Vermont Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in Vermont
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: VDOL
- Average rate
- $1.60 per $100 of payrollRank #5 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), above the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- NCCINational Council on Compensation Insurance · Private insurers
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
Workers' comp is mandatory for every Vermont employer. Employers buy it in the voluntary market; those no insurer will take are placed in the assigned risk market.
Rates in effect April 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 Vermont. 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
$16,000
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$16,000
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $1.60 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 Vermont?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
Official agency
Vermont Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division (VDOL)
Market: Private insurers
Vermont workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in Vermont, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | Vermont | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.19 | $0.11 | +73% |
| Retail store (8017) | $1.74 | $1.20 | +45% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $1.38 | $1.09 | +27% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $1.63 | $1.09 | +50% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $2.56 | $1.79 | +43% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $3.43 | $2.03 | +69% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $1.25 | $0.82 | +52% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $3.04 | $2.37 | +28% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $4.06 | $2.70 | +50% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $9.23 | $8.71 | +6% |
| Roofing (5551) | $15.04 | $9.64 | +56% |
| Trucking (7219) | $9.16 | $5.72 | +60% |
Vermont uses NCCI class codes. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in Vermont
Take $500,000 of payroll at Vermont's $1.60 index rate: $8,000 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $6,800/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $10,000/yr
- Difference
- +$3,200/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $9,600. 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 accountVermont workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in Vermont?
Yes. Vermont requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee. Source: Vermont Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division.
How are workers' comp rates set in Vermont?
Employers buy coverage from private insurance companies. The Oregon DCBS study lists NCCI (the National Council on Compensation Insurance) as Vermont'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 Vermont?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts Vermont's all-industry index rate at $1.60 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on April 1, 2023, 147% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks Vermont #5 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#6 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (3 quotes)
“Workers’ compensation insurance is mandatory for all Vermont employers.”
Fact sheet for employers — Vermont Department of Labor (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“Such employers who have been unable to find a willing insurer in the open or general market (called the voluntary market) are placed in the assigned risk market, also known as "the pool".”
Vermont business owner's guide to workers' compensation insurance — Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“Claim related questions? Please contact the Vermont Department of Labor at 802-828-2286 or labor-wccomp@vermont.gov.”
Workers' compensation — Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (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.