Business Insurance Guides by State

Find state resources and prepare questions about business insurance requirements.

State guides A–Z

AlabamaAlabama employers that regularly employ five or more employees, counting full-time and part-time workers and corporate officers, must carry workers' compensation. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
AlaskaEvery Alaska employer with one or more employees in Alaska must carry workers' compensation insurance unless the Alaska Workers' Compensation Board has approved it as a self-insurer. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
ArizonaArizona's workers' compensation law covers every employer that regularly employs any workers in the same business, with no minimum headcount, and those employers must insure with an authorized carrier or qualify to self-insure. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
ArkansasArkansas generally requires workers' compensation insurance when an employer has three or more employees, or two or more in building or building repair work. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
CaliforniaA source-linked California checklist for employers and business owners, with separate treatment of workers’ compensation, auto rules, contractor licenses and payroll programs.
ColoradoColorado employers with one or more employees working in the state must carry workers' compensation insurance at all times, whether those employees are part-time, full-time or family members. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
ConnecticutWith few exceptions, every Connecticut employer that uses the services of one or more employees for pay must carry workers' compensation insurance or qualify to self-insure. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
DelawareAlmost every Delaware employer with one or more employees, whether full-time, part-time, seasonal or temporary, must carry workers' compensation insurance, generally before the employee starts work. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
District of ColumbiaA District of Columbia employer with one or more employees must have workers' compensation insurance or approved self-insurance. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
FloridaFlorida requires workers' compensation for non-construction employers with four or more employees and for construction employers with one or more, counting corporate officers and LLC members who own the business. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
GeorgiaGeorgia employers that regularly employ three or more people, counting regular part-time workers and corporate officers or LLC members, must provide workers' compensation insurance. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
HawaiiAny Hawaii employer with one or more employees, full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary, must provide workers' compensation coverage unless the employment is excluded by law. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
IdahoIdaho employers with one or more full-time, part-time, seasonal or occasional employees must maintain a workers' compensation policy unless the employment is specifically exempt. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
IllinoisAn Illinois employer with even one employee, including a part-time employee, must obtain workers' compensation insurance, with rare exceptions set out in Section 3 of the Act. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
IndianaIndiana requires every employer covered by its Worker's Compensation Act to insure its liability with an authorized carrier or prove to the board that it can pay compensation directly. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
IowaIowa requires most employers to carry workers' compensation insurance, with no minimum number of employees. Auto liability proof amounts and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
KansasKansas decides who needs workers' compensation with a $20,000 annual payroll test, excluding family wages, rather than a headcount. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
KentuckyKentucky employers with one or more employees, counting family members, temporary and part-time workers, must obtain and maintain workers' compensation insurance unless the Commissioner has authorized them to self-insure. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
LouisianaLouisiana employers must maintain workers' compensation insurance even if they have only one employee, whether that employee is part-time, full-time, temporary or seasonal. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MaineEvery private employer in Maine with employees, including an independent contractor who hires and pays employees, must buy a workers' compensation policy or self-insure, and the statute sets no minimum headcount. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MarylandMaryland requires each employer to secure workers' compensation for all covered employees through an authorized insurer or approved self-insurance. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MassachusettsMassachusetts requires every employer to provide workers' compensation for its employees through an insurer, a self-insurance group or a self-insurer license, and the law sets no minimum number of employees. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MichiganMichigan private employers must carry workers' compensation if they regularly employ three or more employees at one time, including part-time workers, or if they regularly employ even one employee 35 hours or more a week for 13 weeks or longer in the preceding 52 weeks. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MinnesotaMinnesota requires all employers to buy workers' compensation insurance or get Department of Commerce approval to self-insure, with no minimum number of employees. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MississippiMississippi requires employers with five or more regularly employed employees to provide workers' compensation insurance or Commission-approved self-insurance, and employers with fewer than five may provide it voluntarily. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MissouriMissouri employers must carry workers' compensation insurance if they have five or more employees, and construction-industry employers must carry it if they have one or more. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
MontanaMontana's Workers' Compensation Act applies to all employers: an employer with any employee must elect coverage under Plan 1 (self-insurance), Plan 2 (an insurer) or Plan 3 (the Montana State Fund). Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
