Marsh vs Pie Insurance

Compare Pie’s workers’ compensation program with Marsh’s casualty brokerage, including payroll reporting, audits and claims responsibilities.

Introduction

Pie offers workers’ compensation to small businesses directly and through agents, using affiliated insurers. Marsh’s MMA subsidiary provides workers’ compensation within its casualty brokerage. A growing employer can compare the proposed coverage while separately deciding who will handle payroll reporting, audit preparation and claims coordination during the year. 35 37 27

Where Each Provider Shines

Where Marsh Shines

  • Marsh brokers insurance and advises on risk for companies across industries, with a Technology Practice and a US/Canada middle-market path through Marsh McLennan Agency. 1,3,18,20
  • Marsh places cyber insurance through a dedicated practice and markets large digital-infrastructure property placements through Stratus, alongside MMA executive, property, casualty and benefits brokerage. 8,24,4,5,3

Where Pie Insurance Shines

  • Small businesses can start a workers’ compensation quote directly online or through an insurance agent. 34,33,35
  • Workers’ compensation payment options include pay-as-you-go using reported payroll, with no initial deposit. 49,50

Coverage Comparison

Coverage TypeMarshPie Insurance
Builders riskListed 26Not listed
Business owner’s policyNot listedListed 39
Commercial propertyListed 26,4,5Not listed
CrimeListed 25Not listed
Cyber liabilityListed 8,24Listed 40
Directors and officersListed 11,25Not listed
Employee health and benefitsListed 29,22,18Not listed
Employment practices liabilityListed 12,25Not listed
Equipment breakdownListed 4Not listed
Fidelity bondsListed 25Not listed
Fiduciary liabilityListed 25Not listed
General liabilityListed 4Listed 42
Intellectual propertyListed 25Not listed
Kidnap and ransomListed 25Not listed
Management liabilityListed 25,14Not listed
Media liabilityListed 25Not listed
Professional liability / E&OListed 13,25Listed 41
Surety bondsListed 4,28Not listed
Technology errors and omissionsListed 4,13Not listed
Workers’ compensationListed 27Listed 35

Listed products and programs, including policies arranged through insurers or partners. Optional endorsements are discussed in the analysis below. “Not listed” means no separate offering appears in the reviewed catalogue; confirm availability and policy terms with the provider.

Key Differences Between Marsh and Pie Insurance

Payroll Billing Does Not Eliminate the Audit

Pie describes several payment plans, including pay-as-you-go based on reported payroll, and requires an annual premium audit. The final premium can therefore differ from the initial estimate. MMA’s casualty engagement can include program and risk-management services, but its scope must be agreed. Ask who collects employee classifications, subcontractor records and payroll updates rather than assuming the payment method completes that work. 50 51 27

Other Lines May Use a Different Insurer

Pie’s BOP, general and professional liability offerings use unaffiliated insurers, and its cyber page describes carrier partners. Their terms and service routes should not be inferred from Pie’s workers’ compensation program. Marsh likewise needs to identify each proposed market. If the employer wants one coordinated program, ask who will manage the separate renewals and where the policies depend on different insurers or administrators. 37 40 23

Claims Reporting and Advocacy Are Different Responsibilities

Pie publishes workplace-injury reporting channels and identifies different claims-handling arrangements by state. Marsh describes acting between the business, insurer and third-party administrator to prepare and negotiate claims. Ask which party receives notice, decides coverage and assists the employer. These descriptions show different roles; they do not establish comparative claims quality or a guaranteed outcome. 52 53 10

What to Confirm in Quotes

Request California and other-state acceptance for the actual class codes, the issuing insurer, claims administrator and audit instructions. Pie’s published state totals differ, so use the current proposal rather than a national count. Include waiver, payment and brokerage charges in the annual cost comparison. 43 45 48 49 18

Service Comparison

Marsh vs Pie Insurance: documented services and availability

CriteriaMarshPie Insurance
Business role

Marsh’s US compensation guide states that, as an insurance broker, Marsh’s role is to facilitate placement of insurance coverage on behalf of clients. The transparency page describes determining appropriate insurers and negotiating with those insurers. Marsh is not identified in these sources as the insurer that issues or pays the policy. 18,17,2

