It’s the law. The WSCC provides a form of collective liability, which is common across the insurance industry. This means all employers, across an industry subclass, share the risk. Registering and paying assessments to the WSCC protects your company against lawsuits from injured workers. If a worker is injured or contracts an occupational disease while on the job, the WSCC covers the worker’s medical and wage-loss costs.

No, you don’t have to register, but you can if you need proof of registration for bidding purposes. Non-employer operations, including independent operators and prospective bidders may register with the WSCC and receive an account number prior to establishing or commencing business.

In order to register and receive a WSCC account number, a non-employer operation must pay a $200 annual administrative fee. A non-employer operation registering for the first time must pay the full administrative fee regardless of how many days remain in the calendar year.