NebraskaThe Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act applies to every resident employer, and every nonresident employer performing work in Nebraska, that employs one or more employees in its regular trade or business. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
NevadaUnless excluded by statute, a Nevada employer with one or more employees must provide workers' compensation insurance, and the Division of Industrial Relations states that construction trades are required to have coverage. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
New HampshireNew Hampshire requires every private employer that employs one or more persons, full or part time, to secure workers' compensation coverage. Auto liability proof amounts and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
New JerseyNew Jersey requires all employers not covered by federal programs to carry workers' compensation insurance or be approved to self-insure, and out-of-state employers may need coverage if a contract of employment is entered into, or work is performed, in New Jersey. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
New MexicoNew Mexico requires employers of three or more workers to carry workers' compensation coverage. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
New YorkVirtually all New York employers must provide workers' compensation coverage for their employees, including part-time workers and family members of for-profit businesses. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
North CarolinaIn North Carolina, an employer that regularly employs three or more employees must carry workers' compensation insurance or qualify as a self-insured employer. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
North DakotaNorth Dakota requires all employers, with limited exceptions, to insure all employees, including part-time, seasonal and occasional workers, before they begin work. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
OhioIn Ohio, every business with one or more employees must have workers' compensation coverage through the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) state insurance fund, unless BWC has granted it the privilege of self-insuring. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
OklahomaOklahoma's Administrative Workers' Compensation Act requires every employer to secure compensation for its employees, by insurance or approved self-insurance, with no minimum headcount. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
OregonOregon requires employers with one or more employees, full or part time, to carry workers' compensation insurance or be self-insured. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania requires any employer with at least one employee who could be injured or develop a work-related disease in the state to insure its workers' compensation liability. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
Rhode IslandRhode Island's workers' compensation law applies to every person, firm and private corporation that regularly employs employees in the same business. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
South CarolinaSouth Carolina's workers' compensation law applies to employers that regularly employ four or more employees in the state and had $3,000 or more in total payroll in the previous calendar year. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
South DakotaSouth Dakota's labor department says no law requires workers' compensation insurance, but a covered employer that does not secure compensation loses the law's protection. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
TennesseeIn Tennessee, construction employers with one or more employees, and coal mining employers, must carry workers' compensation coverage, and other employers must carry it once they have five or more employees. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
TexasTexas does not require most private employers to carry workers' compensation insurance. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
UtahUtah treats every person that regularly employs one or more workers in the same business as an employer under its Workers' Compensation Act. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
VermontVermont makes workers' compensation insurance mandatory for all employers, with no minimum number of employees. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
VirginiaIn Virginia, a business that regularly employs more than two employees (three or more) in the state must carry workers' compensation coverage, counting part-time, seasonal and temporary workers and working family members. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
WashingtonWashington's industrial insurance law covers all employments within the state's jurisdiction, with no minimum number of employees. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
West VirginiaWest Virginia treats every person, firm, association and corporation regularly employing another person in business in the state as an employer subject to the workers' compensation law. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
WisconsinWisconsin requires workers' compensation insurance for a business that employs three or more full-time or part-time employees, or one or more employees paid combined gross wages of $500 or more in any calendar quarter for work in Wisconsin. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.
WyomingWyoming requires workers' compensation coverage for employment its statute lists as extrahazardous, and coverage is optional for employers outside the listed industries and occupations, who may elect it. Auto liability minimums and paid leave rules follow, each with its official source.

Before you research your state

Researching business insurance requirements in your state? Start with your operating locations, employee arrangements and the work you perform. Keep questions about workers' compensation rules separate from insurance requested by a client, landlord or licensing authority.

Use the guides above to find state-specific starting points and official resources. Confirm how current rules and any exceptions apply to your business with the relevant agency or a licensed professional. If you work across state lines, include every operating location in that review.

Need a quick lookup? Use the State Requirements Checklist to prepare questions for your state agencies and insurance professional.