Practical guides on workers' comp audits, class codes, and misclassification — written for small-business owners, not insurance adjusters.
August 27, 2026 · 7 min read
A one-person operation with no employees can still need a workers' comp policy just to get hired. Here's what a 'ghost policy' is, why minimum premiums apply, and what to check at audit.
August 24, 2026 · 7 min read
Included owners and executive officers are charged at state-published minimum and maximum payroll amounts, not their real compensation. High earners are commonly overcharged.
August 20, 2026 · 6 min read
A carpenter who frames and installs cabinets can legally be split across two cheaper codes — but only with verifiable time records. Without them, every hour goes to the priciest code.
August 17, 2026 · 7 min read
Your experience modification factor multiplies your entire premium up or down based on your claims history. Here's what it structurally is, and when it's worth having checked for errors.
August 13, 2026 · 7 min read
The overtime premium — the extra half in time-and-a-half — is generally excluded from your payroll basis. Here's how that recomputation works and why auditors sometimes skip it.
August 11, 2026 · 17 min read
The complete guide to the workers' comp premium audit: payroll basis, classification rules, state variation, and how to dispute an overcharge.
August 10, 2026 · 6 min read
Code 5606 covers construction executives who supervise through foremen and never swing a tool. Get this boundary wrong and the premium gap can be enormous in either direction.
August 6, 2026 · 7 min read
When a subcontractor can't produce a valid certificate of insurance, their payroll gets charged to your policy at your class rate. Here's how that works and how to prevent it.
August 3, 2026 · 7 min read
Code 8810 can be 10-100x cheaper than a trade classification, but the standard exception rule is strict. Here's exactly what qualifies, what disqualifies, and where 8871 fits in.
July 30, 2026 · 6 min read
How NCCI class codes actually price your premium: governing classification, standard exceptions, NOC codes, and why a handful of states don't use this system at all.
July 27, 2026 · 7 min read
A practical walkthrough of disputing an audit bill: reconciling the worksheet, building your evidence file, who to contact, and the retroactive window to know about.
July 26, 2026 · 7 min read
The annual premium audit explained: why it happens, physical vs. desk audits, the documents auditors ask for, and how the numbers turn into your final bill.
July 26, 2026 · 6 min read
Seven recurring classification errors that inflate workers' comp premiums for small businesses, and the specific NCCI codes and rules behind each one.