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Workers’ Compensation Insurance in South Carolina

South Carolina generally requires coverage when a business regularly employs four or more people in the state; the law also exempts employers with fewer than four workers or prior-year annual payroll below $3,000. Part-time workers and family members count under Commission guidance. 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.

South Carolina Requirements

RequirementDetails
Four-worker or payroll triggerPrivate employment generally falls within the Act at four or more regularly employed workers in the same business or establishment; fewer than four or prior-year payroll under $3,000 is exempt. 1,2

What to Watch for in South Carolina

  • Check Both the Headcount and Payroll Tests

    The statute excludes an employer with fewer than four regularly employed workers in the same South Carolina business or prior-calendar-year total payroll below $3,000. The Commission says part-time workers and family members count. Ask the broker to review both tests against actual payroll and staffing. 1,2

  • Agricultural Employees Are Excluded Unless Elected

    South Carolina’s statute excludes agricultural employees unless the agricultural employer voluntarily elects to be bound by the Act. If your company combines farming with nonfarm operations, ask how each worker’s actual job and any election affect the policy. 2

  • General-Contractor Status Is Fact-Specific

    The Commission says whether a general contractor must carry coverage is decided case by case. The statute can also make an owner or contractor liable for subcontractor workers in covered work; verify each subcontractor’s status and do not treat the four-worker threshold as the only project exposure. 1,2

  • Self-Insurance Needs Proof and Security

    An employer accepting the Act must insure with an authorized insurer or show the Commission financial ability to pay directly; self-insurers must provide acceptable security, indemnity, or bond. Similar employers may pool liabilities only with Commission permission. 3

Who Regulates Insurance in South Carolina

South Carolina Department of Insurance

The South Carolina Department of Insurance licenses and regulates insurance companies and producers and accepts complaints involving entities it licenses and policies incepted in South Carolina. Its consumer page links to the online complaint form and explains limits on the Department’s authority. 4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 6% blended broker premium tax: 4% state plus 2% municipal SCDOI’s January 2026 instructions set a 6% blended surplus-lines broker premium tax: 4% state and 2% municipal; the Department collects both and the Municipal Association of South Carolina allocates the municipal share. The filing system also asks brokers to identify one to three insurers that declined the indicated coverage; check the policy notice for any guaranty-association disclosure. 7,8

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 South Carolina. 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. 11
  • 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. 13
  • 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. 12
  • 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. 14
  • 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. 15

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in South Carolina

  1. Do our part-time and family workers bring the business to four, and was prior-year payroll at least $3,000?
  2. Which employees perform agricultural work, and has the employer elected to cover them?
  3. What written coverage evidence do we have for subcontractors, and has the Commission addressed our contractor status?

Workers’ Compensation in South Carolina: FAQ

How many employees trigger workers’ compensation in South Carolina? 1,2

Generally four or more regularly employed workers in the same business or establishment. Employers with fewer than four workers or under $3,000 prior-year payroll are excluded; part-time and family employees count under Commission guidance. 1,2

Are farm workers covered by South Carolina workers’ compensation? 2

Agricultural employees are excluded unless the agricultural employer voluntarily elects to be bound by the Act. 2

Workers’ Compensation in Other States

Other Coverage in South Carolina

Sources

  1. Employer FAQs. South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission; Do I need workers’ compensation insurance?; exemptions; general contractors. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. South Carolina Code, Title 42, Chapter 1: Workers’ Compensation. South Carolina Legislature; §§42-1-130, 42-1-150, 42-1-360; regularly employed threshold and exclusions. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. South Carolina Code, Title 42, Chapter 5: Insurance and Self-Insurance. South Carolina Legislature; §42-5-20(A), (B); authorized insurer, financial proof/security, group self-insurance; amended 2019 Act No. 5 effective July 1, 2019. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. south-carolina insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; Official home and consumer services pages describe regulator scope. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. SCDOI Online Services. State insurance regulator; General Public offers Licensee Lookup for licensed individuals and insurers. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. SCDOI Consumer Services. State insurance regulator; Complaint process and stated authority covers licensed entities and policies incepted in SC; online complaint form is linked. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. 2026 Surplus Lines Filing Instructions. South Carolina Department of Insurance; Pages 1–2, January 26 2026 memo: 6% blended rate, 4% state plus 2% municipal; DOI collects both and MASC allocates municipal portion. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. 2026 Surplus Lines Filing Instructions. South Carolina Department of Insurance; Pages 1–2, Jan. 26, 2026 instructions: broker filing due-diligence field requires one to three named insurers declining the indicated coverage. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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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