Current Marsh materials use more than one US legal name. The compensation guide (copyright 2024, Marsh LLC) refers to Marsh LLC and Marsh USA LLC entering client agreements. The transparency page instead names Marsh LLC and Marsh USA Inc. Marsh McLennan Agency is described as a wholly owned Marsh subsidiary. A 2006 California decision caption used MARSH USA, INC., dba MARSH RISK AND INSURANCE SERVICES, license 0437153. Confirm the exact contracting producer on the proposal and license documents; current California license status remains unverified. 18,17,19,20,1,31

Pie Insurance is a small-business commercial insurance group whose producer, Pie Insurance Services, sells and administers policies. Its affiliated carriers write workers’ compensation, while selected other products are offered through outside carrier partners. 34,37,35,39,40,41,42

Pie Group Holdings, Inc. owns the public website and is the regulator-listed parent of Pie Casualty Insurance Company. AM Best identifies the rated carrier group as Pie Insurance Group. 36,56,54

Pie identifies Pie Insurance Services, Inc. as the licensed producer that sells and administers policies; its legal page publishes state licenses but is not a substitute for a current regulator lookup in the buyer’s state. 37,57

Coverage lines

Marsh’s Cyber Insurance practice markets brokerage of cyber policies and related analytics products. Marsh McLennan Agency’s cyber page lists solution areas such as cybercrime, extortion and ransomware, media liability, network interruption and privacy regulatory defense costs. The Technology Practice’s data-center service describes programs that can include property damage, equipment breakdown, business interruption, cyber, general liability and surety for power and interconnection obligations. Stratus is marketed as an operational property exchange for digital infrastructure with potential access to up to $10 billion of property capacity on a single placement; at launch it is focused on property, with inland marine, cyber and casualty described as possible later lines. These are marketed capabilities, not a standard startup package or guaranteed limits. 8,24,4,5,3

Marsh’s Directors and Officers page offers D&O program design for public, private and non-profit companies. Its Employment Practices page offers EPLI, including endorsements described for firms with more than 4,000 employees and for midsize firms with 250 to 4,000 employees. Its Professional Liability page offers E&O risk-transfer design, including for technology businesses. MMA’s executive and professional liability practice lists D&O, E&O, EPL, commercial crime/fidelity, cyber, fiduciary, media, intellectual property and kidnap-and-ransom among policies it places. Endorsement headcount bands and product labels do not establish that a particular Bay Area company qualifies or that wording is equivalent across insurers. 11,12,13,25,14

MMA’s business-insurance hub links casualty, property, surety, cyber, executive and professional liability, international placements, captives and small-business programs. Its property page covers commercial property and builders’ risk. Its casualty page includes workers’ compensation. MMA and Marsh sites also market employee health and benefits consulting and placement. MMA’s compensation-guide landing page exists for 2026 but the PDF body was not fully extracted here. 23,26,27,28,29,18

Current direct offering pages support workers’ compensation, business owner’s policy, cyber, general liability and professional liability/E&O. The non-workers’ compensation pages describe typical protection; the issued policy and endorsements determine actual coverage. 35,39,40,42,41,36

Pie says it stopped accepting commercial-auto submissions on December 1, 2025 and will issue no new or renewal commercial-auto policies on or after January 1, 2026. Existing policyholders retain coverage through their policy term and can still use Pie’s claim channels. 46,52

Pie’s terms say website coverage descriptions are not part of an insurance contract and do not change a policy or endorsement; eligibility and product availability can vary by geography and applicant. 36

Application process

The public Marsh path to speak with a broker is an inquiry, not an online bind. Contact pages ask you to choose an inquiry type, including a sales or RFP route. The business-inquiry page says to complete a form and that a representative will respond within 48 hours; it points existing-policy certificate, billing and policy questions elsewhere. The inquiry page does not display premiums or bind coverage. The 48-hour response time is a company statement, not a binding or service guarantee. 15,16,21

Marsh describes a broker-led placement: identifying insurers for the risk, negotiating coverage and price, and, in core US broking segments, disclosing quotes and premium indications received. It may share incumbent or competing insurer names, pricing objectives, expiring terms, or give an insurer a last look when it believes that is in the client’s interest or the client instructs it. Those market practices are disclosure statements, not a guaranteed outcome or turnaround. 18,17

