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OhioBWC - Employer - Form: (Elective coverage) - Details
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All employers with one or more employees must carry workers’ compensation
coverage. It’s the law. However, Ohio law makes coverage elective for
owners or ministers in one of the following categories:
Remember, if you choose not to cover yourself and you are injured at work,
BWC will not provide coverage. And other insurance may not cover your
work-related disability or medical bills. Contact your insurance carrier
if you have questions.
If you do elect to cover yourself, this coverage is in addition to or is
supplemental to your current policy. Employers can apply for elective coverage
within the initial application,
Application for Ohio Workers’ Compensation Coverage (U-3), or at a
later date with the
Application for Elective Coverage (U-3S). You must complete an additional
application for elective coverage to cover owners or ministers you wish to add at
a later date. Elective coverage is effective the date we receive the U3-S.
If you elect coverage, you do not report your payroll under the same manual
category as your employees. Report elective coverage payroll only to manuals
with the suffix SN (Elective NCCI), and report employees' payroll under manuals
with the suffix RN (Regular NCCI).
Listed below are the other rules for reporting payroll for elective coverage.
We will cancel the elective coverage if you fail to report at least the
minimum required amount of payroll for any reporting period that the coverage
is in effect. Employers are responsible for the payment of premiums up to the
date they ask to terminate their elective coverage.
Sole proprietor or partnership coverage
For all individuals electing coverage, the reportable wages are subject to a
minimum and maximum, which is based on the statewide average weekly wage
calculated annually by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
These changes became effective July 1, 2006. Minimum/Maximum payroll reporting requirements
Independent contractors and subcontractors
Independent contractors and subcontractors may elect coverage for themselves if
they are sole proprietors or partners. If an independent contractor or
subcontractor controls the selection of materials, traveling routes and
quality of performance of another worker, that independent contractor or
subcontractor is considered an employer and, as such, is required to
provide workers' compensation coverage for that worker.
Limited liability companies (LLC)
These companies can be considered corporations, sole proprietorships or
partnerships for tax purposes. Whatever the LLC considers itself for tax
purposes determines whether the LLC owner must have workers’ compensation
coverage. If the LLC considers itself a sole proprietorship or partnership,
coverage is optional for the owner. If the LLC considers itself a corporation,
the owner must cover himself or herself.
Note: There is an exception in which coverage is optional for the owner.
In these cases, the LLC acting as a corporation meets the requirement to be
considered an individual incorporated as a corporation
(i.e., single/sole owner with no employees).
Family farm corporate officers
Family farm corporate officers are not considered employees for purposes of
reporting payroll and assessing premiums, but they may elect coverage. To
qualify as a family farm corporation the following criteria must be met:
- The family farm must be founded for the purpose of farming animal or
plant products intended for consumption by human beings or animals
(excluding nurseries and flower production enterprises);
- A majority of the shareholders must be related within the fourth degree
of kinship (siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts,
great uncles or first cousins) or be the spouse of such persons;
- No shareholder may be a corporation;
- At least one of the related persons within the corporation must reside
on or actively operate the farm.
Minimum/Maximum payroll
reporting requirements
Individual incorporated as a corporation
Legislation changed the definition of employee in Section 4123.01(A)(2)(c) of
the Ohio Revised Code to eliminate required coverage for an individual
incorporated as a corporation when there is a sole owner and no employees. As
described above, individuals incorporated as a corporation may elect to cover themselves by completing and filing a
U-3S.
An individual incorporated as a corporation is defined as a sole owner corporation
with no employees and refers only to the owner of the corporation in terms of
being excluded as an employee. This includes any corporation (S-Corp, LLC Corp,
C-Corp) as long as there is a sole owner with no employees.
An individual incorporated as a corporation, sole owner, zero employees does NOT
have to establish or maintain an Ohio workers’ compensation policy unless the
employer is required by another authority to show proof of workers’ compensation
coverage (in which case having elective coverage would be sufficient) or if,
at any time, coverage becomes required such as when the employer hires an employee
or is no longer sole owner.
Minimum/Maximum payroll
reporting guidelines are the same as those for sole proprietors. If the employer
fails to report at least the minimum reportable supplemental payroll for any reporting
period, we will cancel the coverage.
Ordained or associate ministers
BWC provides two coverage options for ministers. First, churches may
provide elective coverage for ministers under the religious organization's
policy by submitting a signed
U-3S. They must submit a new U-3S each time they want to add coverage for
a new minister. Ministers are considered employees, so churches must report
all remuneration for them. No minimum or maximum payroll limits exist.
Second, if a church decides not to cover its ministers under the religious
organization's policy, the ministers may elect to establish their own coverage
as sole proprietors using the U-3.
Payroll reporting guidelines are the same as for sole proprietors. Payroll reporting requirements
Viewing and updating existing elective coverage
Those of you who have elective coverage in addition to your regular policies can view
information about the coverage in
Elective coverage. You also can view and update information for the other
individuals enrolled, such as address and contact information, and add or cancel
coverage online.
Request to cancel elective coverage
To cancel elective coverage you must do one of the following:
- Request to cancel when submitting your payroll report;
- Request to cancel by completing and submitting the
Notification of Policy Update (U-117);
- Select to cancel coverage online for the individual(s) listed on
the policy in the personal policy information section of
elective coverage.
Exemption for religious sects
Employers and employees who in following the tenets of their religion object to
the payment and acceptance of insurance benefits can apply to be exempt from
workers’ compensation coverage in Ohio. Both the employer and employees must
be members of a religious sect that has existed continuously since Dec. 31,
1950 (e.g., Amish or Mennonite). The employer and employees must both be
conscientiously opposed to accepting insurance payments resulting from injury,
death or disability; or payments toward medical care for injuries and
illnesses.
If you and your employee(s) qualify, you may choose this exemption by
completing a three-part Application for Exemption from Ohio Workers’ Coverage
and Waiver of Benefits (U-3E). After BWC grants a religious exemption, it
no longer requires you to pay premiums or assessments on any employees covered
by the exemption.
However, you must still submit a payroll report and pay the administrative
cost to BWC every six months verifying that your employees are exempt from
coverage. You must report the payroll of any employee who does not qualify for
the exemption, and pay the appropriate premium.
