Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in Massachusetts
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: DIA
- Average rate
- $0.97 per $100 of payrollRank #31 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), below the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- WCRIBMAWorkers' Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts (WCRIBMA) · independent rating bureau · Private insurers
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
Every employer operating in Massachusetts must carry workers' comp for its employees, and for its owners if they're employees of the company, whatever the number of employees or hours worked. Policies come from a local agent or broker or directly from an insurer.
Rates in effect July 1, 2023 · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, 2024 study (June 2025) · Nothing you enter leaves your browser
2024 study rate for all industries in Massachusetts. 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
$9,700
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$9,700
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $0.97 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 Massachusetts?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
It applies whatever the number of employees or hours worked, and owners who are employees of their company count.
Official agency
Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA)
Market: Private insurers · Law: M.G.L. c. 152 § 25A
Massachusetts workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in Massachusetts, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | Massachusetts | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.04 | $0.11 | −64% |
| Retail store (8017) | $0.87 | $1.20 | −28% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $0.81 | $1.09 | −26% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $0.81 | $1.09 | −26% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $1.32 | $1.79 | −26% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $1.83 | $2.03 | −10% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $0.99 | $0.82 | +21% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $2.02 | $2.37 | −15% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $2.94 | $2.70 | +9% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $5.91 | $8.71 | −32% |
| Roofing (5551) | $9.42 | $9.64 | −2% |
| Trucking (7219) | $6.55 | $5.72 | +15% |
Massachusetts doesn't use NCCI class codes; the study maps each class to the closest Massachusetts equivalent. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in Massachusetts
Take $500,000 of payroll at Massachusetts's $0.97 index rate: $4,850 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $4,123/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $6,063/yr
- Difference
- +$1,940/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $5,820. 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 accountMassachusetts workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in Massachusetts?
Yes. Massachusetts requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee (M.G.L. c. 152 § 25A). It applies whatever the number of employees or hours worked, and owners who are employees of their company count. Source: Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents.
How are workers' comp rates set in Massachusetts?
Employers buy coverage from private insurance companies. Massachusetts doesn't use NCCI: the Oregon DCBS study lists an independent bureau, the Workers' Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts (WCRIBMA), as its 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 Massachusetts?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts Massachusetts's all-industry index rate at $0.97 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on July 1, 2023, 89% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks Massachusetts #31 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#32 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (3 quotes)
“All employers operating in Massachusetts are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance for their employees and themselves if they are an employee of their company. The requirement applies no matter the number of hours worked or the number of employees.”
Workers' compensation insurance requirements — Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“Pursuant MGL. c. 152 § 25A, employers operating in Massachusetts are required to carry workers' compensation insurance coverage for their employees. To obtain a workers' compensation policy contact your local insurance agent/broker or an insurance company directly.”
How and where to get workers' compensation insurance — Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“The Department of Industrial Accidents’ (DIA) Office of Investigations will issue a stop work order (SWO) to employers who don’t have workers’ compensation insurance.”
Workers' compensation insurance requirements — Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (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.