Colorado Workers' Compensation Insurance
Colorado requires workers' compensation for nearly every employer with one or more employees, full time or part time. We place comp for contractors, shops, offices, and hard-to-place classes, and we help you keep the audit from undoing the quote.
Comp, done correctly
Workers' comp pays medical costs and lost wages for work injuries and protects you from most injury lawsuits by employees. Getting it right is mostly about classification, payroll, and documentation.
- Correct class codes: misclassified payroll is the most common reason comp costs more than it should. We review every class code at quote, not just at audit.
- Experience mod management: once you qualify for a mod, claims handling and payroll accuracy directly move your rate. We explain your mod and how to improve it.
- Owner inclusion or exclusion handled per Colorado rules, with an eye on what your contracts require.
- Subcontractor documentation: uninsured subs become your payroll at audit. We help you build a certificate file that holds up.
- Multi-state coverage when crews cross state lines.
Who needs it in Colorado
With narrow exceptions, any business with employees. Sole proprietors without employees can generally go without for themselves, but many general contractors require comp anyway before you set foot on their site. Affordable minimum-premium policies solve that.
Going bare is expensive
Colorado penalties for operating without required comp add up quickly, and an uninsured injury can be financially fatal to a small business. The premium is almost always cheaper than the exposure.
Hard-to-place classes
Roofing, demolition, trucking, and new ventures with no history: we have markets beyond the standard carriers, and a path back to better pricing as your record builds.
Workers' comp FAQs
How is my premium calculated?
Rate per $100 of payroll, by class code, adjusted by your experience mod and any schedule credits. Payroll goes up, premium goes up, which is why the annual audit exists. Accurate payroll estimates up front prevent ugly audit bills later.
Are 1099 contractors covered?
Labeling someone 1099 does not settle it. If they work under your direction without their own coverage, the auditor will likely treat their pay as your payroll. Collect certificates from every sub, every time.
What does an audit look like?
After the policy year, the carrier verifies actual payroll and sub costs against the estimate. With clean records it is paperwork. Without them it is a bill. We prep clients before their first audit so there are no surprises.
What does workers' comp cost per $100 of payroll?
Rates range from under a dollar for office work to double digits for high-hazard trades, multiplied by your experience mod. Classification accuracy moves the number more than shopping does, so we start there.
What is a ghost policy and do I need one?
A minimum-premium policy for owner-only businesses that excludes the owner but satisfies GCs who require comp to be on site. It is a door-opener product, and we write them regularly for solo trades.
How do owner inclusion and exclusion elections work in Colorado?
Owners and certain officers can often elect out of coverage for themselves, reducing premium, or elect in for protection. Contracts sometimes force the choice. We file the right election forms so the audit matches the intent.
Will one claim wreck my experience mod?
A single small claim usually moves the mod modestly; frequency hurts more than severity in the formula. Prompt reporting, return-to-work programs, and clean payroll records are the mod-management levers, and we coach clients on all three.
Get your workers' comp quote
Payroll by class, owner info, and your claims history if any. We will do the rest.