Orlando, FL – It is required by all states for businesses who hire employees to pay for state Workers’ Compensation coverage in order to account for and compensate the employee in case they have been injured or have become ill because of a workplace injury or illness. Therefore, it is a requirement for workers to be insured under the Florida workers’ compensation policy. However, independent contracts do not fall in the category of “workers”. Some states consider independent contractors as just that – independent. This means they are required by law to state they are “free from control” for certain occupations. Doing so allows the business owner to be exempted from obtaining workers’ compensation.
A Workers Compensation Waiver (Exemption) allows independent business owners to be exempt from being provided workers insurance by the state. An individual who serves as an officer of their corporation has the option of electing themselves to be exempt from workers’ compensation coverage. Doing so excludes them from recovering workers’ compensation benefits. There are many employers who opt for being exempt from Workers’ Compensation policies in order to save more money on premiums.
In order to be eligible for filing for exemption, the individual needs to meet the following requirements, depending on whether they are non-construction industry corporate officers or construction industry corporate officers:
Non-construction industry corporate officer
- The corporation is to be registered in the Division of Corporation in the State of Florida
- The applicant himself must be mentioned in the list of officers in the main records in the Division of Corporations in the State of Florida
- The number of corporate officers who are eligible for exemption are not limited
Application Fee
If you are a non-construction industry corporate officer looking to file for exemption from workers compensation, there is no fee to be paid.
Construction industry corporate officer
- The corporation is to be registered in the Division of Corporation in the State of Florida
- The applicant himself but be mentioned in the list of officers in the main records in the Division of Corporations in the State of Florida
- 10% of the corporations stocks are to be owned by the applicant, being evidenced via stock certification
- In the case of Limited Liability Company (LLC) a notarized statement which attests to a minimum of 10% ownership must be evidenced
- A list of all registered or certified licenses which have been issued to you by the applicant must be available
- Only 3 officers from the corporation (or group of affiliated corporations) can be elected to be exempt
Application fee
If you are a construction industry corporate officer looking to file for exemption from workers compensation, the required application fee is $50.
Orlando Workers Compensation Attorney Contact Information
Contact Vaughan Law Group’s Orlando Workers Compensation Attorneys today for your free initial consultation. You can contact Vaughan Law Group at (407) 434-0074.
