Checking workers' comp yourself: what public proof of coverage lookups can and can't tell you

Why this check matters

Workers' comp is the coverage gap that hurts most. General liability usually excludes injuries to the insured's own employees, so when a trade has no workers' comp in force, an injured worker's claim can look for another pocket on the job. And as 2026's Florida case showed, a certificate can be genuine while the policy behind it doesn't really cover the crew. See Rented, falsified, excluded.

Most coverage checks depend on documents the trade or its broker sends you. Public proof of coverage lookups are one of the few you can run yourself.

What the lookups are

In many states, workers' comp insurers file proof of coverage records with the state electronically. Some states open part of that data to the public.

New York. The Workers' Compensation Board's "Does Employer Have Coverage?" page offers a public search of employers' policies and coverage. It covers workers' comp and disability benefits from January 1, 2002, and Paid Family Leave from January 1, 2018. The board says the information is updated daily through insurers' proof of coverage filings. Self-insured employers don't have policy numbers, and coverage with a future-dated cancellation shows as in effect until that date, according to the board's page.

Florida. The Division of Workers' Compensation lists a proof of coverage database among its public data. Florida's Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate tells consumers to verify workers' comp through that database or the exemption database before hiring a contractor.

Multi-state. A 2014 manual for NCCI's workers' comp coverage verification app, hosted by Arizona's Industrial Commission, says the app covered 32 jurisdictions and searched by state, date and insured name or FEIN, using a subset of proof of coverage data.

Massachusetts. In 2009, Insurance Journal reported that Massachusetts launched a site letting anyone see whether a business has workers' comp, and that 36 other states had public databases at the time. We couldn't confirm the current Massachusetts lookup for this brief.

What a lookup can't tell you

• Whether the policy fits the crew. A lookup shows a policy on file. It doesn't show what payroll or job classes the policy was written for. In the Florida case, prosecutors allege shell companies bought minimal coverage by underreporting payroll and rented their certificates to other crews.
• Whether the named employer is the one on site. Search for the company that signed your subcontract, and confirm it's the one employing the crew.
• Endorsements. A waiver of subrogation on workers' comp, WC 00 03 13, won't show in a lookup. Ask for it. See waiver of subrogation.
• Exemptions. Some states let certain owners exempt themselves. An exemption isn't coverage for their employees.

How to use it

1. Run the lookup for each trade, by exact legal name or FEIN, when you receive its certificate.
2. Compare carrier, policy number and dates with the certificate.
3. Re-run it before each policy's expiration date, and when something seems off.
4. If the lookup shows nothing, or a different carrier, stop and ask before the crew works.