A small business can start a workers’ compensation quote on Pie’s website or work through an insurance agent; appointed agencies use a separate partner portal. 34,33,35

The live direct quote starts with the business ZIP code. Pie’s workers’ compensation page says applicants also need their name, business name, annual payroll and class-code information. 38,35

Pie advertises an online workers’ compensation quote in about three minutes, while expressly stating that individual quote times vary. This is a company claim and does not establish how long underwriting or binding will take for a particular risk. 35,33

Access to insurers

Marsh and MMA describe access to multiple insurers rather than a single issuing carrier for all business. MMA says it works with a wide variety of carriers. Stratus is a prior-submit exchange in which participating insurers evaluate each risk individually; the page does not name those insurers. Marsh’s compensation and transparency pages say Marsh or affiliates may receive insurer consulting compensation and may own equity interests in certain insurers or reinsurers, with a list on the transparency site. Victor, an affiliated MGU and wholesale broker, is described as accessing markets retail Marsh US cannot offer directly; that path is documented for some programs and is not assumed for every placement. Ask for the issuing insurer, surplus-lines status and proposed forms on the quote. 23,5,17,18,19

Pie says workers’ compensation is underwritten by The Pie Insurance Company (NAIC 21857) and affiliates. AM Best says Pie began writing all of that business through The Pie Insurance Company and Pie Casualty Insurance Company (NAIC 10997) on January 1, 2024. 37,54,55,56

AM Best affirmed Pie Casualty Insurance Company’s pooled A- (Excellent) financial strength rating with a Stable outlook, effective April 24, 2026. A rating is an opinion of insurer financial strength, not a guarantee that a claim is covered or paid. 54

Pie says business owner’s, general liability and professional liability policies are underwritten by unaffiliated third-party insurers, and its cyber page refers to carrier partners. The reviewed public pages do not name the currently participating insurers for these products. 37,39,40,41,42

Claims assistance

Marsh’s Claims Management service describes acting as an advisor among the business, insurer and third-party administrator: preparing, presenting and negotiating claims. Its cyber claims-advocacy page says specialists review claims, support litigation management, develop proof of loss with forensic accountants and advocate with insurers. MMA similarly describes claims advocacy as a carrier liaison on cyber matters and as part of property and casualty service. These are descriptions of assistance. They do not establish that Marsh pays claims, that a claim will be covered, or that recovery amounts cited in marketing were independently checked. 10,9,24,27

Pie asks policyholders to report a workplace injury within 24 hours through its online form, 24/7 phone line or email. After intake, it says a claims professional follows up, determines whether the policy covers the claim and explains applicable benefits if accepted. 52

Pie’s agency FAQ says Pie manages workers’ compensation claims in 34 states and CorVel handles Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon. That 39-state split is not reconciled with the separately advertised 40-state-plus-D.C. footprint. 53,43,54

