Connecticut Workers' Comp Insurance for Nonprofits & Churches

Connecticut requires virtually every employer with one or more employees, including part-time workers, to carry workers' compensation insurance or qualify as a self-insurer. There is no minimum payroll or hours threshold that exempts a business once it has hired staff; the requirement is triggered by having an employee, not by business size. See the Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission's employer guidance.

Common codes for this work include 8861 Charitable or Welfare Organization; 8864 Social Services Organization; 8810 Clerical Office Employees; 8869 Child Care Center. Connecticut uses NCCI class codes, so the codes below are the ones carriers typically assign to this work in Connecticut.

Connecticut treats sole proprietors, partners, LLC members, and corporate officers as having discretionary coverage rather than automatic inclusion or exclusion: each must file the appropriate election form (Form 75 for a sole proprietor, Form 6B-1 for a partner, Form 6B for an LLC member or corporate officer) to affirmatively accept or reject coverage for themselves, and that election can later be reversed by filing again. Until an election is filed, these individuals are not automatically covered. Because the election is on record with the Commission, employers should keep copies of whichever forms apply to their ownership structure.

Failing to carry required coverage carries a civil penalty of the greater of $500 per employee or $5,000 (up to a $50,000 cap), plus $100 for each day noncompliance continues after it's identified, also capped at $50,000; unpaid penalties can be doubled if not paid within 90 days. A knowing and willful violation is a Class D felony, and business owners, partners, LLC principals, and corporate officers can be held personally liable. The same Class D felony exposure applies to knowingly misclassifying employees as independent contractors to reduce premiums, and the Labor Commissioner can issue a stop-work order (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-288).

Price is driven by payroll in each class code, the Connecticut rates filed for those codes, your claims history (experience modification), and underwriting factors such as total paid-staff payroll, separate from any volunteer activity; whether the organization runs a school, child care, or hands-on social-services program; split between office/administrative staff and program or facilities staff. We compare carriers so you can see what you qualify for.

Complete one application and we compare up to 10 carriers in minutes, with the option to purchase online. A Live Certificate is included with your coverage, so proof of coverage is always live and shareable by text or email in seconds.

Workers' comp requirements are generally triggered by paid employees, so a church or nonprofit with any paid staff typically needs coverage for those employees regardless of how many volunteers also help out; volunteer coverage itself is a separate question under state law.

No — workers' comp requirements are based on having employees, not on the organization's tax-exempt or nonprofit status, so a 501(c)(3) with paid staff is generally subject to the same requirements as a for-profit employer.

The payroll for that program is often reported under its own classification — such as the child care or school classification — separate from the general clerical and program-staff codes used for the rest of the organization.

Yes. Connecticut has no minimum employee-count exemption, so hiring even one part-time worker generally triggers the requirement to carry coverage.

No. LLC members have discretionary coverage and must file Form 6B with the Workers' Compensation Commission to elect to be covered; without that election, they aren't automatically included.