Missouri Business Insurance Guide 2026

Who must carry it: 5 or more employees; 1 or more in construction (Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation: Insurance (Liability Requirements & Exemptions)).

Missouri Employers are required to carry workers' compensation insurance if they have five or more employees.

Source: Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation: Insurance (Liability Requirements & Exemptions)

Part-time, casual, full-time and family-member employees all count, as do LLC members and corporate officers (Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation: Insurance (Liability Requirements & Exemptions)).

Exemptions and exclusions

The division lists exceptions for farm labor; domestic servants in a private home; occasional labor for a private household; qualified real estate agents; direct sellers; unpaid volunteers of 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organizations; certain youth and interscholastic sports officials; and railroad, postal and maritime workers covered by federal law. Sole proprietors and partners do not count toward the five. For this rule, construction means employers who erect, demolish, alter or repair improvements (Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation: Insurance (Liability Requirements & Exemptions)).

The agency to ask is the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation. To check a proposal's payroll arithmetic, use the workers' comp calculator; the workers' compensation guide explains what the coverage pays for.

The minimum auto liability coverage in Missouri:

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Start date: not stated in the source; confirmed in force on October 3, 2026
• Source: RSMo § 303.190 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes)

Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage at the same per-person and per-accident minimums must be included on most policies, but for commercial motor vehicles and employer fleets of five or more passenger vehicles it only has to be offered (RSMo § 379.203).

For business vehicles, treat these figures as a starting point: commercial and for-hire vehicles can face different or higher federal or state requirements (see the commercial auto guide).

Missouri has no state paid family and medical leave insurance program and no state temporary disability insurance program for private employers, based on NCSL's table, last updated November 7, 2025 (NCSL: state family and medical leave laws), and a cross-check on October 3, 2026 with the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau.

Laws can change faster than compilations: Virginia enacted a program in 2026 (Code of Virginia § 60.2-801). Ask the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations before planning payroll for a later year.

Beyond state law, a Missouri license, lease or client contract can impose its own insurance or bond conditions, such as general liability limits. Record each request in the certificate of insurance checklist; other states are in the requirements-by-state guide. Missouri's workers' compensation rule applies to construction-industry employers at one employee rather than five, so contractors should check it alongside their license conditions.

• Workers' compensation: Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation
• Auto liability minimums: RSMo § 303.190 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes)
• Paid leave and disability insurance: NCSL state family and medical leave laws and the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau

Our state requirements checklist turns your employee count and vehicle use into questions for those offices. To ask PolicyBenchmark for a follow-up about your Missouri business, request coverage help.