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Comp Trends guides
Employers' liability insurance (Part Two)What Part Two of the workers' comp policy covers, its standard 100/500/100 limits, key exclusions, the umbrella link and stop gap in monopolistic states.The experience modification rate (EMR) explainedHow the NCCI experience mod is calculated from payroll and losses, which policy years count, why frequency outweighs severity, and how to check your worksheet.Heat illness, workplace heat rules and workers' compWhere OSHA's heat rule stands in October 2026, which states already regulate heat, and how heat illness claims reach your comp policy and experience mod.How to lower your workers' comp costsWays to reduce workers' comp premium: correct class codes and payroll, prevent and manage claims, protect your mod, and choose the right program structure.How workers' comp premiums are calculatedPayroll, class code rates, the experience mod, schedule credits, premium discount and the audit explained step by step, with a hypothetical worked example.Independent contractors and workers' comp: the misclassification riskHow workers' comp treats independent contractors, why a 1099 label does not settle it, and where the DOL, IRS and ABC tests stand as of October 2026.Large deductible workers' comp programs: how they work and what they costHow a large deductible comp program works: insurer pays first, you reimburse, collateral secures it, and what happens to claims, taxes and your mod.The largest workers' comp insurers (2025)The 25 largest U.S. workers' compensation insurers by 2025 direct premiums written, from NAIC data, and what the ranking means for employers.Monopolistic state funds: workers' comp in ND, OH, WA and WYHow workers' comp works in the four states where private insurers cannot sell it: the mandate, self-insurance rules, premiums and the separate stop gap need.Employees in several states: other-states coverage and multistate workers' compHow Items 3.A and 3.C of the NCCI policy, extraterritorial rules and state payroll allocation decide which comp law covers staff who work in several states.Can owners and officers exclude themselves from workers' comp?Most states let some owners and officers opt out of workers' comp, but eligibility and paperwork differ. What you give up and where construction is stricter.Pay-as-you-go workers' comp: how it works and who it suitsPay-as-you-go workers' comp bills premium from each payroll run, not a big deposit. How the payroll link works, what it does to audits and where it falls short.PEOs and workers' comp: co-employment explainedHow PEO co-employment works for workers' comp, the three NCCI policy models, who gets the experience mod, what the IRS CPEO program omits, and what to ask.Premium audits: how they work and how to prepareHow workers' comp and general liability audits turn estimated premium into final premium, what auditors count, and how to avoid and dispute a surprise bill.Remote employees and workers' comp: coverage, claims and state rulesHow workers' comp applies to employees working from home, which state's law and policy govern a remote hire, and how home-office injuries are judged.Self-insuring workers' comp: requirements and trade-offsWhat a state requires before an employer can self-insure workers' comp, what it costs in security and excess cover, and when it beats a policy.Stop gap coverage in monopolistic statesWhy a state fund policy leaves employers' liability uncovered in OH, WA, ND and WY, what stop gap endorsements add, and how to check limits and exclusions.Texas nonsubscribers: opting out of workers' compTexas lets most private employers go without workers' comp. What nonsubscribers must file, which defenses they lose in a lawsuit and what TDI data shows.USL&H, the Jones Act and maritime employers liability explainedWhich injured waterfront workers fall under the Longshore Act and which are Jones Act seamen, and the NCCI endorsements and rating that follow.Assigned risk and residual markets for workers' compHow the workers' comp residual market works when no voluntary insurer will write you: who qualifies, what it costs, how plans differ by state and how to exit.The workers' comp claims process for employersWhat happens after a workplace injury for the employer: care, reporting deadlines, the insurer's decision, benefits, return to work and the effect on your mod.Workers' comp class codes and why they matterHow NCCI and state bureau class codes are assigned, which standard exception codes apply to office staff and drivers, and how to fix a wrong code before audit.Workers' comp for small businessesWhen a small business must buy workers' comp, how owners, family and subcontractors count, how small employers are priced, and ways to keep the bill manageable.Workers' comp fraud: employee, employer and provider schemesThe three kinds of workers' comp fraud (claim, premium and provider), the red flags for each, what employers should do, and how penalties vary by state.Medical costs, opioids and workers' compWhy medical care is the biggest piece of workers' comp losses, what NCCI data shows on 2025 severity, fee schedules and opioids, and what employers control.Workers' comp requirements by state: who must carry itComp thresholds, owner exemptions, monopolistic states, the Texas opt-out and penalties for going uninsured, with a table covering all 50 states and DC.Workers' comp settlements and the employer's roleHow workers' comp claims settle, why states treat lump sums and medical closure differently, what Medicare set-asides require, and the employer's role.Workers' comp trends: frequency, severity and rates in 2026NCCI State of the Line 2026: a 91 combined ratio, claim frequency down 2%, severity up 4% and rate cuts in most states, plus what it means at renewal.Workers' compensation insurance: how it worksWhat workers' comp pays, who must carry it, how premium is built from payroll, class codes and the experience mod, and what the policy's three parts do.Wrap-up programs: how OCIPs and CCIPs workHow owner- and contractor-controlled insurance programs cover a whole construction project, who pays, what stays outside, and what to check as owner, GC or sub.