Lockton vs Pie Insurance: How Do They Compare for Business Insurance?

Pie offers payroll-based workers’ compensation with pay-as-you-go billing and a 3% card fee in some states; Lockton can coordinate workers’ comp with D&O and cyber.

An Overview of Lockton and Pie Insurance

A 40-person software company may want payroll-based workers’ compensation but also need D&O and cyber. Pie’s pay-as-you-go program has a 3% card fee for certain new single-state policies, except in Florida, Nebraska, Maryland and Rhode Island, and requires injury notice within 24 hours. 39 42 4 Choose Pie if payroll-based workers’ comp and its payment/reporting rules fit; choose Lockton to coordinate workers’ comp with D&O and cyber.

A 40-person software company that wants pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation and also needs directors and officers (D&O) liability and cyber is looking at a workers’ compensation specialist channel that can sit beside other placements. Pie describes business owners policy, general liability and professional liability as using third-party insurers—confirm whether Pie is placing those lines or only workers’ compensation. Using Lockton for D&O does not require using Pie. 4

What Stands Out About Lockton and Pie Insurance?

Lockton at a Glance

  • Lockton brokers help businesses arrange insurance, employee benefits and retirement programs. 1,13,20Company-reportedCompany-reported US brand and Terms of Business. The contracting Lockton company can differ by client. Private-ownership and independence claims are marketing statements, not a regulatory finding.
  • Technology clients can compare options for cyber, D&O, liability, property and benefits with Lockton. 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10Company-reportedDirect US product and industry pages accessed 16 September 2026. Technology errors and omissions is discussed in educational Lockton articles but was not added from those articles alone. Catalogue entries from the private-equity page are marketed in that industry context.

Pie Insurance at a Glance

  • Start a workers’ compensation quote online or through an insurance agent. 24,23,25Company-reportedWorkers’ compensation access for small businesses and agencies; other product pages direct buyers to quote or contact flows but do not describe the same process.
  • Pay workers’ compensation premiums based on reported payroll, with no initial deposit. 39,40Company-reportedPie’s current workers’ compensation payment pages; actual availability and policy-specific charges need confirmation in the quote.

Lockton vs Pie Insurance Coverage Lines Compared

CoverageLocktonPie Insurance
Business owner’s policyNot listedListed 29Pie accepts business owner’s policy quote requests.
Cargo and transitListed 5Lockton arranges cargo insurance.Not listed
Commercial autoListed 5Lockton arranges commercial auto insurance.Not listed
Commercial propertyListed 6Lockton arranges commercial property insurance.Not listed
CrimeListed 10Lockton arranges commercial crime insurance.Not listed
Cyber liabilityListed 3,2Lockton arranges cyber insurance.Listed 30Pie provides access to cyber insurance quotes from carrier partners.
Directors and officersListed 4,2Lockton arranges directors and officers liability insurance.Not listed
Employee health and benefitsListed 8Lockton arranges employee health and benefits programs.Not listed
Employment practices liabilityListed 10Lockton arranges employment practices liability insurance.Not listed
Fiduciary liabilityListed 9Lockton arranges fiduciary liability insurance.Not listed
General liabilityListed 5Lockton arranges general liability insurance.Listed 32Pie arranges general liability insurance through unaffiliated third-party insurers.
Key personListed 10Lockton arranges key person insurance.Not listed
Product liabilityListed 5Lockton arranges product liability insurance.Not listed
Professional errors and omissions (E&O)Listed 10Lockton arranges professional errors and omissions insurance.Listed 31Pie Insurance arranges professional errors and omissions insurance for small businesses through third-party insurers.
Representations and warrantiesListed 10Lockton arranges representations and warranties insurance.Not listed
Surety bondsListed 10Lockton arranges surety bonds.Not listed
Umbrella and excess liabilityListed 5Lockton arranges umbrella and excess liability insurance.Not listed
Workers’ compensationListed 7,5Lockton arranges workers’ compensation insurance.Listed 25Pie Insurance offers workers’ compensation insurance for small businesses.

A listing may be arranged through an insurer or partner. “Not listed” means we have no separate offering page for it; ask the provider whether it can quote the coverage and request the policy terms.

Lockton and Pie Insurance Coverage, Line by Line

Open what Lockton and Pie Insurance each publish for one coverage line.

Lockton and Pie Insurance Reliability Scores

Each score uses the criteria for that provider’s role. Providers with more than one role may have a score for each.

Pie Insurance Reliability Scores

Hybrid provider

Broker

No Reliability Score

Carrier & MGA

No Reliability Score

Reliability Score details

Lockton and Pie Insurance Review Scores for 2026

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for its sources, what it covers and how the score is calculated.