Sources

Marsh Official Website

  1. Marsh | Leader in risk, strategy, people, and investments. Marsh; Hero and capability tiles; FAQ: What does Marsh do?; industries served; Is Marsh the same as Marsh McLennan? January 2026 brand change. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Marsh Risk | Global Leader in Insurance Broking and Risk Management. Marsh; Opening advice, analytics and insurance positioning; Our services: consulting, brokerage and claims advocacy; Talk to us sales/RFP inquiry. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Technology | Insurance Broking & Risk Management. Marsh; Opening Technology Practice description; listed practice links including data center insurance, fintech, Stratus; Talk to us contact CTA. FAQ coverage questions treated as educational, not catalogue proof.. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Data center insurance and risk management. Marsh; Closing the gaps in conventional coverage (property, casualty, technology E&O); surety for PPA and interconnection; FAQ typical covers: property damage, equipment breakdown, business interruption, cyber, general liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  5. Stratus. Marsh; Operational property insurance exchange for digital infrastructure; up to $10 billion single-placement capacity; prior-submit exchange; Nimbus construction-phase counterpart; launch focused on property. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  6. Fintech Industry Insurance. Marsh; Practice positioning for fintech insurance advice; UK-centric client examples; contact CTA. No line-by-line US product schedule.. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  7. Cyber Risk. Marsh; Practice overview; expertise links including Cyber Insurance and Claims and Incident Management; ransomware FAQ describing possible policy parts, not a guarantee. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  8. Cyber Insurance. Marsh; Opening brokerage positioning; products list including Cyber Pathway, Cyber Accelerate, Claims Advocacy, CyberPort. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  9. Claims Advocacy. Marsh; Cyber claims specialists advocating with insurers; review claims, litigation management, proof of loss with forensic accountants. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  10. Claims Management. Marsh; Claims management as advisor between business, insurer and TPA; listed claim types including property, cyber, worker injury, directors liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  11. Directors and Officers Liability (D&O). Marsh; Opening D&O placement for public, private and non-profit companies; US D&O Product Leader listed. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  12. Employment Practices Liability. Marsh; What we offer: EPLI placement; Global Leaders Endorsement (>4,000 employees) and Leaders Preferred Endorsement (250–4,000 employees). Accessed 2026-09-16.
  13. Professional liability. Marsh; What We Offer: design risk-transfer solutions; specialist industries including technology. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  14. Financial & Professional Liability. Marsh; Practice introduction for executive insurance advisory; FAQ distinguishing management liability, D&O and EPL (educational context for the practice page). Accessed 2026-09-16.
  15. Contact us inquiries. Marsh; Please select your type of inquiry; sales/RFP card; JSON-LD legalName Marsh LLC; link to business-form.html. Inspected 16 September 2026; no form submitted.. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  16. Business inquiries. Marsh; Please complete this form and a Marsh representative will respond within 48 hours; sales/RFP inquiry; separate path noted for certificates, policies and billing. Embedded form iframe not fully field-mapped; no submission.. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  17. Leading the Way in Transparency. Marsh; Placement process; Marsh LLC and Marsh USA Inc. client agreements; Compensation Guide for US Clients; MarketConnect/Market Match insurer consulting; equity-interest disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  18. Compensation guide for US clients. Marsh; US broking segments; broker role; retail commissions, client fees, wholesale, insurer consulting, contingent and supplemental commissions; Marsh LLC and Marsh USA LLC; Copyright © 2024, Marsh LLC. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  19. Licensing. Marsh Affinity; Marsh USA LLC producer license table as of 03/08/2024, including CA 437153; Amazon program administrator role and Victor wholesale/MGA language are program-specific and not treated as the default Marsh retail role. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  20. Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA). Marsh; Middle-market US organizations; wholly-owned subsidiary; business insurance, employee health and benefits, retirement, private client. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  21. Marsh McLennan Agency | USA Insurance Leaders. Marsh McLennan Agency; Specialists in insurance, employee benefits and retirement; Contact Us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  22. Who We Are | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Business of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH); business insurance, employee health & benefits, retirement & wealth, and private client solutions across the US and Canada. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  23. Business Insurance. Marsh McLennan Agency; Client-focused solutions including casualty, cyber, executive & professional liability, property, surety, small business, international; works with a wide variety of carriers. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  24. Cyber Insurance | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Placement plus claims advocacy as carrier liaison; listed solution areas including cybercrime, ransomware, media liability, privacy regulatory defense. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  25. Expert Executive and Professional Liability Insurance | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Policies include D&O, E&O, EPL, commercial crime/fidelity, cyber, fiduciary, media, IP, and kidnap and ransom; coverage subsections for D&O, EPL and cyber. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  26. Property Insurance | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Commercial property; flood, windstorm, wildfire, earthquake options; builders’ risk; claims advocacy; captives and parametric options. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  27. Comprehensive Casualty Cover | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Casualty program design; Claims Management; Workers’ Compensation subsection describing WC as coverage for on-the-job injury. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  28. Surety Bonds to Mitigate Company Risk | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Opening: we provide surety bonds; national market representation. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  29. Employee Health & Benefits Group Insurance | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Employee benefits consulting positioning; implementation of employee benefits solutions. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  30. Complete 2026 Agency Compensation Guide | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Landing page for 2026 MMA Compensation Guide download and premium-finance disclosure; PDF body not fully extracted (download redirected). Compensation types for MMA therefore rest primarily on the Marsh US guide’s MMA statements.. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  31. MARSH USA INC. California Department of Insurance; 9 March 2006 precedential decision caption: MARSH USA, INC., dba MARSH RISK AND INSURANCE SERVICES (license #0437153). Historical enforcement caption, not a 2026 license-status verification.. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  32. License Number Search. California Department of Insurance; Public search interface retrieved 16 September 2026; no authenticated license-detail record for 437153 was returned in this research (no captcha completion). No current status conclusion drawn.. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Pie Insurance Official Website

