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Workers’ Compensation Insurance in Oregon

Oregon generally requires coverage once you employ a subject worker; the state says an employer has one or more workers and nearly all employers must carry coverage. Workers are subject unless a statutory exemption applies. 1,2

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Workers’ compensation can pay medical care and part of an employee’s lost wages after a work-related injury or illness. If you have staff, check who is covered in each state; owners, contractors and some workers may be treated differently. Read the national Workers’ compensation guide.

Oregon Requirements

RequirementDetails
Subject worker coverageEmployers with Oregon subject workers must maintain assurance through a carrier-insured or certified self-insured route; no minimum headcount trigger applies. 1,2

What to Watch for in Oregon

  • Worker Status Depends on Oregon Law

    Oregon’s regulator says a worker is someone paid to work who is not an independent contractor, and its statute separately lists subject-worker exemptions. Review actual work arrangements and any claimed ORS 656.027 exemption before leaving a worker off the policy. 1,2

  • Construction Hiring Can Create a Separate Duty

    ORS 656.029 addresses a person hiring a contractor who employs subject workers in work that is a normal and customary part of the hirer’s business. Ask how the contract and work fit that section and obtain evidence of the contractor’s coverage. 2

  • Self-Insurance Requires Certification

    An employer or employer group must apply to Oregon DCBS and receive director certification to self-insure; claims must be processed promptly and completely by certified in-house examiners or an approved service company. Ask whether the proposed arrangement is certified and who administers claims. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in Oregon

Oregon Division of Financial Regulation

DFR handles complaints about most insurance lines and provides Oregon license checks for agents, agencies, and insurers. You can use its consumer complaint form if an insurer or agent is not following Oregon law or rules. 4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 2% of Oregon-home-state gross premiums, plus 0.3% on premium or fees for fire marshal For Oregon-home-state risks, the surplus-lines licensee must collect a 2% tax on gross premiums and a 0.3% fire-marshal tax on premium or fees, in addition to the premium. Oregon requires the policy to warn that losses will not be paid by the state guaranty fund; the exempt-commercial-purchaser search exception requires admitted-market disclosure and a written request. 7,8,9,10

Surplus Line Association of Oregon

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Workers’ compensation; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Oregon. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 13
  • ERGO NEXT InsuranceNext First Insurance Agency, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28ERGO NEXT’s current license table lists Next First Insurance Agency, Inc. in 50 jurisdictions, including Washington, DC; New York is excluded because its table rows name Next Insurance Services and AP Intego, not Next First. The table is company-reported; it does not establish product availability or provide state-regulator verification for each entry. 15
  • HiscoxHiscox Insurance Company Inc.Insurer · checked 2026-09-28Hiscox’s U.S. company information states that Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is company-reported insurer authority for this entity and does not establish which company issues every Hiscox-branded product. 14
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 16
  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 17

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Oregon

  1. Which workers are subject workers under Oregon law, and what specific exemption supports any exclusion?
  2. Does ORS 656.029 make us responsible for a contractor’s workers on this project?
  3. If we propose self-insurance, who holds Oregon certification and administers claims?

Workers’ Compensation in Oregon: FAQ

Does Oregon require workers’ compensation for one employee? 1,2

Yes, if that person is a subject worker. Oregon says employers with one or more workers generally need coverage, while statutory exemptions can exclude particular workers. 1,2

Are independent contractors covered in Oregon? 1,2

Oregon says employers do not have to cover independent contractors, but worker status and statutory subject-worker exemptions must be assessed under Oregon law. A contract label alone is not the cited test. 1,2

Workers’ Compensation in Other States

Other Coverage in Oregon

Sources

  1. Workers’ compensation insurance overview. Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division; Who needs coverage?; Am I an employer?; Is my worker a subject worker? Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 656: Workers’ Compensation. Oregon Legislative Assembly; ORS 656.017, 656.023, 656.027, 656.029, 656.407; 2025 Edition, with 2026 amendments table. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Overview of self-insurance. Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division; Self-insurance certification and claims administration. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. oregon insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; DFR homepage identifies consumer, licensing, and complaint services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. DFR Check a License. State insurance regulator; Insurance industry section links Oregon agent, agency, and company license-status search in NAIC SBS. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. DFR File a Complaint. State insurance regulator; Online insurance complaint form; DFR says it can review whether a company or agent follows Oregon law and rules. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Oregon Revised Statutes §735.470. Oregon Legislature; Subsections (1)(a)–(c), (4): 2% on Oregon-home-state gross premiums plus 0.3% of premium or fees for fire marshal; licensee collects taxes in addition to premium. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Oregon Revised Statutes §§735.405, 735.410, 735.470. Oregon Legislature; ORS 735.470(1)(a) taxes Oregon-home-state risks; ORS 735.418 authorizes interstate allocation procedures. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Surplus Lines Insurance. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation; Page states surplus-lines insurance through a nonlicensed insurer is not protected by the Oregon Insurance Guaranty Association. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Oregon Revised Statutes §§735.405, 735.410 and 735.415. Oregon Legislature; 2025 Edition online text: §§735.405(6), 735.410(1)–(2), 735.415(1)(b)–(2); current chapter text includes the ECP definition, diligence rule, disclosure/written-request exception, and policy warning against guaranty fund coverage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  12. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  13. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  15. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  17. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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