Workers compensation rate filings in California (2026)
Every carrier writing workers compensation coverage in California files its rates and rating rules with the state's insurance regulator — the primary-source records behind every workers compensation quote in California. This page tracks the 55 active workers compensation filing(s) on record for California, filed by 18 distinct carrier(s).
Workers compensation rate filings in California are reviewed by the California Department of Insurance. The governing authority is California Insurance Code §1631 et seq. (licensing) · Labor Code §3700 (WC mandatory). You can confirm any California carrier or agent is licensed with the state's license-lookup tool. A workers compensation premium in California is built from each carrier's filed base rates and rating rules applied to your business's exposure — the classification of your operation and the rating basis for this line. Because every carrier files its own rates and loadings, two California businesses with the same profile can be quoted very different workers compensation premiums, which is exactly why comparing multiple carriers is the only reliable way to see where you land.
Carriers with workers compensation filings on record in California include AMERICAN ZURICH INSURANCE COMPANY, ASCOT INSURANCE COMPANY, AXA XL INSURANCE COMPANY AMERICAS, BENCHMARK INSURANCE COMPANY, CHURCH MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I., CLEAR SPRING CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, CONTINENTAL INSURANCE COMPANY (THE), CYPRESS INSURANCE COMPANY, EMPLOYERS MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY, GUIDEONE SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA (THE), MIDDLESEX INSURANCE COMPANY, and 6 more. Disclosed rate changes among these filings range from -6% to 14.7%. Where a base rate is filed, values run from $0.20 to $11.33 on the filed rating basis. The most-recent workers compensation filing we track for California is effective January 2026. Every row below cites its filing reference so the California regulator record can be verified.
Recent rate-filing activity — 8 state filings across 1 commercial line
Commercial carriers can't charge whatever they want — each state's Department of Insurance must approve loss-cost filings before they take effect. These are primary-source, government-held records available on SERFF Filing Access. Cited below: the most-recent active filings affecting commercial operations, each cited to the regulator or bureau filing it came from.
| Line | State | Overall change | Effective | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC | CA | 0% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #ZURC-134841206 |
| WC | CA | 0% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #GREY-135101615 |
| WC | CA | 0% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #GREY-135034751 |
| WC | CA | 0% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #XLAM-134942267 |
| WC | CA | 0% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #MRTN-135079087 |
| WC | CA | 6.6% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #MRTN-135039258 |
| WC | CA | 0% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #MRTN-135028689 |
| WC | CA | 14.7% overall rate change (filed) | Jan 1, 2026 | SERFF #CHMU-135015134 |
Source: SERFF Filing Access (filingaccess.serff.com) — the official public-records interface for state Department of Insurance filings. Loss-cost changes shown are the overall bureau-wide change in each state; the actual impact on your quote depends on your class code, payroll, experience modifier, and carrier-specific loss-cost multiplier (LCM). Get a quote for your exact numbers.
AMERICAN ZURICH INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-182 effective January 2026 (active). ASCOT INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1752-C effective January 2026 (active). ASCOT INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1374-C effective January 2026 (active). AXA XL INSURANCE COMPANY AMERICAS filed 26-710 effective January 2026 (active). BENCHMARK INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1673 effective January 2026 (active). BENCHMARK INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1389 effective January 2026 (active). BENCHMARK INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1394 effective January 2026 (active). CHURCH MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, S.I. filed 26-1367 effective January 2026 (active). CLEAR SPRING CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1350-A effective January 2026 (active). CONTINENTAL INSURANCE COMPANY (THE) filed 26-1249-B effective January 2026 (active). CONTINENTAL INSURANCE COMPANY (THE) filed 26-375-B effective January 2026 (active). CYPRESS INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1277-A effective January 2026 (active). EMPLOYERS MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY filed 26-633 effective January 2026 (active). EMPLOYERS MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY filed 26-1455 effective January 2026 (active). GUIDEONE SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1278-A effective January 2026 (active). INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA (THE) filed 26-1415-E effective January 2026 (active). MIDDLESEX INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1607-D effective January 2026 (active). NATIONWIDE PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1395-D effective January 2026 (active). PROTECTIVE INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-1452 effective January 2026 (active). SOMPO AMERICA INSURANCE COMPANY filed 26-383-A effective January 2026 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active). Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) filed REG-2025-00007 effective September 2025 (active).
Workers' Compensation covers medical bills and lost wages for California employees injured on the job, and is mandatory in California once a business has staff.
Across California, workers compensation carriers earned about $12.0B in premiums at a 41.5% loss ratio and a 16.5% underwriting profit (NAIC 2023). That market-level result comes from the NAIC Report on Profitability by Line by State — a primary-source view of how workers compensation actually performs in California, beyond any single carrier's filing.
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Key takeaways for California workers compensation
- California workers compensation rate filings are public, primary-source records — every figure here traces to a filing reference you can verify with the state regulator.
- Your actual California workers compensation premium depends on your classification, exposure basis, and each carrier's filed rates and loadings — the filings below are the starting point, not a single market price.
- Comparing quotes from multiple carriers is the only way to see how California workers compensation rates differ for your specific operation.
Get a real California workers compensation quote
Bureau loss-cost filings are the regulator-approved starting point — carrier premium depends on your class code, payroll, experience modifier, schedule credits/debits, and the carrier's loss-cost multiplier (LCM). Request a free California quote in under 90 seconds.
Get a free California quote → See what workers compensation insurance costs →Go deeper on workers compensation
- Workers' comp class codes & loss costs — hub
- Workers compensation loss ratios & profitability by state (NAIC)
- Deep data study: Workers compensation by state
- What workers compensation insurance costs
- All California rate filings (all lines)
- Rate filings by state — directory
- National Rate Change Tracker
- How insurance rates are set — methodology
Figures summarized here are drawn from public California Department of Insurance rate filings and, where shown, the NAIC Report on Profitability by Line by State — each traceable to its source. No proprietary rating-manual content is reproduced. See our full sourcing policy.