Pie Insurance vs 
The Hartford Workers’ Compensation Insurance
The Hartford names specific industries it covers and a preferred medical network; Pie describes eligibility more generally for small businesses.
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. 1,2,3
What Is The Hartford?
The Hartford is the brand of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., whose subsidiaries underwrite property-and-casualty insurance and employee benefits. Small-business buyers can start online or by phone or work through independent agents, while the issuing company and state eligibility still have to be confirmed on a quote. 5,6,7
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. 9,10,11
Key Differences in Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Two Direct Underwriters, Described Differently
Pie underwrites this line itself, and names the specific entities behind it, with an AM Best rating independently affirmed for that carrier group. 4 The Hartford also underwrites its policy directly, but its reviewed page describes the policy's benefits rather than naming a specific rated entity. 8
Who Each Page Is Written For
The Hartford names specific industries it markets to:
The Hartford says coverage requirements vary by state, and in some states (monopolistic states) workers' compensation can only be bought through a state-run fund, not from a private insurer like The Hartford. Common industries it names include gyms, manufacturing, medical offices, restaurants and retailers. 8Company-reported. Workers' compensation product page as read 2026-09-23.
Pie's page instead describes eligibility more generally, saying the coverage is legally required in nearly all states with few exceptions and marketing broadly to small businesses rather than naming industries. 2
Medical Network vs. Administrative Services
The Hartford ties a Preferred Medical Provider Network, a prescription drug program and nurse case managers to its policy. 8 Pie's services are administrative instead: it can issue a certificate of insurance and runs a post-term premium audit comparing estimated to actual payroll. 2
What to Confirm in Workers’ Compensation Insurance Quotes
- Ask The Hartford whether your industry is one of the ones it names, or whether coverage extends the same way to yours. 8
- Ask Pie whether your payroll and class code were verified against the illustrative online quote, since a post-term premium audit compares estimates to actuals. 2
- Confirm whether your state is monopolistic; The Hartford's page notes the category exists without naming states, and Pie's page does not address it. 8
- Compare The Hartford's published average of $81 a month against Pie's advertised savings of up to 30%, using your own prior premium as the baseline. 8 2
Offering Details
Pie Insurance vs The Hartford Workers’ Compensation Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Pie Workers' Comp Insurance | The Hartford Workers' Compensation Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | 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. 2Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23; restates the provider record's verified insurer-route fact. | The Hartford's workers' compensation insurance gives employees medical, wage and other benefits after a work-related injury or illness; most states require this coverage if a business has employees. 8Company-reported. Workers' compensation product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | 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. 4Verified. 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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Who It’s For | Pie says workers' compensation is legally required in nearly all states for businesses with few exceptions, and markets its program to small businesses. 2Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23. | The Hartford says coverage requirements vary by state, and in some states (monopolistic states) workers' compensation can only be bought through a state-run fund, not from a private insurer like The Hartford. Common industries it names include gyms, manufacturing, medical offices, restaurants and retailers. 8Company-reported. Workers' compensation product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Coverage Features | 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. 2Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page as read on 2026-09-23; actual covered/excluded scenarios depend on the issued policy and state law. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Limits and Retentions | Not described in the reviewed sources. | The Hartford says customers with less than $300,000 in payroll pay an average of $81 a month, with some policies starting as low as $13 a month; the page does not publish standard coverage limits, since state law and payroll drive required benefit levels. 8Company-reported. Company-reported average as of 2026-09-23; not a specific quote. |
| Risk Services | 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. 2Company-reported. Workers' Comp product page FAQ as read on 2026-09-23. | The Hartford says policyholders get access to a Preferred Medical Provider Network of over 1 million providers, a prescription drug program covering more than 65,000 U.S. pharmacies (usually no out-of-pocket cost, plus mail order), a Needle Stick Reimbursement Program, and a Nursed Back to Health Program with nurse case managers coordinating care. 8Company-reported. Workers' compensation product page as read 2026-09-23. The Hartford offers pay-as-you-go billing based on actual payroll rather than an estimate, and a My Workers' Comp Connection portal where injured employees can check claim status, review payments, sign up for direct deposit, and get a medical services card. 8Company-reported. Workers' compensation product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| How to Apply | 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. 2Company-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. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More Pie Insurance vs The Hartford Comparisons
Other Workers’ Compensation Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Pie Insurance
- Legal. Pie Insurance; State Licenses; footer disclosure naming producer and workers’ compensation versus third-party underwriting roles. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
The Hartford
- Legal Notice. The Hartford; The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. holding-company description; no representation that all products are available in all locations; P&C writing-company table as of December 31, 2025 including Hartford Fire (NAIC 19682) and Hartford Underwriters (NAIC 30104); life writing companies including Hartford Life and Accident (NAIC 70815). Accessed 2026-09-16.
- SaaS Insurance for Your Business. The Hartford; Audience list (software startups, SaaS, IT consulting); Get a Business Owner’s Policy; What Is Business Owner’s Policy Insurance?; general liability introduction and Get a Quote; Get Commercial Property Insurance; Commercial Property Insurance for Your Business; Benefits of The Hartford’s WC Insurance for Employers and Employees; cyber insurance and data breach descriptions; Get a quote for cyber insurance; EPLI introduction and Private Choice Premier; add-ons (workers’ compensation, data breach, commercial auto); technology professional liability mention; small-business availability banner; industry-average premium footnote; footnote 2 state restrictions; footer product-availability disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Find a Local Insurance Agent. The Hartford; Small-business and midsize agent locators; FAQ that buyers can purchase without an agent by calling or quoting online; statement that agents may charge fees. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Workers' Compensation Insurance Plans. The Hartford; What Is Workers' Compensation Insurance?; How Much Is Workers' Compensation Insurance?; Who Needs Workers' Compensation Insurance?; The Advantages of Workers' Comp From The Hartford; Benefits of The Hartford's WC Insurance; Workers' Compensation Insurance in Monopolistic States. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance Guide
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
