One of the questions many business owners face when they start a new business is whether they are required to carry workers' compensation insurance on the employees they hire. While most states vary in their rules and regulations regarding workers' compensation, let's take a look at Florida's workers' compensation guidelines.
For starters, if you're in the construction industry and have one or more employees, Florida laws require you to carry workers' compensation coverage. The only exception to this rule is if you are an exempted corporate officer or member of a limited liability company.
If your business is in any other industry other than construction and has four or more employees, full-time or part-time, you will be required to carry a workers' compensation policy. Again, an exempted corporate officer does not qualify as an employee.
Farmers that have five regular employees and/or twelve or more other workers for seasonal agricultural labor lasting thirty days or more are also required to carry a Florida workers' compensation policy.
While this is a brief overview of the laws regarding Florida's workers' compensation policies, it's not always cut and dry and there can certainly be gray areas within. For example, landscaping businesses fall under the construction guidelines, where lawn mowing employers do not.
You may also feel it's in your best interest to carry a workers' comp policy even if you're not required to do so. It's important to ask specific questions about workers' compensation and the benefits it can provide your employees, as well as your business.
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