business. If you pay laborers of any kind- it is a safe bet to assume that you are legally responsible for their safety, regardless of any written agreement you may have. Many people don’t realize there is often a “statutory employee” relationship established- even if the person isn’t an actual employee. Workers Compensation is the policy that protects you from financial losses as the result of injuries to workers that meet any of these descriptions. Even if you aren’t responsible, and a subcontractor has their own policy, attorneys may still attempt to include you in an injury lawsuit, and your workers compensation policy can defend you against frivolous claims so it does not cost you money out of pocket.

The North Carolina Industrial Commission specifically states that referring to laborers as subcontractors and issuing 1099s for tax purposes does not prevent them from being counted as an employee for workers compensation purposes, so anyone who hires labor in North Carolina would be wise to carry workers comp for their own protection- even if not required by law. While every state is a little different, this would certainly be a good rule of thumb for anyone who is concerned about protecting their business from injury claims by either employees or subcontractors.

Small businesses or individuals with little or no payroll need easy, affordable solutions to meet minimum workers comp requirements and get their certificates of insurance quickly. Our online quote options provide that. You can get very low rates on workers comp from multiple carriers in seconds, and you can apply online. Workers Comp payment plans are available with low down payments- and in some cases, the policies can be set up on a “pay as you go” basis depending on your weekly or bi-weekly payroll levels. Workers Comp Certificates can be issued the same day for most small businesses so get your quote now!

Larger businesses often require more nuanced analysis and risk management, beyond just a simple workers compensation rate comparison. Our team has decades of experience that can be leveraged to find the lowest premium AND the most value added services to control claims and keep rates stable. In most cases, you can still get an online indication that will include your experience mod, but proactive safety programs can go a long way toward getting additional discounts that are not factored into rating algorithms. Our agents can present your business in the most attractive way to underwriters. A good narrative about your experience, safety practices, and claims record plays a big part in securing lower workers comp rates for your company.

Reach out to us today and set up a time to meet with one of our enterprise professionals in person, by phone, or via video.

A Workers Comp Audit is used by an insurance company to confirm the level of payroll a business has or had during their coverage period. While they can be frustrating, they are a necessary component of a workers comp policy. 

Typically, you simply provide some documentation pertaining to your payroll during the policy period and answer a few questions, and that’s it. 

Yes. Audits are a necessary component of having a Workers Comp policy. It can also be one of the biggest frustrations- particularly for businesses that have more than one operation. One of the ways we also add value for workers comp policyholders comes at audit time. Our agents can help guide you regarding job descriptions, class codes, and how these things affect your final premium. We don’t sell it and forget it. Our staff routinely goes to bat for our customers to make sure that the most beneficial interpretation of workers comp class codes are applied to your policy so you get the lowest possible rate.

We are here to guide and assist whenever you need us. Call now or use the Quote Now link to get an instant quote!

A “Ghost Policy” is a term used for a Workers Compensation policy with zero employees, zero payroll and an excluded owner.

One of the most common examples of how a Ghost Policy is used is in the construction industry. A general contractor that’s building a house would likely have dozens of subcontractors they use throughout the build. Each of these subcontractors could file a claim on the GC’s workers comp policy, so they must have their own policy- or be included in the GC’s payroll audit, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars per year. In reality, each of these subcontractors is really its own little business, many of which consist of just one person. This is why the general contractor would require each subcontractor to carry their own workers compensation policy, which now means they don’t have to be included on the general contractor’s workers comp policy.

For a quick, low rate and same day certificate- get a quote now…even for a ghost policy!

The simple answer is no one, but it does still have a purpose.

In most states, if an employer has a workers compensation policy, all workers (1099 or W2) are automatically covered on that policy unless they have their own policy. To avoid having to cover and pay for all of those employees, the employer may require the employee to carry their own policy. If that employee doesn’t have any helpers or employees of their own, they would get a workers compensation policy with zero payroll and employees and then exclude themselves to lower the cost, which now makes it a Ghost Policy.