  1. Pie Insurance. Pie Insurance; Homepage: small-business audience; direct workers’ compensation quote; online account; footer entity, insurer and availability qualifications. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  2. About Pie Insurance. Pie Insurance; About Pie; direct and agency distribution; footer legal disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  3. Workers’ Comp Insurance For Small Businesses. Pie Insurance; Quote inputs; coverage description; company-reported quote-time and savings qualifications; AM Best link. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  4. Terms Of Use. Pie Insurance; Updated 26 April 2022; Ownership and Agreement to Terms; geographic and product eligibility; policy controls coverage. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  5. Pie Insurance — Quote. Pie Insurance; Live unauthenticated first step: Business ZIP Code; inspected without entering data or advancing. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  6. Business Owner’s Policy. Pie Insurance; BOP definition; typical components; invitation to start a BOP quote; footer third-party insurer qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  7. Cyber Insurance For Small Businesses. Pie Insurance; First- and third-party descriptions; carrier-partner quote invitation; policy-variation qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  8. Errors And Omissions Insurance. Pie Insurance; E&O and professional-liability equivalence; typical claims; carrier-partner placement statement; footer third-party insurer qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  9. General Liability Insurance. Pie Insurance; Typical covered categories; carrier-partner quote invitation; footer third-party insurer qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  10. Workers’ Comp Coverage By State. Pie Insurance; Headline says 40 states and the District of Columbia; rendered state selector listed 39 state names and omitted New York and D.C.. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  11. Agency Document Library. Pie Insurance; Workers’ Comp State Documents: 40 named states plus Washington, D.C.. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  12. Pie Insurance Reports Strong 2025. Pie Insurance; 13 January 2026 release; Key 2025 Milestones says 39 states plus Washington, D.C.; company and distribution description. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  13. Commercial Auto Claim FAQs. Pie Insurance; Does Pie offer commercial auto insurance?; submission cutoff 1 December 2025; no new or renewal policies on or after 1 January 2026; legacy claim guidance. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  14. 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.
  15. Workers’ Comp FAQs. Pie Insurance; Certificates; waiver request timing and state-dependent charge; billing and payments; renewal timing; annual audit; claims. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  16. Payment Options. Pie Insurance; Annual, semi-annual, quarterly, monthly and pay-as-you-go schedules; payment methods; 3% card fee and state exceptions. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  17. Pay-As-You-Go With Pie Insurance. Pie Insurance; No initial deposit; actual-payroll monthly premium; automatic deductions; payroll-provider coordination. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  18. Your Workers’ Comp Premium Audit. Pie Insurance; Required annual audit; estimated versus actual payroll; audit partner; requested payroll, employee, cash-expense and subcontractor certificate records. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  19. File Your Claim Within 24 Hours. Pie Insurance; Workers’ compensation reporting by online form, 24/7 phone or email; information requested; post-report coverage determination. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  20. Partner FAQ. Pie Insurance; Workers’ compensation claim handling in 34 states; CorVel handling in Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon; producer commissions on earned premium. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  21. AM Best Rating Disclosure Report — Pie Casualty Insurance Company. AM Best Rating Services, Inc.; Page 1: A- (Excellent), Stable, affirmed 24 April 2026; page 14: rating unit, group insurer acquisitions, 100% workers’ compensation writing through PCIC and TPIC from 1 January 2024, 40 states and D.C.. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  22. The Pie Insurance Company — Company Details. Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance; Company name; active license status; NAIC 21857; property-and-casualty authority; 2025 workers’ compensation market data. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  23. Pie Casualty Insurance Company — Entity Details. Illinois Department of Insurance; Legal name; P&C Domestic Stock; active status; NAIC 10997; Pie Group Holdings, Inc. parent. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  24. Administrative Actions — January 2024. Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance; Allegations and Actions Against Companies: Pie Insurance Services, Inc. agreed to add a disclaimer to its “save up to 30%” advertising claim after misleading-advertising allegations. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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