Montana Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in Montana
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: ERD
- Average rate
- $1.34 per $100 of payrollRank #14 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), above 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
Montana's Workers' Compensation Act applies to all employers: anyone with an employee must elect one of its three compensation plans. One option is the state fund, a nonprofit public corporation that must insure any Montana employer that requests coverage.
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 Montana. 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
$13,400
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$13,400
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $1.34 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 Montana?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
Full-time, part-time, seasonal and occasional workers must all be covered, with limited exceptions.
Official agency
Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Employment Relations Division (ERD)
Market: Private insurers and a state-created carrier · Law: Mont. Code Ann. § 39-71-401
Montana workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in Montana, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | Montana | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.22 | $0.11 | +100% |
| Retail store (8017) | $1.28 | $1.20 | +7% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $1.10 | $1.09 | +1% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $1.09 | $1.09 | 0% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $2.16 | $1.79 | +21% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $3.70 | $2.03 | +82% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $1.10 | $0.82 | +34% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $3.22 | $2.37 | +36% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $3.92 | $2.70 | +45% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $18.44 | $8.71 | +112% |
| Roofing (5551) | $4.31 | $9.64 | −55% |
| Trucking (7219) | $3.25 | $5.72 | −43% |
Montana uses NCCI class codes. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in Montana
Take $500,000 of payroll at Montana's $1.34 index rate: $6,700 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $5,695/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $8,375/yr
- Difference
- +$2,680/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $8,040. 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 accountMontana workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in Montana?
Yes. Montana requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee (Mont. Code Ann. § 39-71-401). Full-time, part-time, seasonal and occasional workers must all be covered, with limited exceptions. Source: Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Employment Relations Division.
How are workers' comp rates set in Montana?
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 Montana'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 Montana?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts Montana's all-industry index rate at $1.34 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on July 1, 2023, 122% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks Montana #14 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#15 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (4 quotes)
“The Worker's Compensation Act of Montana, with limited exceptions, requires employers to cover their full-time, part-time, seasonal, and occasional workers with workers' compensation insurance.”
Uninsured Employers' Fund — Montana Employment Relations Division (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), the Workers' Compensation Act applies to all employers and to all employees. An employer who has any employee in service under any appointment or contract of hire, expressed or implied, oral or written, shall elect to be bound by the provisions of compensation plan No. 1, 2, or 3 unless the provisions of 39-71-442 apply.”
Mont. Code Ann. 39-71-401 — Montana Legislature (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“(1) There is a state compensation insurance fund known as the state fund that is a nonprofit, independent public corporation established for the purpose of allowing an option for employers to insure their liability for workers' compensation and occupational disease coverage under this chapter. (2) The state fund is required to insure any employer in this state who requests coverage”
Mont. Code Ann. 39-71-2313 — Montana Legislature (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“Uninsured Employers' Fund Workers' Compensation Section Employment Relations Division PO Box 8011 Helena, MT 59604-8011”
Uninsured Employers' Fund — Montana Employment Relations Division (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.