Oklahoma Workers' Comp Rate Calculator

Workers' comp in Oklahoma: what's different

Oklahoma has two regulators with separate jobs. The three-member Workers' Compensation Commission carries out the Administrative Workers' Compensation Act (Title 85A), which governs injuries on or after February 1, 2014. The Insurance Department approves the advisory loss costs that NCCI files for the state. CompSource Oklahoma's successor, CompSource Mutual Insurance Company, is described in state law as a private, domestic mutual insurer regulated by the Insurance Department.

Who must carry coverage

Title 85A tells "every employer" to secure compensation for its employees, and we found no headcount minimum in it. A worker is covered if the contract of hire was made in Oklahoma or the injury happened here.

The definition of "employee" leaves out several groups:

• Owners. Sole proprietors, partners, franchisees, LLC members owning at least 10% of the capital, and stockholder-employees holding 10% or more of the stock are excluded unless they elect coverage.
• Small family businesses. An employer with five or fewer employees, all related to the owner within the second degree by blood or marriage or living in the owner's household as dependents, is outside the Act.
• Farms and ranches. Farm workers who do not run motorized machines are excluded, as are those of an employer whose prior-year farm payroll fell under a set limit. SB 1076 (2025) raised that limit from $100,000 to $150,000, but the official statute file also prints a second 2025 version of the definition, from SB 95, that still reads $100,000. Ask the Commission which figure applies to you.
• Household help. Domestic and casual household workers are excluded when the household paid less than $50,000 in such wages the year before.
• Others. Commissioned real estate agents, tax-exempt youth sports league staff, most unpaid volunteers, owner-operator truckers who drive their own rig, and casual workers outside your normal business are excluded.

An exempt employer can opt in by posting a notice and filing a copy with the Commission at least 30 days before any injury.

Contractors. A prime contractor is liable for an uninsured subcontractor's employees unless an insured intermediate sub sits between them. A business not required to carry coverage can file an Affidavit of Exempt Status ($50 plus a $1 online fee; it expires after two years). While it is in force, the sub is presumed not to be the prime contractor's employee.

Where coverage comes from

Section 38 of Title 85A lists the routes. You can buy a policy from any insurer authorized to write workers' comp in Oklahoma, or prove to the Commission that you can pay claims yourself. Self-insurers either post security, such as a bond or letter of credit, worth at least their average yearly claims over the last three years, or show excess coverage. Two or more employers with a common interest can pool their liabilities in a group self-insurance association, each member accepting joint and several liability. The Commission publishes lists of own-risk employers and group associations.

Buying a policy does not move the primary obligation to pay off the employer.

Who sets rates

NCCI, a licensed advisory organization, makes recommended loss cost filings for Oklahoma insurers. State law has the rating organization file advisory prospective loss costs for the Insurance Commissioner's approval, while each insurer files its own expense and profit factors. A loss cost excludes expenses (other than loss adjustment expense) and profit. The Department publishes each insurer's filed loss cost multiplier (LCM).

The last approval announcement we found from the Department was a 9.2% decrease in loss costs for new and renewing policies effective January 1, 2025. On September 18, 2025, NCCI filed for a 4.7% decrease effective January 1, 2026, and its next summary refers to that as "the filing effective January 1, 2026." We did not find a Department release on the 2026 approval.

On September 24, 2026, NCCI filed for a 4.8% cut to voluntary loss costs and assigned risk rates, effective January 1, 2027. We found no approval order as of October 17, 2026. The filing includes a 2.0% increase for the Commission's medical fee schedule that took effect July 1, 2026.

Experience rating

The Insurance Department's workers' comp pages link to NCCI's FAQ on its Experience Rating Plan. The plan splits each loss at a set dollar point: the primary part, which tracks claim frequency, counts in full, and the excess part gets partial weight. We did not find an official Oklahoma page listing the premium needed to qualify for a mod.

