Workers compensation is mandatory for employers in nearly every state — but the threshold varies. In California and New York, any employer with one employee must carry coverage. In Missouri and Alabama, the requirement starts at five employees. In Wyoming and Washington, coverage runs through a state fund.
For anyone hiring contractors, the practical question is not the threshold — it is proof. You need a certificate showing workers comp coverage (or a valid exemption) for every contractor on your site, verified before work begins.
The common failure: contractors submit a certificate once, and nobody checks it again. Policies lapse, exemptions expire, and the gap goes unnoticed until a claim lands on your liability insurance.
COIFort verifies workers comp (and every other coverage type) against your requirements on every submission, and re-checks certificates automatically as expiration approaches. See our state requirements pages for the specifics of all 50 states.