Best Workers' Compensation Insurance in South Carolina (2025)

Our experts have selected The Hartford as the best workers’ compensation insurance provider in South Carolina after considering costs, customer satisfaction, online quote processing speed and financial stability.

Some small business owners in South Carolina are required by law to get workers’ compensation coverage. This type of insurance ensures that employees who suffer from work-related injuries or illnesses get the compensation they deserve. It also safeguards employers from lawsuits brought by injured employees.

The Hartford provides the best workers’ compensation insurance in South Carolina. If you choose this insurer, expect to pay an average monthly premium of $158. Pie Insurance takes the second spot.

Pie provides the cheapest workers’ compensation insurance in South Carolina at an average cost of $109 per month. This cost is for a business with 20 employees and an annual payroll of $1,250,000. The amount you’ll need to pay depends largely on payroll costs and employee count.

We identified the cheapest workers' comp insurance provider in South Carolina by ranking companies based on their average monthly costs. The most affordable option for you may vary depending on various factors. The table below shows monthly and annual costs for businesses with 20 employees. We ranked the companies based on their monthly costs.

The Hartford offers the best workers’ compensation insurance for businesses with five employees. Based on an annual payroll amount of $312,500, its average monthly premium is $70. Typically, a micro-business has one to nine employees. While employee count affects the amount you pay for workers’ compensation insurance, payroll expenses tend to have a more significant impact.

Pie offers the best workers’ compensation insurance for businesses with 100 employees. For an annual payroll cost of $6,250,000, you’ll pay an average of $446 per month. Payroll costs have a more significant impact on monthly premiums than employee counts.

The average cost of getting workers’ compensation insurance in South Carolina for businesses with 20 employees is $193.09, higher than the national average of $167.96 per month. We used the following policy limits:

• Total policy limit of $1 million
• Per accident limit of $1 million
• Per employee limit of $1 million

The above policy provides coverage of a maximum of $1 million per accident — regardless of how many employees are injured — and $1 million per employee, with an overall policy limit of $1 million.

The table below shows average workers’ compensation insurance costs for businesses with five, 20 and 100 employees. Key factors that affect rates include payroll costs and number of employees.

Workers’ compensation insurance costs vary based on payroll expenses, employee count, claims history, employee class codes and state regulations.

If your South Carolina business has four or more employees, you must have workers’ comp insurance. Exemptions include casual employees, businesses with annual payroll expenses below $3,000, state/county fair associations, federal employees, agricultural employees and railroads/railway express companies. Real estate agents working on commissions and owner-operator drivers meeting specific threshold requirements are exempt.

Employees in South Carolina benefit from workers’ compensation insurance in several scenarios. While it covers treatment for work-related injuries and illnesses, it also covers injuries that might occur at work due to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and workplace violence. Workers’ compensation insurance pays for hospitalization, medication and rehabilitation costs. In some instances, it also provides income replacement and death benefits.

Workers’ comp insurance protects employers, who are the policyholders, from financial losses and potential lawsuits due to work-related injuries or illnesses. If an employee dies because of a work-related injury or illness, their dependents receive death benefits.

South Carolina’s Workers' Compensation Commission oversees workers’ compensation insurance-related matters in the state. Employers, not the injured or ill employees, are responsible for filing claims. However, if your employer fails or refuses to file a claim, you may do so by submitting Form 50. Filing a death claim requires submitting Form 52. You can find both on the Workers' Compensation Commission website, which provides additional information.

We’ve answered some commonly asked questions about workers’ comp insurance in South Carolina to help you determine which company may work best for you.