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CA Department of Insurance
CA Department of Insurance
CA Department of Insurance

Workers' Compensation Rate Comparison


Important Note: Please be aware that some insurers may have eligibility requirements such as minimum premium size, years in business, or preferred classifications, which may prevent them from providing quotes to all employers. Therefore not all insurers listed in this rate comparison will provide quotes to all employers.

Purpose

Assembly Bill 227 which became effective on January 1, 2004 requires the Insurance Commissioner to establish an on-line rate comparison for the top 50 workers' compensation insurers. AB 227 is codified in California Insurance Code Section (§)11742(b) and requires a report displaying rates in ascending order for each classification code for the top 50 insurers.

Description

The rates displayed below under the section "Base Rate Listed by Classification" are obtained from the rate filings submitted by each workers' compensation insurer pursuant to California Insurance Code §11735. The rates shown are "manual base rates" and may be further modified by insurers through "rating plans" to reflect individual account characteristics and safety records, and by experience modifications for those employers that qualify for experience rating. Rating plans may include debits or surcharges for new businesses or employers with an adverse loss history, as well as credits for those with favorable safety records or procedures. Therefore, the rates shown will not necessarily be the final rates shown on your policy and are NOT quotes, but they do show the average base rate differential that insurers are authorized to charge. A table of filed rating plan debits and credits for each of the insurers showing some of the adjustments to base rates may be viewed by following the WC Rating Values link below. This list shows the rating values filed by all insurers through 2019 and is not limited to the top 50.

Workers' Comp Base Rates Listed by Classification Editions
  1. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification March 2023 Edition (Excel)
  2. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification September 2022 Edition (Excel)
  3. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification March 2022 Edition (Excel)
  4. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification September 2021 Edition (Excel)
  5. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2020 Edition (Excel)
  6. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2019 Edition (Excel)
  7. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2018 Edition (Excel)
  8. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2017 Edition (Excel)
  9. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2016 Edition (Excel)
  10. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2015 Edition (Excel)
  11. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2014 Edition (Excel)
  12. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2013 Edition (Excel)
  13. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2012 Edition (Excel)
  14. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2011 Edition (Excel)
  15. WC Base Rates Listed by Classification January 2010 Edition (Excel)
Workers' Comp Rating Values Editions
  1. WC Rating Values January 2019 Edition (Excel)
  2. WC Rating Values January 2018 Edition (Excel)
  3. WC Rating Values January 2017 Edition (Excel)
  4. WC Rating Values January 2016 Edition (Excel)
  5. WC Rating Values January 2015 Edition (Excel)

To compare manual base rates, locate your 4-digit classification code(s) listed on the front page of your workers' compensation policy or the "declarations page." Select the range of class codes from the list above that contains your four digit class code, in the resulting document, select "class code search" from the bookmark list and type in your code to compare base rates. Once you have selected some insurers from the list, you may wish to contact them and request an actual quote. If a quote cannot be obtained from the insurer directly, request that the insurer provide you with the name and telephone number of an authorized broker in your area. A description of the various classification codes may be obtained from the WCIRB's Classification Information webpage.

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Disclaimers and Caveats

The manual base rate information in the above table is updated in January and July of each year, and may not reflect rate changes filed in the interim months. Before requesting a quote from a particular insurer, it is recommended that you check the insurer's financial rating through a financial rating organization such as AM Best, Standard & Poors, Fitch, Moody's, and Weiss Ratings. Some of the rating organizations will charge a fee for providing a financial rating grade. Links to the financial rating organizations are also displayed at the bottom of the "company profile" page in our website. You may view some basic financial information free of charge by clicking on company financial reports: Property & Casualty list for 2002-2003 and by selecting the insurer alphabetically. Please be aware that some insurers will have eligibility requirements such as minimum premium size, years in business, or preferred classifications, which may prevent them from providing quotes to all employers. This should not deter an employer from contacting as many insurers as possible, as the price variations are significant and can result in substantial savings. Also, be sure to ask whether the insurer can provide discounts for membership in safety groups, trade associations, or discounts for schedule rating plans, premium discounts, the use of preferred providers, or other credits. Employers should check to ensure that brokers are licensed and do not have negative disciplinary records. Licensing information may be obtained by clicking on Check to see if your agent or broker is licensed. Please note that the Department of Insurance does not endorse or recommend any particular insurer or broker. A knowledgeable and ethical broker with access to markets can be a valuable resource when shopping for workers' compensation coverage. Employers should be aware that switching insurers mid-term prior to the expiration of the current policy may result in a "short term cancellation penalty." Check with your broker or insurer to determine whether a penalty applies and whether it is beneficial to change insurers mid-term or to wait until renewal. If a short rate cancellation penalty applies and the replacement policy's rate is slightly lower than your current rate, it may be best to change insurers at renewal, so as to avoid the short rate cancellation penalty.

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Additional Information

We have provided additional workers' compensation and small businesses information.


Note: Some of the above links are in PDF format. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF file.

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