Georgia · state requirements

Workers’ comp insurance in Georgia

For Georgia employers with three or more regular workers, and the contractors who hire them: who the law covers, what going uninsured costs and what a policy runs.

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What similar businesses pay

Workers’ comp in Georgia: About $61 a month
Annual premium: About $732 a year
Fine for going uninsured: $500–$5,000 per violation

Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.

Cost

What workers’ comp insurance in Georgia costs

About $61 a month

Workers’ comp in Georgia

Insureon average for Georgia small-business customers, updated April 10, 2026

About $732 a year

Annual premium

Insureon average for Georgia small-business customers, updated April 10, 2026

$500–$5,000 per violation

Fine for going uninsured

State Board civil penalty under O.C.G.A. 34-9-18(c), 2024 code

$35 a year for a 7.5% discount

Drug-free workplace certificate

Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation drug-free workplace program

Insureon reports that its Georgia customers pay an average of about $61 a month, or $732 a year, for workers’ comp. Most of those customers have fewer than five employees, so the figure describes small, low-headcount policies. Your premium is the rate for each worker’s class code, times your experience modifier, times every $100 of payroll. Georgia uses NCCI class codes, and rates run far lower for office staff than for carpenters or tree trimmers. A three-person office will usually sit near the average; a construction crew of the same size can pay much more.

What moves your price

The class code for each worker’s job, since clerical work rates far below carpentry or tree work
Total payroll in each class, rated per $100
Your experience modifier, which Insureon says applies once annual premium reaches $5,000
Whether officers or LLC members are covered or have waived on form WC-10
Uninsured subcontractors, whose injured workers can become your claim under O.C.G.A. 34-9-8
A State Board drug-free workplace certificate, worth 7.5% off premium

Georgia

What’s different in Georgia

Three employees, counted the way the Board counts

Georgia requires coverage once you regularly employ three or more people in the same business in the state, under O.C.G.A. 34-9-2. The State Board counts regular part-time workers, such as weekend-only staff, and seasonal hires you bring on each year.

Officers and LLC members are on the headcount

The State Board treats corporate officers and LLC members as employees. Up to five can waive coverage on form WC-10, but a waiver does not take them off the count. Two LLC members and one regular part-time helper already make three.

Going uninsured is a misdemeanor

Under O.C.G.A. 34-9-126, an employer who refuses or willfully neglects to prove coverage commits a misdemeanor. If a worker is hurt, the Board can raise the award by 10% and order you to pay the worker’s attorney’s fee, both due at once.

Fines per violation that stick fast

O.C.G.A. 34-9-18 lets the Board assess $500 to $5,000 per violation for failing to insure, on top of the 10% increase. An assessment becomes final unless you ask for a hearing within 10 days.

Contractors pay for uninsured subs

Under O.C.G.A. 34-9-8, a principal or intermediate contractor is liable for injuries to a subcontractor’s employees on a site it controls. If the sub is too small to need coverage, the worker can claim directly against you.

No state fund to fall back on

The State Board confirms Georgia has no state fund. You buy from a licensed private insurer, qualify to self-insure, or, if no insurer will write you, apply to the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Assigned Risk Plan, which NCCI administers.

Coverage

Coverage Georgia businesses need

Medical care

Pays authorized doctor and hospital bills, therapy, prescriptions and necessary travel. For injuries since July 1, 2013, care runs up to 400 weeks, and catastrophic injuries may qualify for lifetime care, per the State Board.

How workers’ compensation works →

Lost wages

Two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage, capped at $800 a week for injuries on or after July 1, 2023, for up to 400 weeks. Workers on lower-paid light duty can receive up to $533 a week for up to 350 weeks.

How workers’ compensation works →

Impairment and death benefits

Scheduled benefits for lost or impaired body parts, such as 225 weeks for an arm or leg. Dependents receive up to $800 a week after a work death; a widowed spouse with no children is limited to $320,000.

How workers’ compensation works →

Employer’s liability

Insureon says policies usually include it; it helps pay legal costs if an employee blames you for an injury.

How workers’ compensation works →

Owner coverage by election

Sole proprietors and partners are employers, not employees, under Georgia law, but the State Board says they can elect coverage by telling their insurer in writing.

How workers’ compensation works →

Rules

Georgia requirements

Georgia’s rules come from the Workers’ Compensation Act, O.C.G.A. Title 34, Chapter 9, and are enforced by the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. There is no state fund, so coverage comes from a licensed insurer or approved self-insurance.

