Coverage guide
Workers’ compensation insurance
Workers’ compensation pays medical bills and part of lost wages when an employee is hurt on the job, and it covers your defense if that employee sues over the injury. Most states require it once you have employees. CoRisk sends one application to the carriers that write your trade in your state and shows their answers side by side.
Updated October 16, 2026
What does workers’ comp cover?
A workers’ comp policy has two parts: benefits for the injured employee, and liability cover for you as the employer.
- Medical bills for an injury or illness that came from the job.
- Part of the employee’s pay while they cannot work.
- Ongoing payments if the injury is permanent.
- Your legal defense if the employee sues you over the injury.
Who needs workers’ comp?
Most states require it once a business has employees. The exact rule — how many employees, and whether owners count — differs from state to state.
Many businesses also buy it because someone asks for it: a general contractor will not let a subcontractor on site without a certificate, and public work usually requires one. If you work alone with no employees, the Just Me policy is built for that.
Which carriers quote workers’ comp on CoRisk?
The carriers connected for workers’ comp are AmTrust, biBERK, CopperPoint, Employers, Markel, Normandy Harbor and Travelers. Each one writes only certain kinds of work in certain states, so your application goes only to the carriers whose appetite matches your business.
Each carrier answers in one of three ways: a price, a referral to its underwriter, or a decline with its reason. You see every answer on one screen.
What do I need to get a workers’ comp quote?
What the business does, where it works, the yearly payroll, how many people work there, who the owners are, and how many workers’ comp claims the business had in the last three years.
If you or your agent already have an ACORD 130 workers’ comp application, you can upload it and the form fills itself in.
What decides the price?
Mostly the kind of work (roofing costs far more than office work), the size of the payroll, the business’s claims history, and the state.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need workers’ comp if I have no employees?
Often the law does not require it, but many general contractors and clients ask for a certificate anyway. A policy with no employees on it, often called a ghost policy, gives you that certificate. CoRisk offers it as Just Me in 14 states.
Can I buy workers’ comp from a private carrier in every state?
No. In North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming, workers’ comp is sold only by the state fund, so private carriers do not write it there.
Are owners covered by the policy?
It depends on the state and on how the business is set up. Some states let owners leave themselves off the policy and some require them on it. The application asks, because the answer changes the price.
What happens if no carrier gives me a price?
A carrier can refer the application to its underwriter or decline it. You see each answer and its reason, and a licensed specialist can pick up the file from there.
Who places this insurance?
Insurance bought through CoRisk is placed by Cennairus, LLC, a licensed wholesale insurance broker in Florida (NPN 8740024). CoRisk is not an insurer. About CoRisk