Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Florida Businesses
Published September 1, 2026
Call or text 813-302-7151
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813-302-7151
813-302-7151
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We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
7 months ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
3 months ago
I’ve worked with Ray for years and he’s always reliable and has been able to help my clients in need! I can always count on him to provide the best insurance advice and service
7 months ago
Great service, and always looking out for my commercial insurance. Thank you Ray
3 months ago
Great insurance agent to work with. Ray is the best!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
Most Florida businesses with employees need workers’ compensation. Construction businesses need it with 1 or more employees, and most other businesses need it with 4 or more. Workers’ comp pays medical care and part of lost wages when an employee is hurt on the job. We help Florida employers get the details right, from payroll and job duties to subcontractors and owner exemptions, and compare options from the companies we work with.
Call, text or send a request any time. We review it and get back to you quickly. The insurance company makes the final call on price and approval.
When Florida businesses may be required to carry coverage
According to the Florida Department of Financial Services, construction employers with 1 or more employees must carry workers’ comp, and that count includes owners who are corporate officers or LLC members unless they have a valid exemption. Non-construction employers must carry it with 4 or more employees, counted the same way. Farms have their own rule: 6 regular employees or 12 seasonal workers. Sole proprietors and partners outside construction are not counted as employees unless they choose to be.
See the Florida Department of Financial Services coverage requirements for the full rules and the list of construction trades.
What workers’ compensation is designed to address
When an employee is hurt at work or gets sick from the job, workers’ comp pays benefits set by Florida law. That can include approved medical care, part of lost wages, disability benefits, rehab and death benefits.
Workers’ comp is not the same as general liability. General liability is for claims from customers and other outsiders. Workers’ comp is for your own employees.
What affects the quote?
In real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses, workers’ comp has run $800 to $7,500 a year (about $65 to $630 a month), and $1,000 to $8,000 a year for contractors and trades. By county, we have seen $600 to $6,500 in Hillsborough, $900 to $4,000 in Pasco and $1,500 to $8,000 in Polk. The full ranges are in our price guide. Your real price depends mostly on your payroll, the class code for the work, and your claims history.
Insurers also look at:
- What your business does
- What each employee does
- Full-time and part-time workers
- Owners who are included or exempt
- What you pay subcontractors and whether they have their own coverage
- States where employees work
- Past coverage and any gaps
- Safety practices
- PEO or employee-leasing arrangements
- When you need coverage to start
Why class codes and employee duties matter
A class code is a number that describes the kind of work an employee does. Each code has its own rate. A bookkeeper and a roofer at the same company get different codes, because the roofer is far more likely to get hurt.
Don’t pick a cheaper code because it sounds close. A wrong code can slow down the quote and lead to a bigger bill at audit.
Payroll estimates and premium audits
Your starting premium is based on the payroll you expect. After the policy year ends, the insurer does an audit (a check of your real payroll and records) and adjusts the premium up or down.
Example with made-up round numbers: Say your landscaping crew is estimated at $100,000 in payroll and the rate for that class code is $5 per $100 of payroll. Your starting premium is $5,000. If the audit shows $120,000 in real payroll, the final premium becomes $6,000, and you owe the $1,000 difference.
Keep payroll reports, job descriptions, quarterly tax reports, subcontractor payments, certificates and exemptions organized all year. Call us when you add employees, change duties, start a new trade or work in another state. We can help you prepare for the audit and talk with the insurer, but the insurer decides the result.
Employees, subcontractors, and 1099 workers
Paying someone on a 1099 does not make them an independent contractor for workers’ comp. What they do, how you work together and the law decide it.
In Florida, contractors must make sure every subcontractor has the required workers’ comp before work starts. If a subcontractor has no coverage, the state treats those workers as the contractor’s employees, and the contractor pays if one gets hurt. Collect current certificates or exemptions before each job.
Owner exemptions
Florida lets qualifying corporate officers and LLC members opt out of workers’ comp for themselves. The exemption goes to the person, not the business, and an exempt owner cannot collect workers’ comp benefits. In construction, no more than 3 officers per company can be exempt, and each must own at least 10% (Florida Statutes s. 440.02).
The owner must apply online and sign personally. We can walk you through the insurance side and point you to the official exemption page.
PEO and employee-leasing arrangements
A PEO (a company that handles payroll and often workers’ comp for you) changes who holds the policy and who issues certificates. Send us the PEO agreement, the current certificate, the employee list, states and payroll.
