Plain-English help on the stuff that causes surprise audit bills — subcontractor COIs, class codes, owner caps, and overtime.
Shaving payroll or miscoding workers to cut premium is premium fraud — and the audit is built to catch it. Here’s how it’s detected and what it costs.
5 min read · Read →Seasonal, temporary, and day laborers usually still count for workers’ comp. Here’s how they affect your coverage and your audit, and how to keep them documented.
5 min read · Read →The chunk you pay when a workers’ comp policy starts is the deposit premium. Here’s what it is, whether you get it back, and how to keep it from being inflated.
5 min read · Read →Changing workers’ comp insurers can save money — or trigger penalties and a surprise audit. Here’s how to switch cleanly and what follows you to the new carrier.
5 min read · Read →An injury on your site is stressful and time-sensitive. Here’s the step-by-step for when a subcontractor’s worker is hurt — and why their COI suddenly matters a lot.
5 min read · Read →Your class codes, rates, and experience mod don’t come from your carrier — they come from a rating bureau. Here’s who NCCI is, the independent-bureau states, and why it matters.
5 min read · Read →Pay-as-you-go workers’ comp bills premium on real payroll each pay period instead of an upfront estimate — so the year-end audit holds far fewer surprises. Here’s how it works.
5 min read · Read →A single claim can raise your workers’ comp premium for years through your experience mod. Here’s how the impact works and why frequency hurts more than size.
5 min read · Read →Verbal promises don’t survive an audit or a lawsuit. Here’s exactly what insurance to require from subcontractors and how to write it into the agreement.
6 min read · Read →Taking your crew across state lines? Your home-state policy may not cover the job. Here’s how multi-state workers’ comp works and the gaps to close first.
6 min read · Read →On big projects, a wrap-up policy can cover everyone at once. Here’s what OCIP and CCIP mean, what they cover, and how to keep your audit from double-charging that payroll.
6 min read · Read →Family members on the crew sit in a gray area — some states exempt them, some don’t. Here’s how workers’ comp treats family employees and how they show up at audit.
5 min read · Read →Workers’ comp and general liability cover completely different risks, and one never substitutes for the other. Here’s the difference and why contractors usually need both.
5 min read · Read →Audits don’t only produce bills — they can produce refunds. Here’s when a workers’ comp audit owes you money and how to claim a return premium.
5 min read · Read →A certificate of insurance packs a lot into one page. Here’s how to read an ACORD 25 the way an auditor does — and the lines that decide whether a sub is covered.
6 min read · Read →Wondering when your workers’ comp audit will land? Here’s the timing — when it’s triggered, how long after your policy ends, and how long the audit itself takes.
5 min read · Read →In many states, proof of workers’ comp (or a valid exemption) is part of getting and keeping a contractor’s license. Here’s how it works and what happens if it lapses.
5 min read · Read →Even a policy with almost no payroll has a price floor. Here’s what a workers’ comp minimum premium is, why it exists, and how to avoid overpaying on a small policy.
5 min read · Read →“Certificate holder” and “additional insured” are not the same thing, and confusing them leaves you exposed. Here’s what each means and what to ask subs for.
5 min read · Read →Many contracts require a “waiver of subrogation” on workers’ comp. Here’s what subrogation is, what the waiver does, and why a GC asks subs for it.
5 min read · Read →Four states run their own exclusive workers’ comp funds. Here’s what “monopolistic” means for contractors, why private COIs don’t work there, and the gap to watch.
5 min read · Read →Got a self-audit or mail audit packet? Here’s how to fill out a workers’ comp audit form correctly so you don’t overpay — and the figures auditors most often get wrong.
6 min read · Read →You can’t change the state rate, but you control more of your workers’ comp bill than you think. Seven practical levers — from class codes to subcontractor COIs.
7 min read · Read →LLC members and officers can often choose to be included or excluded from workers’ comp. Here’s how that election works, and why excluding yourself has a tradeoff.
6 min read · Read →A “ghost policy” lets a no-employee contractor satisfy a GC’s workers’ comp requirement without insuring themselves. Here’s how it works, what it costs, and its limits.
