The laws as to who is required to carry workers’ compensation change from state to state. Some states mandate that all businesses cover any employee who works for them, but many states have exemptions for very small businesses and some specific categories of workers.
States that have business size exemptions have varying methods for determining exactly what the cut-off is. Some states, like Missouri, look at the number of employees a business has and make their determination that way.
Other states, like Kansas, look at the annual gross profit for a company and make their determination based on that.
Even if a business is deemed small enough to be exempt from purchasing workers’ compensation insurance, they can still purchase workers’ comp if they want to.
In addition, there are specific exemptions based on what type of work employees do. These exemptions also vary from state to state. Some common exemptions could be: domestic workers, independent contractors, seasonal employees, agricultural employees, and illegal immigrants.
It's always best to check with the specific laws of your state to see if your employer is required to carry workers’ comp insurance. If you've been injured on the job and aren't sure what the best plan of action is, you should contact a workers' comp attorney who is knowledgeable about the specific laws of your state.
If you have questions about workers' comp, call us today at 816-842-7100 to speak with an attorney. Or you can click here to email us and schedule your free consultation.