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Get a workers' comp quote

By Richard Vaughn CPCU, ARM, AIS. Reviewed November 8, 2026. Richard is an insurance professional, not an attorney. This page explains the law; it is not legal advice.

What to have ready

A quote is built from the same inputs an audit later checks, so the better the information going in, the smaller the adjustment coming out.

• Payroll by type of work for the next 12 months, separating clerical and outside sales staff from the rest, and separating any distinct operations. Last year's quarterly tax filings are the starting point.
• Your federal employer identification number (FEIN) and legal entity type, with the names and ownership percentages of officers, partners or members, and whether any will sign an exclusion waiver.
• Current and prior coverage: the carrier, policy number and expiration, and loss runs for the last three to five years if you have had coverage. Carriers will ask about any lapse.
• Your experience modification, if you have one, from the WCIRB worksheet your current carrier or agent has.
• A plain description of operations: what the business does, where, with what equipment, and anything unusual such as work at height, driving, or out-of-state work.

How quoting works

Every insurer authorized in California files its own rates with the Department of Insurance at least 30 days before using them (Insurance Code §11735), so a quote is that insurer's rate per $100 for each of your classifications, applied to your payroll, times your experience modification, with schedule rating and the policy's minimum premium and expense constant added. The rates page explains each layer. Pay-as-you-go programs quote the same way but bill premium against each payroll run, usually through a payroll service, which removes the deposit and shrinks the audit adjustment. The rate is not different; only the billing is.

Online carriers and agencies quote common classifications in minutes from the inputs above and bind on payment. Accounts with several classifications, a modification above 1.00, prior claims, or operations the carrier considers hazardous go to an underwriter and take longer. Every quote is an estimate on estimated payroll; the final premium is set at the audit after the policy year, and you must give the insurer access to your records for it (Insurance Code §11760.1).

Reading what comes back

Compare quotes line by line rather than by the total. The rate per $100 for your governing classification shows the insurer's filed rate; the schedule credit or debit shows its view of your account; the expense constant and minimum premium show the fixed cost of a small policy. Ask whether the quoted modification matches the WCIRB worksheet, whether the payroll is split the way your records can support, and whether officers are included or excluded as you intend. A low total built on understated payroll or a split your records will not support is not a low price; it is a deferred audit bill.

Partner links

Where this site has agreements with carriers or agencies that quote California employers online, their links appear in the card on this page, labeled as partner links. The site receives a referral fee if you buy through one; it does not see your information, does not take applications and does not recommend one over another. If the card shows no buttons, no agreements are in place yet and the checklist stands on its own.

Questions people ask

Richard Vaughn CPCU, ARM, AIS

Richard Vaughn spent 35 years in commercial property and casualty insurance, most of it in workers' compensation: running a self-insured group, auditing premiums, and implementing claims systems for carriers and third-party administrators. He is not an attorney. dickvaughn.com