Massachusetts Workers Compensation Insurance Requirements

On the Wolpert Insurance blog, we cover an awful lot about Massachusetts workers compensation—answering FAQs, providing news, and keeping you up-to-date on changes in the industry. However, have we ever really gone over the simplicity of Massachusetts workers compensation? What we mean by this is: Have we ever talked about Massachusetts workers compensation requirements?

Workers compensation requirements vary by state. This week, let’s dive into what is required in the state of Massachusetts.

By now you know that employers in the state are required to carry workers comp that covers employees and themselves (if they are an employee at their own company,) and it applies no matter how many hours are being worked during the week. There is an exception to this rule, however. Domestic service employees are required to work a minimum of 16 hours in order to benefit from workers comp coverage.

There is another workers comp exception, regarding members of a Limited Liability Company (LLC), partners of a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), and partnerships or sole proprietors of an UNINCORPORATED business. Workers comp for these individuals are NOT required—though members, partners, and sole proprietors may choose to protect themselves. Just remember that workers compensation is still required for any employee (who is not a partner or member) of these types of entities.

Something that you may or may not have known is that employers are also REQUIRED to notify all employees of your workers comp carrier. Posting a notice to employees in a common area of the workspace is a good place to start. It must be in English or other languages, as needed. Where do you get this notice? You should talk to our agents at Wolpert Insurance and we can provide this to you. If you neglect to post a notice of workers compensation, you could face a fine of up to $100.

To learn more about the basics, please do not wait to reach out to our experts here at Wolpert Insurance. No matter how major or minor your concern may be, we will do our best to answer as thoroughly as possible.