Michigan Workers’ Comp Insurance
CompShield is licensed to write workers’ comp directly in Michigan, License #0106519, and we’re an independent agency comparing real carriers, not a single-carrier storefront. Michigan’s manufacturing base and its second-largest sector, agriculture, employ hundreds of thousands across the state, and Michigan runs its own independent rating system, not the national NCCI model most states use.
Michigan requires coverage at three or more regular employees, or at just one employee working 35+ hours a week for 13 or more weeks. Agricultural employers face their own, separate thresholds.
Michigan’s Threshold Has Two Real Triggers
Michigan requires coverage for private employers regularly employing three or more employees at one time, including part-time staff, OR any employer with even one employee working 35 or more hours a week for 13 or more weeks in the preceding year. Agricultural employers have their own separate thresholds, and all public employers are covered regardless of headcount.
Source: Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency, Employer FAQ
A Misdemeanor Per Day, Plus Direct Civil Lawsuit Exposure
Failure to insure in Michigan is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, and each day of non-compliance is a separate offense. An injured employee of an uninsured employer can also sue directly in civil court, bypassing the normal workers’ comp exclusive-remedy protection entirely.
The state can petition a court to prohibit the company from employing anyone until proper coverage is obtained, and can recover costs paid from the state’s uninsured-employer security fund directly from the employer and its officers.
Michigan Doesn’t Use NCCI, It Has Its Own Rating Bureau
Unlike most states we’re licensed in, Michigan isn’t an NCCI state. Rates here are set through the Compensation Advisory Organization of Michigan, an independent rating organization that collects and analyzes Michigan’s own premium and loss data, and administers the state’s assigned-risk placement. That’s exactly the kind of detail an independent agent who actually works in Michigan should know cold.
How Much Does Workers’ Comp Cost in Michigan?
Michigan’s manufacturing and agriculture-heavy economy, agriculture alone employs roughly 17% of the state’s workforce, means rates for those specific classifications reflect real, documented risk differences. The formula behind your real number is the same regardless of trade:
- Payroll. Your total insurable payroll, once you cross Michigan’s real coverage threshold.
- Class code rate. Set through Michigan’s own CAOM rating system, not the national NCCI model used in most states.
- Experience mod. Compares your claims history to similar Michigan businesses in your class code.
We’ll run the real number against your actual payroll and classification, not a generic Michigan average.
Michigan Workers’ Comp, Answered
Workers’ Comp by Trade in Michigan
Manufacturing and agriculture anchor Michigan’s economy. Here’s where we focus in-state.
Get a Real Quote for Your Michigan Business
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