A PEO does not always meet every customer contract or cover every worker, state or company you own. We check the actual documents.
Businesses without employees and “ghost policy” requests
A “ghost policy” is a nickname for a workers’ comp policy bought by a business that reports no employees, usually to show a general contractor proof of coverage. Because no one is on payroll and exempt owners are left out, it normally pays benefits to no one.
At audit, the insurer may charge for any workers it finds, including cash labor and subcontractors without coverage. Tell us about everyone who works for you, and we will check whether this kind of policy is available and whether it meets your contract.
Certificates and urgent contract requirements
Send the contract’s insurance section before you buy. Customers often ask for workers’ comp, employer’s liability limits, a waiver of subrogation (your insurer agrees not to go after them for a loss) or a named certificate holder.
A certificate can only show coverage that is active and on the policy. We move fast on deadlines and tell you plainly what can be done in time. See our guide to certificates of insurance and contract requirements.
New ventures, prior lapses, and higher-hazard operations
New businesses and employers who never had workers’ comp can get quotes. Roofing, framing, tree work, crane work and other high-risk trades may need more paperwork and have fewer companies to choose from.
If you had a cancellation, a gap, an unpaid audit bill, a stop-work order or claims, tell us early. We search the options we have, and the insurer decides whether to accept the business.
What information should you prepare?
Start with:
- Legal business name, type of entity and Sunbiz registration
- Owner names, ownership percentages and exemption status
- Every service the business performs
- Employee names or counts, states and exact duties
- Estimated payroll by job duty
- Subcontractors: what they do, what you pay them, and their certificates or exemptions
- Past workers’ comp coverage
- Loss runs (your claims history report) when asked
- PEO or employee-leasing documents
- The start date you need
- Contract and certificate requirements
- Any audit, gap, cancellation or compliance issue
One agency relationship for business and household questions
We can also review homeowners and personal auto insurance for business owners. Those policies stay separate from workers’ comp. Ask about home and personal auto options.
Areas we serve
Our office is in Wesley Chapel, in the Tampa Bay area. We serve Tampa Bay and central Florida by phone, text and video, and we also help businesses in the rest of Florida. See our service areas for local pages including Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, and Lakeland.
Related coverage and guides
- Commercial Insurance
- General Liability Insurance
- What Commercial Auto Insurance Covers
- Industries We Serve
- Certificates of Insurance and Contract Requirements
- Adding and Removing Drivers
For a ballpark figure, see real price ranges by coverage, vehicle, business type and county in our Florida commercial insurance cost guide.
How many employees trigger workers’ compensation in Florida?
For construction businesses, 1 or more employees. For most other businesses, 4 or more. Owners who are corporate officers or LLC members count unless they have a valid exemption. Farms follow a separate rule of 6 regular or 12 seasonal workers.
Do part-time employees count?
Yes. Florida law defines an employee as anyone paid to work for you, with no full-time requirement, so part-time workers count toward the threshold.
Does a 1099 mean a worker is not an employee?
No. How you pay someone does not decide it. What they do and how you work together matter more than the tax form.
Do owners need to be included?
Usually, yes, unless they file an exemption. Corporate officers and LLC members count as employees. They can opt out by getting a state exemption; in construction, up to 3 officers who each own at least 10% can do this. Sole proprietors and partners outside construction are not counted unless they choose to be.
Can general liability replace workers’ compensation?
No. General liability is for claims from customers and outsiders. Workers’ comp is for your own employees’ work injuries.
Why can the premium change after the audit?
Because the starting premium is based on estimated payroll. The audit uses your real payroll, duties and subcontractor costs, so the final premium can go up or down.
Can a business with no employees obtain a policy?
Sometimes. Some insurers will write a policy for a business with no employees, often called a ghost policy, but it usually pays benefits to no one and may not meet every contract. We check before you buy.
Can Covered by Guzman help with homeowners and personal auto?
Yes. We can review homeowners and personal auto coverage for business owners, separate from the workers’ comp policy.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help business owners across Tampa Bay and central Florida find commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation, and related business coverage that matches how they actually operate, comparing options across the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
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Tell us what the business does, how many people perform the work, their duties, estimated payroll, subcontractor use, exemption status, and whether a contract or deadline is involved. We will identify the information needed and review available options.