Lockton Review Score

8.4/ 10

Review Score

3 rated sources

Lockton’s reviews vary by office and entity. Local Google-derived ratings provide some service feedback, but no reliable firmwide verdict.

Read Lockton reviews

Pie Insurance Review Score

1.7/ 10

Review Score

2 rated sources

Pie’s service record raises clear concerns: elevated regulator complaints reported by NerdWallet, 1.7/5 on Trustpilot and an F from BBB. Investigate billing, cancellation and complaint handling before buying.

Read Pie Insurance reviews

Key Differences Between Lockton and Pie Insurance

Who Bears Workers’ Compensation Risk

Pie’s affiliated carriers write workers’ compensation. Lockton is an intermediary on whatever insurer it places. An AM Best rating for a Pie company, if you rely on it, applies to that rated group—not to a Lockton-placed policy with another insurer. 27 7

How You Buy Workers’ Compensation

Pie advertises a minutes-scale online workers’ compensation quote with variable actual times and pay-as-you-go. That is Pie’s company claim, not a bind guarantee. Lockton’s published U.S. contact is an expert inquiry. 25 12

Payment and Placement Charges

Pie publishes a 3% card fee for certain new single-state workers’ compensation policies, except in Florida, Nebraska, Maryland and Rhode Island, plus state-set waiver-of-subrogation charges. Lockton’s terms disclose possible insurer commissions, client fees and additional compensation but do not publish an equivalent schedule. Compare Pie’s policy/payment charges with the charges of the insurer Lockton proposes and any Lockton compensation; the absence of a public Lockton fee table does not establish lower or equivalent cost. 39 38 13

Payroll and Claims Service

Pie describes payroll-based pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation and an annual audit that reconciles estimated with actual payroll. Lockton describes placement with workers’ compensation markets and claims advocacy rather than bearing the insurer’s obligations. Ask each proposal who receives payroll updates, handles audit questions and reports workplace injuries. 39 41 7 11

What Should You Confirm in Lockton and Pie Insurance Quotes?

  • Workers’ compensation issuer and pay-as-you-go eligibility at Pie versus any Lockton market. 25 7
  • Who places directors and officers liability and cyber if Pie is used only for workers’ compensation. 3
  • Card fees and waiver charges on Pie. 27
  • Audit and class-code ownership on either proposal, including which party handles Pie’s partner products if other lines are requested. 27 7

Lockton vs Pie Insurance Services Compared

What each provider says about the services you may need

CriteriaLocktonPie Insurance
Business role

You work with Lockton as a broker for risk, benefits and retirement programs; it arranges and services policies but is not the risk-bearing insurer. 1,13,20Company-reportedCompany-reported US brand and Terms of Business. The contracting Lockton company can differ by client. Private-ownership and independence claims are marketing statements, not a regulatory finding.

Confirm the legal producer on your California broker agreement: Lockton’s terms name Lockton Companies, LLC and affiliates, its site operator is Lockton, Inc., and certificates use Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC as a California DBA. 13,14,21Company-reportedCompany legal disclosures and company-issued certificates. Missouri charter number 00498854 appears in website terms as a company statement. Current secretary-of-state and producer-license status were not independently verified.

Verify Lockton’s current California producer authority before appointing it: certificates list license 0F15767 for Lockton Companies, LLC dba Lockton Insurance Brokers, LLC, but status, classes and expiration were not independently checked. 21,22Not found in reviewed sourcesCompany-issued certificate header versus CDI lookup homepage only. Not a finding that the license is inactive or that California product placement is unavailable.

Small businesses can buy Pie’s workers’ compensation directly or through agents; affiliated insurers underwrite workers’ comp, while outside insurers provide some other Pie products. 24,27,25,29,30,31,32Company-reportedCurrent public Pie brand and US small-business insurance services; this describes group roles, not a promise that every product is available to every applicant.

If parent-company ownership matters, Pie Group Holdings, Inc. owns the website and is regulator-listed parent of Pie Casualty; AM Best identifies the insurer group as Pie Insurance Group. 26,46,44VerifiedWebsite ownership and the parent shown for Pie Casualty Insurance Company; no claim about voting control or every intermediate subsidiary.

Pie Insurance Services, Inc. is the producer that sells and administers policies; verify its current license in your state because Pie’s own license page is not regulator confirmation. 27,47Company-reportedProducer identity and Pie-published US license list; Wisconsin’s regulator separately identifies this entity in a 2024 administrative action.