If no insurer will write you

A 2022 law requires the Insurance Commissioner to run an assigned risk plan for employers shut out of the voluntary market. To qualify, you need declinations from at least two unaffiliated insurers and proof that they will not cover you at any premium reasonably related to your risk. Every private carrier must take part as a condition of doing business in Oklahoma. The Department designated NCCI to develop and administer the plan starting November 1, 2022, and the residual market had to move from CompSource Mutual to the Department's plan no later than June 1, 2024.

Penalties for going uninsured

• Criminal. Failing to secure coverage is a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $10,000 on conviction.
• Civil. The Commission serves a proposed judgment and can fine up to $1,000 for each day of violation, capped at $50,000 for a first violation. You have 20 days to request a hearing, or the judgment becomes final.
• Shutdown and collection. After a final judgment, the Commission can ask a district court to bar you from employing anyone until you comply, and it can garnish income, file liens, or intercept a tax refund.
• False self-insurance data. Knowingly giving the Commission false information to get or keep a self-insurance permit is a Class D3 felony with a fine of up to $10,000.

Your ongoing obligations

• Post CC-Form 1A. The Commission's notice to employers and employees must be posted in a conspicuous place. It must show your carrier's name and address and the policy expiration date.
• Report injuries within 10 days. Send the Commission a report within 10 days after notice or knowledge of an injury or death. CC-Form 1A says this applies to injuries causing lost time beyond the shift or medical care away from the work site, and the report goes through Electronic Data Interchange. Refusing to report after notice carries a $500 civil penalty each time.
• Do not charge workers for coverage. Deducting any part of the premium from an employee's pay is a misdemeanor.
• Proof of coverage. Your insurer must file a policy notice with the Commission within 30 days of the effective date. The Commission's website links to an employer coverage lookup.

Worked example: how the calculator estimates premium

Premium = (payroll / 100) x rate per $100 x experience mod

We could not find a class 5551 (roofing) loss cost on an official Oklahoma site, so every number below is illustrative. The LCM of 1.65 sits near the middle of the weighted multipliers on the Insurance Department's October 2026 list.

• Annual payroll: $300,000 (hypothetical)
• Loss cost, class 5551: $6.00 per $100 (illustrative, not a filed figure)
• LCM: 1.65 (illustrative)
• Experience mod: 0.92 (hypothetical)

Step by step

1. Rate: $6.00 x 1.65 = $9.90 per $100 of payroll
2. Payroll in hundreds: $300,000 / 100 = 3,000
3. Manual premium: 3,000 x $9.90 = $29,700
4. Apply the mod: $29,700 x 0.92 = $27,324

With a 1.15 mod instead, the same roofer owes $34,155. A real quote uses your insurer's LCM and the loss costs in force on your policy date.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Oklahoma Statutes, Title 85A (Administrative Workers' Compensation Act)
• Oklahoma Legislature, SB 1076 as enrolled (2025, farm payroll limit)
• Oklahoma Statutes, Title 36 (Insurance), incl. 36 O.S. 608.2 and 901.5
• Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission
• OWCC, Affidavit of Exempt Status help
• OWCC, Permitting Services (coverage lookup, own-risk and group lists)
• OWCC, CC-Form 1A notice
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, Workers' Compensation Loss Cost Multipliers
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, LCM list effective October 2026
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, NCCI Experience Rating Plan FAQ
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, release on 2025 loss costs (Dec. 10, 2024)
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, Bulletin No. 9-2022 (residual market)
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, CompSource reorganization release (Mar. 5, 2026)
• NCCI, Oklahoma filing summary effective January 1, 2027
• NCCI, Oklahoma filing summary effective January 1, 2026
• Oklahoma Supreme Court, Vasquez v. Dillard's, Inc., 2016 OK 89 (OSCN)

Sources accessed 2026-10-17.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm details with the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission.

Reviewer: Sam Newland, CFP, Founder of Benefitra. Last updated October 17, 2026. How the calculator works. Editorial policy.