Alliance Risk vs Pie Insurance Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Pie underwrites workers' comp itself through an AM Best-rated carrier group; Alliance Risk brokers the line without naming an insurer.

What Is Alliance Risk?

Alliance Risk describes itself as an independent commercial insurance brokerage serving complex businesses, including technology startups. Its offering includes technology E&O placement and review of existing policies. 1,2

Read the Alliance Risk profile

What Is Pie Insurance?

Pie Insurance sells and administers small-business commercial insurance, with affiliated carriers writing its workers’ compensation program and outside carrier partners supporting selected other products. Businesses can start a workers’ compensation quote online or use an agent, then manage documents, certificates, billing, audits and claim reporting through Pie’s service channels. 4,5,6

Read the Pie Insurance profile

What Is Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

Workers’ compensation insurance addresses medical care, rehabilitation and lost wages for employees’ work-related injuries or illnesses. Not every worker, contractor or owner is automatically covered, and not every injury qualifies — check who's included and what's compensable under your state's rules. 8,9,10

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Who Carries the Risk

Pie underwrites this line itself:

AM Best's disclosure report says Pie completed acquiring Pie Casualty Insurance Company in September 2021 and The Pie Insurance Company (formerly The American Insurance Company) in January 2023, and that beginning January 1, 2024, Pie writes 100% of its workers' compensation business through these two entities, part of the pooled Rating Unit 018981 Pie Insurance Group. AM Best affirmed Pie Casualty Insurance Company's Financial Strength Rating at A- (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating at a- (Excellent), both with a stable outlook, effective April 24, 2026. 7Verified. AM Best rating disclosure report (AMB #012272, NAIC #10997) for Pie Casualty Insurance Company; a rating is an opinion of insurer financial strength, not a guarantee a claim will be paid, and reflects the pooled group rather than a standalone assessment of either entity.

Alliance Risk instead brokers workers' comp to outside carriers, describing carrier negotiation and benchmarking as its role. 3 Its page does not name the insurers it places business with, beyond noting that some states require a state-run fund. 3

A Timed Online Quote Versus a Consultative Application

Pie describes a roughly three-minute online quote requiring the applicant's name, business name, annual payroll and class code, with a tool to help identify the class code. 5 Alliance Risk's reviewed page does not describe a comparable timed process; it directs prospective clients to general contact and quote forms without a stated turnaround. 3

Post-Bind Audits at Different Points

Pie performs a post-term premium audit comparing estimated to actual payroll after the policy period ends, alongside issuing certificates of insurance. 5 Alliance Risk instead audits payroll for misclassification and incorrect experience modifiers as part of placing the account, a check it frames as happening before or during the relationship rather than at term-end. 3

What to Confirm in Workers’ Compensation Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Alliance Risk which carriers it's shopping your account to, since its page does not name any. 3
  • Ask Pie how its post-term payroll audit could change your final premium versus the estimate you were quoted. 5
  • Ask Alliance Risk whether its published rate ranges and minimum premiums apply to your specific class codes and state. 3
  • Confirm whether Pie's advertised savings figure applies to your industry and payroll size, since it's a general marketing claim. 5

Offering Details

Alliance Risk vs Pie Insurance Workers’ Compensation Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAlliance Risk Workers' Compensation InsurancePie Workers' Comp Insurance
Role in This Line

Alliance Risk places workers' compensation coverage and says it provides state-by-state compliance review, claims and injury analysis, and carrier negotiation and benchmarking as a broker service for this legally required line. 3Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, "Our Approach" section.

Pie underwrites workers' compensation itself through its own carrier group, rather than only brokering the line to outside insurers as it does for several of its other small-business products. 5Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23; restates the provider record's verified insurer-route fact.

Issuing Insurer

Alliance Risk's page notes that some states, including North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming, require coverage through a state-run monopolistic fund, but it does not name the private insurers it places workers' comp with elsewhere. 3Not publicly disclosed. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, "Special Considerations by State" section.

AM Best's disclosure report says Pie completed acquiring Pie Casualty Insurance Company in September 2021 and The Pie Insurance Company (formerly The American Insurance Company) in January 2023, and that beginning January 1, 2024, Pie writes 100% of its workers' compensation business through these two entities, part of the pooled Rating Unit 018981 Pie Insurance Group. AM Best affirmed Pie Casualty Insurance Company's Financial Strength Rating at A- (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating at a- (Excellent), both with a stable outlook, effective April 24, 2026. 7Verified. AM Best rating disclosure report (AMB #012272, NAIC #10997) for Pie Casualty Insurance Company; a rating is an opinion of insurer financial strength, not a guarantee a claim will be paid, and reflects the pooled group rather than a standalone assessment of either entity.

Who It’s For

Alliance Risk says nearly any business with W-2 employees needs workers' comp in most states, and highlights construction, manufacturing and healthcare as high-risk industries, along with employers using subcontractors, temps, seasonal workers, or a multi-state or remote workforce. 3Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, "Who Needs" section.