Requirement	Applies to	What it means
Who must carry coverage	Employers with three or more regular employees in the same Georgia business	O.C.G.A. 34-9-2(a)(2). Regular part-time and seasonal workers count, per the State Board. Smaller employers may elect coverage.
Officers and LLC members	Corporations and LLCs	Count as employees. Up to five may waive coverage on form WC-10 filed with the insurer, but waivers do not lower the headcount, per the State Board.
Sole proprietors and partners	Unincorporated owners	Employers, not employees; they may elect coverage by notifying their insurer in writing, per the State Board.
Exempt workers	Specific occupations	O.C.G.A. 34-9-2 excludes farm laborers, domestic servants, intrastate railroads, work outside the usual course of your business and real estate salespeople under written independent contractor agreements.
How coverage must be secured	Every covered employer	A policy from a Georgia-licensed insurer or Board-approved self-insurance, under O.C.G.A. 34-9-121(a). Self-insurers need Guaranty Trust Fund membership and security of at least $250,000.
Proof of compliance	Every covered employer	File evidence of coverage with the Board when required, under O.C.G.A. 34-9-126(a). Refusal is a misdemeanor and can add 10% to an award plus attorney’s fees.
Civil penalties	Uninsured or noncompliant employers	$500 to $5,000 per violation for failing to insure and $100 to $1,000 for ignoring Board forms or orders, under O.C.G.A. 34-9-18.
Statutory employer liability	General and intermediate contractors	Liable for injured employees of subcontractors on premises they control, under O.C.G.A. 34-9-8, and may recover what they pay from the sub’s employer.
Out-of-state construction employers	Contractors insured in another state working in Georgia	A home-state policy complies only if that state recognizes Georgia’s extraterritorial rule and Georgia-issued policies, under O.C.G.A. 34-9-121(b).
Posted panel of physicians	Every covered employer	At least six doctors, including one orthopedist and no more than two industrial clinics, or a Board-certified managed care organization, per the State Board.

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Pay less

How to lower the cost

Get certified as a drug-free workplace: the State Board program costs $35, lasts a year and cuts premium by 7.5% once your insurer has the certificate.
Check every class code on your policy so office and sales payroll is not rated at field rates.
Collect a current certificate from every subcontractor and check it on the State Board’s coverage lookup before work starts.
Post your panel of physicians and have staff report injuries at once; the State Board warns workers that waiting over 30 days can cost them benefits.
Ask about pay-as-you-go billing, which Insureon says bills on actual payroll and suits seasonal hiring.
Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.

Before you start

What underwriters ask for

Federal employer identification number and legal entity type
Headcount, including regular part-time and seasonal workers
Officers or LLC members, and any signed WC-10 waivers
Estimated annual payroll by job duty
Subcontractor list with certificates of insurance and amounts paid
Loss runs from current and prior insurers
Drug-free workplace certificate, if you have one
Any work outside Georgia and where crews travel

Common questions

Workers’ comp insurance in Georgia: questions

Do I need workers’ comp in Georgia with two employees?

Generally not, because O.C.G.A. 34-9-2 applies once you regularly employ three or more. Count officers, LLC members and regular part-time staff, and expect general contractors to ask for coverage anyway.

Do LLC members count toward the three-employee rule?

Yes. The State Board counts corporate officers and LLC members as employees, and waiving coverage on form WC-10 does not remove them from the count.

Can I buy workers’ comp from the State of Georgia?

No. Georgia has no state fund, so you buy from a licensed private insurer. If none will accept you, the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Assigned Risk Plan, administered by NCCI, is the fallback.

How do I check whether a subcontractor has coverage?

Use the coverage verification tool on the State Board’s website before work starts, because under O.C.G.A. 34-9-8 you can be liable for an uninsured sub’s injured workers.

How much does Georgia workers’ comp pay an injured worker?

Two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage, up to $800 a week for injuries on or after July 1, 2023, once the worker has missed more than seven days. Benefits generally run up to 400 weeks.

What happens if I get caught without coverage?

The State Board can fine you $500 to $5,000 per violation, and refusing or willfully neglecting coverage is a misdemeanor. If a worker is hurt, the award can rise by 10% plus the worker’s attorney’s fee.

How long does an employee have to report a work injury?

The State Board tells workers to report immediately and warns that waiting more than 30 days can cost benefits. A claim must be filed on form WC-14 within one year.

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Sources (9)

Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.