Hiscox vs Travelers: How Do They Compare for Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

Where Hiscox requires its own general liability policy for workers' comp, Travelers underwrites it directly, markets it to small businesses and large multi-state employers, and sends buyers to a local agent.

Travelers offers workers’ comp directly; Hiscox requires a Hiscox general-liability policy and excludes some business classes. ^3,¹

What Are the Key Differences Between Hiscox and Travelers Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

Who Issues the Policy

Travelers ties workers’ comp to its own underwriting and reports that 70% of injured employees return to work within 30 days. ³ Hiscox uses Hartford as underwriter and requires buyers to hold or buy Hiscox general liability; some business classes are excluded. ¹ Choose Travelers if you want to buy directly from a carrier with published return-to-work results; choose Hiscox if you already qualify for its bundle.

Reported Outcomes

Travelers reports internal figures for its own claims and risk-control programs, including a return-to-work rate within 30 days, a decline in opioid use it attributes to a predictive tool, and the size of its medical-provider network. ³

Hiscox's page does not report comparable outcome statistics, consistent with its role providing access to a Hartford-administered product rather than running its own claims program. ¹

Access Conditions

Travelers markets workers' compensation to both large, multi-state employers and small businesses without a prerequisite product. Hiscox limits access to buyers who already hold, or concurrently buy, its general-liability policy, and says the product isn't available for all classes. ³ ¹

What Should You Confirm in Hiscox and Travelers Workers’ Compensation Insurance Quotes?

Ask Travelers whether The Travelers Indemnity Company or an affiliate issues your specific policy. ³
Confirm whether you need to buy or already hold Hiscox general liability before it will quote workers' compensation. ¹
Ask whether Travelers' reported return-to-work and provider-network statistics reflect your industry and state. ³
Ask whether Hiscox's product is available for your business class, since the page says it isn't available for all classes. ¹

Hiscox vs Travelers Workers’ Compensation Insurance Compared

Hiscox vs Travelers: Workers’ Compensation Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Hiscox Workers Compensation Insurance	Travelers Workers Compensation Insurance
Who It’s For	Hiscox says workers' compensation access requires the buyer to already hold, or concurrently purchase, a Hiscox general-liability policy, and that the product is not available for all classes of business. ¹Company-reported. Company-stated prerequisite and class limitation; specific excluded classes are not listed on the page.	Travelers says nearly every state requires most businesses to carry workers compensation insurance, but that in monopolistic states employers must buy coverage from a state-run fund, or may self-insure using a third-party administrator, so Travelers workers compensation is not purchasable there through Travelers itself. ³Company-reported. Workers-compensation FAQ answer, 'Who needs workers compensation insurance?'; the page does not list which states are monopolistic. Travelers markets workers compensation to both large, multi-state employers and small businesses, and says it maintains state-specific requirement information because coverage terms and required forms vary by jurisdiction. ³Company-reported. Large-business and small-business sections and the 'Workers compensation laws vary by state' section.
How to Apply	Hiscox lists workers' compensation among the products selectable from its small-business quote flow, routing eligible buyers who also carry (or are buying) general liability toward the Hartford-underwritten product. ^2,¹Company-reported. Company-described product-selector listing; eligibility and binding conditions require confirmation on the actual application.	Travelers directs buyers to contact a local Travelers agent to find a workers compensation policy, and separately notes pricing depends on business location, type of work, total payroll and claims history rather than a fixed rate. ³Company-reported. Workers-compensation FAQ answers 'How can I buy workers compensation insurance?' and 'What determines the cost of a workers compensation policy?'
Coverage Features	The workers'-compensation page describes the product in general terms as statutory workers' compensation coverage through the Hartford partnership; it does not add Hiscox-specific coverage enhancements beyond what a standard Hartford workers'-compensation policy would include. ¹Company-reported. Company-stated partnership product; specific policy wording and state benefit levels are set by Hartford's issued policy and applicable state law.	Travelers says the policy covers employees' medical expenses and lost wages for job-related injuries and diseases, includes employers liability coverage for related lawsuits not covered by workers-comp law, and that employers in monopolistic states may add employers liability separately as stop-gap coverage. ³Company-reported. Product overview and 'What does workers comp cover?' FAQ; full inclusions and exclusions depend on the policy as issued and the applicable state.
Role in This Line	For workers' compensation, Hiscox Inc. acts as an access point to a partner insurer rather than underwriting the coverage itself, and requires the buyer to also hold a Hiscox general-liability policy before it will provide access to workers' compensation. ¹Company-reported. Company-stated partnership structure; this differs from Hiscox's own-catalogue general liability, professional liability, cyber and BOP products, which are underwritten by its own affiliated insurer.	Travelers underwrites workers compensation insurance directly as a standalone line, separate from a business owner's policy, and says it also provides risk control and claim services alongside the policy rather than selling coverage alone. ³Company-reported. Workers-compensation product page, as read on 2026-09-23.
Issuing Insurer	Hiscox's workers'-compensation page footer names Hartford Fire Insurance Company, at One Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT, as the underwriter, with coverage made available through Hiscox Inc. doing business as Hiscox Insurance Agency in California. ¹Company-reported. Company-published footer disclosure; this is a different insurer from the Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. entity that underwrites Hiscox's own-catalogue products.	A video transcript on the workers-compensation page is copyrighted to The Travelers Indemnity Company, which is consistent with that entity issuing workers compensation policies, though the page does not state that every workers-comp policy is issued by that entity rather than an affiliate. ³Company-reported. Video transcript credit on the workers-compensation page; not a policy-level disclosure of the issuing entity for a specific quote.