Maryland Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in Maryland
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: WCC
- Average rate
- $0.89 per $100 of payrollRank #37 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), below the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- NCCINational Council on Compensation Insurance · Private insurers and a state-created carrier
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
With few exceptions, every Maryland employer with one or more employees must provide workers' comp. Employers buy it from any licensed insurer, including Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company, Maryland's insurer of guaranteed market. Created by the state as its accident fund, Chesapeake became a nonprofit private corporation in 2013.
Rates in effect January 1, 2024 · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, 2024 study (June 2025) · Nothing you enter leaves your browser
2024 study rate for all industries in Maryland. Edit it if your policy shows a different rate.
For the class you're pricing. Insurers rate each class code's payroll separately.
Printed on your experience rating worksheet or renewal. New or small employers that don't qualify for experience rating are rated at 1.00.
Estimated premium
$8,900
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$8,900
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $0.89 per $100 of payroll.
At an EMR of 1.00, your claims history neither raises nor lowers this premium.
Every claim from now on counts toward your next three renewals. IncidentLog makes the first step — a complete, same-day incident report — take about 90 seconds from a job-site QR code.
Create a free accountEstimate before schedule credits or debits, premium discounts, expense constants, state assessments and minimum premiums — your insurer's quote will differ.
Who must carry workers' comp in Maryland?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
There are few exceptions.
Official agency
Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission (WCC)
Market: Private insurers and a state-created carrier
Maryland workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in Maryland, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | Maryland | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.08 | $0.11 | −27% |
| Retail store (8017) | $0.84 | $1.20 | −30% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $0.70 | $1.09 | −36% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $0.64 | $1.09 | −41% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $1.24 | $1.79 | −31% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $1.44 | $2.03 | −29% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $0.51 | $0.82 | −38% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $2.35 | $2.37 | −1% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $2.55 | $2.70 | −6% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $7.11 | $8.71 | −18% |
| Roofing (5551) | $10.23 | $9.64 | +6% |
| Trucking (7219) | $6.57 | $5.72 | +15% |
Maryland uses NCCI class codes. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in Maryland
Take $500,000 of payroll at Maryland's $0.89 index rate: $4,450 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $3,783/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $5,563/yr
- Difference
- +$1,780/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $5,340. The mod is built from claims, and the cheapest claim is the injury caught early.
IncidentLog lets crews report an injury or near miss from a job-site QR code in about 90 seconds, so you hear about it the same shift and see patterns on your OSHA 300 log before they become claims.
Create a free accountMaryland workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee. There are few exceptions. Source: Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission.
How are workers' comp rates set in Maryland?
Employers can buy coverage from private insurers or from a carrier created by the state that competes with them. The Oregon DCBS study lists NCCI (the National Council on Compensation Insurance) as Maryland's rating organization. Your own premium then depends on your class codes, your payroll and your experience modification rate (EMR).
What is the average workers' comp rate in Maryland?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts Maryland's all-industry index rate at $0.89 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on January 1, 2024, 82% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks Maryland #37 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#33 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (4 quotes)
“With few exceptions, every employer in the State of Maryland with one or more employees is required by law to provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees.”
FAQs for employers about Maryland workers' compensation law (Form C-98) — Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“Employers in the State of Maryland are required to obtain workers’ compensation insurance from any insurance company licensed to write workers’ compensation insurance in the State of MD, including the Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company, Maryland’s insurer of guaranteed market.”
FAQs for employers about Maryland workers' compensation law (Form C-98) — Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“In October 2013, the Fund converted to a nonprofit, private corporation named Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company (Chapter 570, Acts of 2012).”
Chesapeake Employers' Insurance Company: origin and functions — Maryland Manual On-Line (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“it shall be the responsibility of the employer to report this accident to the Workers’ Compensation Commission on a “First Report of Injury” form within 10 days after notice of such accident, whether oral or written.”
FAQs for employers about Maryland workers' compensation law (Form C-98) — Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
An estimate for planning, not a quote, legal or insurance advice. IncidentLog is not an insurer or broker. Median rate across all industries: $1.09 per $100.