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Workers compensation insurance protects the key players on your team — your employees. You count on them for the service, knowledge, and expertise needed to move your business forward.

Florida-licensed since 2011

Who this is for

  • Construction (1+ employee)Florida threshold is 1 for construction.
  • Office / professional servicesThreshold is 4 employees for non-construction.
  • Owner-operator (exempt)DWC-250 exemption filing handled.
  • Multi-state employerFlorida classification plus out-of-state rules.

What's typically covered

  • Employee injury coverage
  • Lost wage benefits
  • Medical expenses
  • Employer liability

Florida rules to know

  • DWC-250 owner exemptionExcludes qualifying owners from coverage; we file it.
  • Class code accuracyWrong code costs thousands — we audit at bind.
  • Pay-as-you-go billingPremium tracks actual payroll, no audit shock at year end.

Florida's workers' comp rules split sharply by industry. Construction requires coverage on every employee from the first hire, and any non-exempt working owner counts toward the headcount. Non-construction employers cross into mandatory coverage at four W-2 employees (the count includes part-time and seasonal). Solo construction owners can file a DWC-250 owner-exemption with the Division of Workers' Compensation — limited to three corporate officers per company and renewable every two years — which removes them from policy payroll but still satisfies most GC certificate requests. Class codes follow the NCCI scopes manual and govern the rate per $100 of payroll; the same employee can shift class codes if their job duties change, and a wrong code is the single most common cause of overpaying. Florida is also one of the strictest states on uninsured-employer penalties: a stop-work order, daily fines, and a doubled premium on the next policy.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, limits, and thresholds change over time — confirm current requirements with the relevant state or federal agency, or ask us about your specific situation.

Business

Workers Compensation

What this coverage includes

Florida workers' comp is required for most employers with four or more employees (one or more in construction). It covers medical care and a portion of lost wages for on-the-job injuries and protects you from being personally sued by an injured employee. The premium is driven by your payroll, class codes, and experience modifier.

We see two things often go wrong: businesses get misclassified into more expensive codes than they should be, and solo owner-operators get told they need a full policy when a ghost policy would do. We'll audit your codes, look at your payroll, and set up pay-as-you-go billing where the carrier supports it so cash flow stays smooth.

Coverage examples

  • Framer falls off a ladder

    A residential framer falls 8 feet during a Saturday job and breaks his wrist. Comp pays 100% of approved medical (no deductible) and 66.67% of average weekly wage in indemnity benefits while he's out — typically capped at the state maximum weekly benefit, which the state updates every January. The carrier also defends if a related lawsuit comes in. Without comp, the framer's medical and lost wages come out of the business's pocket, and Florida's uninsured-employer statute can add stop-work orders and a doubled premium next renewal.

  • Restaurant cook gets a deep burn

    A line cook spills hot oil and sustains a second-degree burn on the forearm. ER visit, follow-up care, and skin-graft consultation total $11,400. Comp pays the medical in full and a portion of lost wages while she's recovering — the restaurant pays nothing out of pocket beyond the deductible (often $0 on Florida comp). The class code matters here: restaurant cooks rate around $2-3 per $100 of payroll, well below construction trades. A misclassification into a higher code could be costing thousands a year.

  • Solo roofer denied entry to a GC's site

    An independent roofer arrives at a Brickell jobsite and the GC's foreman won't let him onto the property without a workers' comp certificate. A full payroll-based policy would cost $4-7K annually for a one-person operation. A ghost policy or owner-exemption (DWC-250) costs around $1,200-$1,800 (market pricing, not a regulated rate) and produces the same certificate the GC needs. We file the exemption with the state and issue the COI same day so the work doesn't slip.

Why Us

Why customers choose First Choice

Workers Compensation

Frequently asked questions

I'm a solo owner with no employees. Do I need workers' comp?
Florida doesn't require it for solo non-construction owners, but GCs and clients often request proof. A 'ghost policy' or owner-exemption usually solves it — much cheaper than a full payroll-based policy. We can issue either depending on what's being asked.
How is the premium calculated?
Your annual payroll × the rate for each class code × your experience modifier (if you've been in business long enough to have one). We make sure your class codes are accurate — wrong codes are the most common cause of overpaying.
What's pay-as-you-go billing?
Premium is calculated on actual payroll each pay period rather than estimated annually. It removes audit surprises and helps cash flow. Several Florida carriers offer it; we'll match you to one if it fits.
What exactly is a ghost policy?
A ghost policy is a workers' comp policy with zero payroll on it — written for a solo owner who has no employees but needs a certificate of insurance to satisfy a GC, property manager, or contract requirement. Minimum premium typically runs $1,200-$1,800 annually depending on class code. It's not coverage for the owner's own injuries (file an owner-exemption DWC-250 for the legal exemption); it's purely a certificate-producing policy. Most Florida construction subs use either a ghost policy or the exemption, depending on what the GC will accept.
How do I file the DWC-250 owner-exemption?
The exemption is filed with the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, costs $50 per officer for construction (free for non-construction), and is valid for two years. Construction is limited to three corporate officers per business; for non-construction, corporate officers are uncapped — the limit of ten applies only to LLC members. You need an active corporation or LLC, the officer must own at least 10% of the company, and the application is submitted online through the DWC portal. We can walk you through it or refer you to a filing service if you'd rather not deal with it directly.
My class codes look wrong — can they be changed?
Yes. Class codes follow the NCCI scopes manual and are based on the actual operations of the business, not job titles. The carrier (or an independent auditor) reclassifies when the description doesn't fit the operation. Common fixes: pulling clerical and outside-sales payroll out of a contractor's primary class code, splitting payroll between two governing classifications, and removing high-rated codes that no longer apply. A class-code correction often reduces premium 15-40% retroactively and going forward. We re-audit every renewal.
How many employees triggers mandatory comp in Florida?
Four W-2 employees for non-construction businesses (part-time and seasonal count) and one or more employees for any construction operation. The construction rule is strict — even a single laborer the day you hire them puts the business under the mandate. Sole proprietors and partners are not automatically considered employees but can be counted toward the headcount depending on structure. We'll walk through the count based on your specific business setup so the right answer is on the table before an audit catches a miscount.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, limits, and thresholds change over time — confirm current requirements with the relevant state or federal agency, or ask us about your specific situation.

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