Pie says workers' compensation is legally required in nearly all states for businesses with few exceptions, and markets its program to small businesses. 5Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Coverage Features

Alliance Risk describes workers' comp as covering medical expenses, partial lost-wage replacement, temporary or permanent disability payments, rehabilitation and death benefits, while excluding off-duty injuries, self-inflicted injuries, drug- or alcohol-related accidents, and owner or partner injuries unless added by endorsement. 3Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, "What Does/Doesn't Cover" sections; the issued policy and state statute control actual terms.

Pie describes workers' compensation as a state-mandated program providing medical, disability (typically two-thirds wage replacement), and death benefits for employees injured or killed on the job, while excluding injuries suffered off the job, self-inflicted injuries, policy violations, and injuries from committing a crime. 5Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23; actual covered/excluded scenarios depend on the issued policy and state law.

Limits and Retentions

Alliance Risk publishes indicative rate ranges per $100 of payroll (for example $0.25–$1.50 for low-risk office roles up to $7.00–$25.00+ for high-risk construction work) and typical minimum premiums of $250–$1,000 per year, but statutory benefit amounts are set by state law rather than published on the page. 3Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, cost section; illustrative ranges, not a specific quote.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Risk Services

Alliance Risk lists workers' comp services including audits for misclassified payroll and incorrect experience modifiers, safety-program implementation through risk engineers, and structuring loss-sensitive versus guaranteed-cost programs. 3Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, "The Alliance Risk Difference" section.

Pie says it can issue a Certificate of Insurance to show proof of workers' comp coverage, which it notes some industries, such as construction, require before work can begin, and that it performs a post-term premium audit comparing estimated to actual payroll. 5Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page FAQ as read on 2026-09-23.

How to Apply

The reviewed workers' compensation page does not describe a line-specific document checklist for a quote beyond directing prospective clients to Alliance Risk's general contact and quote forms. 3Not found in reviewed sources. Workers' Compensation Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23.

Pie says getting a quote online requires the applicant's name, business name, annual payroll amount, and class-code information, with a tool available to help identify the correct class code, and advertises a roughly three-minute online quote and up to 30% savings. 5Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23; quote time and savings figures are company marketing claims, not independently verified, and individual results vary.

Claims Support

Alliance Risk says it manages workers' comp claims "from first report to closure" to control costs and prevent long-term disability or litigation, and separately runs return-to-work programs it says reduce downtime. 3Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance page, "Our Approach" and "The Alliance Risk Difference" sections; claim outcomes are not independently verified.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Full Comparison

More Alliance Risk vs Pie Insurance Comparisons

Other Workers’ Compensation Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Alliance Risk

  1. About Us. Alliance Risk; Our Story. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Tech E&O Insurance. Alliance Risk; Opening placement description; Get Your Tech E&O Risk Review; What We Need for Your Quote; Policy Review. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Workers’ Compensation Insurance. Alliance Risk; Our Approach to Workers’ Compensation; The Alliance Risk Difference; What Is Workers’ Comp Insurance?; Who Needs Workers’ Comp Insurance?; What Does/Doesn't Workers’ Comp Insurance Cover?; How Much Does Workers’ Comp Insurance Cost?; Special Considerations by State. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Pie Insurance

  1. Workers' Comp Insurance for Small Businesses. Pie Insurance; How do I get a workers' comp quote?; What is workers' comp insurance?; What does workers' compensation insurance cover?; Why choose Pie for workers' compensation insurance? Affordable, Simple, Trusted (AM Best A- Excellent); FAQs: how workers' comp works, what's covered/not covered, class codes, NCCI. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  2. Online Account Tutorial. Pie Insurance; Payment-method updates; instant and custom certificates; policy information; document access; agent-handled custom certificate qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  3. AM Best Rating Disclosure Report — Pie Casualty Insurance Company. AM Best Rating Services, Inc.; Page 1: Financial Strength Rating A- (Excellent), Affiliation Code p (Pooled Rating), Financial Size Category VIII, Outlook Stable, Action Affirmed, Effective Date April 24, 2026; Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating a- (Excellent), same outlook and effective date; page 14 (Additional Regulatory Disclosures, Business Profile: Limited): Rating Unit 018981 Pie Insurance Group; Pie completed the acquisition of Pie Casualty Insurance Company (PCIC) in September 2021 and of The American Insurance Company, renamed The Pie Insurance Company (TPIC), on January 1, 2023; beginning January 1, 2024 Pie started writing 100% of its workers' compensation business through these insurance entities; Pie launched workers' compensation in March 2018 and continues to be a workers' compensation writer in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance Guide

  1. Workers’ Compensation Insurance. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Opening definition; mandatory coverage except Texas opt-in; exclusive remedy; monopolistic state funds; self-insurance note. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Small Business Insurance. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Typically covers medical expenses, rehabilitation costs and lost wages; check with your state insurance department; ask these questions / who qualifies as a covered employee (contractors, part-time staff, interns); payroll and type-of-work rating factors. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. DWC employer information. California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation; Opening trade-off and California requirement; basic benefits including medical care, temporary and permanent disability, supplemental job displacement, return-to-work supplement and death benefits; out-of-state employer note. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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