Who needs to be covered by the policy, where you can buy it and how much it will cost are all mandated or influenced by state law.

Your business must comply with the states where your employees perform work – not necessarily where the business was founded or is based. If your business operates in multiple states, or employees travel across state lines to work, you may need to modify your policy to guarantee coverage in the event of a claim.

What to Know

You are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance in South Carolina if:

• You have four or more employees working in South Carolina, whether full-time or part-time.
• You’re hiring someone who is not an employee. In South Carolina, if you hire subcontractors that do not carry workers’ compensation insurance, you may be liable just as if they were one of your employees.

Other regulations that may affect you:

• Workers’ compensation insurance covers wage replacement and medical bills for employees injured on the job. To protect against other injuries at your place of business, you may need general liability insurance.

Factors That Impact Coverage

• You are a sole proprietor, partner or member of an LLC: In South Carolina, you are excluded from coverage but have the option to include yourself.
• You are a corporate officer: South Carolina includes you in coverage, but you have the option to exclude yourself.

South Carolina Key Resources

• Regulated by the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission
• South Carolina rating bureau & assigned risk pool: NCCI (National Council on Compensation Insurance)
• South Carolina workers’ compensation state law

Here’s What You Need to Get Started

To buy workers compensation insurance, you need to request a quote from a licensed insurance agent and provide some details about your business.

Here’s what to have in front of you:

• Number of employees in each class code.
• Total payroll for all employees. You may be able to exclude yourself if you don’t wish to be covered under the policy.
• Federal ID Number. If you are a sole proprietor, you can use your Social Security Number.
• Copy of your workers comp insurance policy, if you’ve had coverage or claims in the past few years. If you know your company’s experience mod, please have your experience mod rating sheet or policy in front of you. Otherwise, you will be assigned a default rating of 1.0.

The information on this page has been interpreted and summarized for your convenience. Please consult your state’s governing authority for the most current and complete legislation.

Other Tips

If you employ workers in multiple states or your employees are temporarily working out-of-state, you need to purchase insurance for all the states where your workers are located, according to each state’s laws.

Call 704-341-2650 and let us walk you through it.

The nature of your business, number of employees being covered and past coverage and claims are all factors in how much your premium will cost.