Coverage lines

Technology and private-equity buyers can ask about cyber, D&O, contract review and international programs; Lockton also lists casualty, property, fiduciary, benefits, E&O, crime, EPL, surety, key-person and transaction products. Actual forms, limits and eligibility require a quote. 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10Company-reportedDirect US product and industry pages accessed 16 September 2026. Technology errors and omissions is discussed in educational Lockton articles but was not added from those articles alone. Catalogue entries from the private-equity page are marketed in that industry context.

Pie currently markets workers’ comp, BOP, cyber, general liability and professional liability/E&O; product pages describe typical coverage, while the policy and endorsements determine your actual protection. 25,29,30,32,31,26Company-reportedPublic US Pie pages with an explicit quote or contact invitation; educational-only topics and components of a BOP were not counted as standalone offerings.

If you need new or renewed commercial auto, look elsewhere: Pie stopped accepting new submissions December 1, 2025 and says it will issue no new or renewal policies after January 1, 2026; existing terms remain in force through expiry. 36,42Company-reportedPie’s former commercial-auto offering and legacy policies; commercial auto is intentionally excluded from the current coverage catalogue.

Use your policy and endorsements to decide what is covered; Pie says website descriptions do not change policy terms and eligibility varies by applicant and location. 26Company-reportedWebsite descriptions and US products generally; the buyer’s issued policy and endorsements control.

Application process

You can start with a Lockton team inquiry or email its cyber and technology group; reviewed pages do not offer a self-service bind flow or guaranteed quote turnaround. 12,1,15,3,14Company-reportedUS contact, privacy, technology and cyber-technology pages. Form submission was not completed. Website terms state site content is general information, not broking advice.

Small businesses can start a workers’ compensation quote online or through an insurance agent; agencies use a separate partner portal. 24,23,25Company-reportedWorkers’ compensation access for small businesses and agencies; other product pages direct buyers to quote or contact flows but do not describe the same process.

Have your ZIP, payroll and class-code details ready for a Pie workers’ compensation quote; its online intake begins with ZIP code. 28,25Company-reportedUnauthenticated first step and Pie’s description of workers’ compensation quote inputs; no data was entered and the flow was not advanced.

Pie advertises a workers’ compensation quote in about three minutes, but this company estimate does not predict underwriting or binding time. 25,23Company-reportedWorkers’ compensation quote marketing; no timed independent quote test was performed.

Fees and compensation

Request all commissions and fees for your account: Lockton’s terms allow insurer commissions, client fees, contingent/supplemental compensation, insurer service fees, affiliate reinsurance income and finance interest, but publish no standard rates. 13Company-reportedCompensation Disclosure section of US Terms of Business. Amounts for a given account are not disclosed on the public site.

Workers’ comp buyers can choose annual, semiannual, quarterly, monthly or pay-as-you-go plans; pay-as-you-go follows reported payroll without a deposit, while monthly plans require 16.6% upfront and ten payments. 39,40Company-reportedPie’s current workers’ compensation payment pages; actual availability and policy-specific charges need confirmation in the quote.

Include Pie’s 3% card fee in your quote comparison for eligible new single-state workers’ comp policies, except in Florida, Nebraska, Maryland and Rhode Island; the page does not specify multi-state or renewal fees. 39Company-reportedCredit-card payments for new single-state workers’ compensation policies under the current payment-options page.

Ask the state-specific price before requesting a waiver of subrogation because Pie charges for each specific or blanket waiver but publishes no amount. 38Not publicly disclosedWorkers’ compensation waiver requests through Pie’s published service process.

Ask your agent what commission applies because Pie says partner agents earn commissions on workers’ comp policies, but current pages publish no standard rate. 43,27Not publicly disclosedAgency-distributed workers’ compensation and other third-party placements; expired promotional incentives were not treated as current standard compensation.

Claims assistance

Lockton says its integrated claims team helps investigate, map facts to coverage and negotiate with insurers, but Lockton does not pay claims; service descriptions do not establish claim outcomes or quality. 2,4,9,11,7,13Company-reportedCompany-reported advocacy and consulting. Lockton is not identified as the claims-paying insurer.

Report workplace injuries to Pie within 24 hours through its form, phone or email; Pie says a claims professional follows up and assesses coverage and benefits. 42Company-reportedPublished first-report process for Pie-serviced workers’ compensation claims; state notice rules and the issuing carrier’s policy still apply.

Ask who handles your state’s workers’ comp claim: Pie says it manages claims in 34 states and CorVel in five, a split not reconciled with its separate 40-state-plus-DC availability. 43,33,44Conflicting sourcesPublic allocation of workers’ compensation claim handling; the current handler for an individual policy should be taken from its state kit and claim instructions.

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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