5 min read · Read →Workers’ comp premium is based on payroll — but “payroll” includes more than base wages. Here’s what’s in, what’s out, and what you can legitimately exclude.
6 min read · Read →If an uninsured sub’s worker is injured on your job, you can end up responsible — the “statutory employer” rule. Here’s how it works and how a COI protects you.
6 min read · Read →The audit worksheet shows exactly how your bill was built. Here’s how to read it line by line and spot the four overcharges before you pay.
6 min read · Read →Workers’ comp cost comes down to payroll, trade, state, and claims history. Here’s how to ballpark it — and the hidden cost that blindsides small contractors at audit.
6 min read · Read →First policy year ending? Here’s what your first workers’ comp audit looks like, why the bill can swing hard, and the documents to have ready so it doesn’t surprise you.
5 min read · Read →Workers’ comp premium isn’t a flat fee — it’s payroll ÷ 100 × class rate × experience mod. Here’s each piece of the formula and the levers you actually control.
6 min read · Read →Your experience mod multiplies your entire workers’ comp premium. Here’s what an EMR is, what pushes it above 1.0, and the practical ways contractors bring it back down.
6 min read · Read →Class codes decide your workers’ comp rate, and contractor trades span a huge range. Here’s how class codes work, why the “governing” class matters, and how miscoding costs you.
6 min read · Read →Calling someone a 1099 subcontractor doesn’t settle it. Here’s the test auditors and states actually use, and why misclassification shows up as added payroll on your audit.
6 min read · Read →A vague “this seems too high” gets ignored. Here’s exactly what a workers’ comp audit dispute letter needs, point by point — plus a free tool that writes it for you.
5 min read · Read →Collecting a certificate once isn’t enough — you have to track it against work dates and renewals. Here’s a simple system contractors can run, and how to automate the nagging.
6 min read · Read →Just got an audit notice? Here’s what a workers’ comp premium audit is, why it happens every year, what the auditor checks, and how to come out even instead of owing thousands.
6 min read · Read →Ignoring a workers’ comp audit bill doesn’t make it go away — it can cost you coverage, your renewal, and land you in collections. Here’s what actually happens and what to do instead.
6 min read · Read →Carriers can often reopen and re-bill a workers’ comp policy years after it expired. Here’s how the lookback works and why you should keep sub COIs long after a job ends.
5 min read · Read →In many states a sole-proprietor sub can legally skip workers’ comp with an exemption certificate. Here’s how exemptions work and how to keep them from becoming your audit bill.
6 min read · Read →If you’re a one-person shop you may not be required to carry workers’ comp — but you can still be charged for it. Here’s when you need it, when you don’t, and why your GC asks anyway.
6 min read · Read →Cash payments to subs don’t hide from a workers’ comp audit. Auditors reconcile to your bank records and 1099s, and undocumented cash often gets charged as your payroll.
5 min read · Read →Paying a sub on a 1099 doesn’t make the workers’ comp exposure disappear. Here’s who needs coverage, and why it lands on your audit if they don’t have it.
6 min read · Read →Workers’ comp rates vary up to ~5× across states. Here’s why the same uninsured subcontractor costs far more in some states — and what drives it.
6 min read · Read →Got an audit bill that looks too high? You can dispute it. Here’s the step-by-step, what counts as a valid challenge, and the deadlines that matter.
6 min read · Read →Got a surprise workers’ comp audit bill? Uninsured subcontractors are the #1 cause. Here’s exactly how it happens and how to stop it.
6 min read · Read →A practical, contractor-focused checklist to prepare for your workers’ comp premium audit and avoid overpaying.
7 min read · Read →A certificate of insurance on file doesn’t automatically exclude a subcontractor. Here are the three conditions that decide it.
5 min read · Read →Surprise audit bills go both ways. Three common workers’ comp audit overcharges — misclassification, owner caps, and overtime — and how to catch them.
6 min read · Read →One email when the connect-your-payroll version ships.