Wyoming Workers' Comp Rate Calculator

Workers' comp in Wyoming: what's different

Wyoming runs a monopolistic state fund. If your business is in an industry the law calls extrahazardous, the only place to get coverage is the Workers' Compensation Division of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS). Private carriers cannot write that coverage, and Wyoming does not let employers who are required to have coverage self-insure. The Division also sets the rates, by industry class, using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) instead of NCCI codes.

Who must carry coverage

Wyoming does not use a headcount test. Coverage turns on what your business does. W.S. 27-14-108 lists the extrahazardous sectors, and every worker in a listed sector is covered regardless of job title. The list includes:

• Construction (NAICS sector 23), which takes in roofing and the other trades.
• Mining, utilities and manufacturing.
• Logging, truck transportation, warehousing and several retail and wholesale groups.
• Health care, accommodation and food services, and parts of other service sectors.

DWS assigns your NAICS code when you register through WYUI, and that code decides whether coverage is required or optional. You must have a statement of coverage from the Division before you start work in the state. Registration is required even if you think your business is optional, so DWS can decide.

Optional coverage. An employer outside the listed industries may elect coverage, but it must cover all of its employees. Once elected, it can withdraw only after two years and only if it is current on payments. The Legislative Service Office notes that these employers may also go without coverage or buy from a national carrier.

Owners and officers. Sole proprietors, partners, corporate officers and LLC members are exempt unless the business elects coverage for them in writing. After that election, the business cannot drop it for eight calendar quarters. The spouse of a sole proprietor is exempt, as are dependents living in the owner's household, but relatives of corporate officers and LLC members must be reported.

Independent contractors. DWS says a contractor must be free from control, hold out as self-employed, and be able to send a substitute. Fail any one of the three and the worker is an employee.

Out-of-state employers. A nonresident employer must register before starting work and either pay an advance premium deposit or post a surety bond. That requirement is waived with a certificate of coverage from a reciprocal state. DWS lists Utah, Oregon, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Montana, Washington, Idaho and California.

Where coverage comes from

For required employers, there is one source: the Wyoming Workers' Compensation Fund run by DWS. The fund is supported by premiums and investment income, and the law says the program must be "neither more nor less than self-supporting." Wyoming is one of the few states that bars self-insurance for employers who must carry coverage. Employers who are covered and current get the exclusive remedy protection, meaning injured workers generally cannot sue them.

Who sets rates

The Division sets an industry base rate for each class. It must follow the Administrative Procedure Act's rate process and get the governor's written approval. A class rate cannot rise more than 50% in one year.

For 2026, DWS proposed a 15.0% overall decrease. The 2026 table it published shows class 238000 (Specialty Trade Contractors) at 2.39, down from 2.98 in 2025. For 2027, DWS has proposed a further 2.0% overall cut, with class changes from a 12.5% increase to a 16.7% decrease, and set a public hearing for October 14, 2026. The proposed 2027 rate for 238000 is 2.08. As of October 17, 2026, the DWS employers page still labeled the 2027 table "proposed".

DWS offers several discounts on top of the base rate: 10% for a drug-free workplace program, 3.33% to 10% for a written safety program, 3% to 10% for completing a DWS OSHA health and safety consultation, and a deductible program.

Experience rating

The law requires an experience rating system based on up to three years of claims. Since 2017, credits and debits from claim experience are capped at 85% of the base rate. DWS uses a split plan that weighs both how often claims happen and how much they cost. A new employer without a full year of premium history starts at an EMR of 1.0.

If no carrier will write you

For required employers, the state fund is the only source of coverage, so there is no separate market to fall back on. Optional employers who skip the fund deal with whatever carrier they choose.

Penalties for going uninsured

• Liability for claims. If you never applied for coverage, or let premium go unpaid more than 30 days, and an employee is awarded benefits, you owe the state the full amount of those awards.
• Lawsuits. Exclusive remedy protection does not apply to an employer who has not qualified for coverage or is 30 days late on premium, so the employee may sue you directly.
• Interest, liens and shutdowns. Late premium carries 1% interest per month. The Division can file a lien on your property and can ask a court to stop you from operating until you comply.
• Criminal charges. Knowingly failing to set up an account or file a payroll report is a misdemeanor the first time (up to $750 and six months) and a felony after that (up to $10,000 and ten years).

Your ongoing obligations

• Report payroll. File wage listings and summary reports monthly or quarterly, by the last day of the month after the period, even if you had no payroll. A report more than 30 days overdue draws a $100 late filing penalty.
• Report injuries. DWS asks employers to file the Wyoming Report of Injury within 10 working days and to tell the Division right away about a fatality or catastrophic injury. Employees must tell you within 72 hours and file their own report within 10 days.
• Post the notice. Keep the Division's notice posted where employees can see it, and keep a copy of the Act available.
• Stay compliant. If your account is delinquent or an injured worker was left off your wage listing, DWS may charge the claim costs to you (case cost liability).

Worked example: how the calculator estimates premium

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

Wyoming's published base rate table has no separate roofing line. Its line for subsector 238, class 238000 (Specialty Trade Contractors), is the closest published rate: 2.39 for 2026, the DWS industry base rate effective January 1, 2026. DWS assigns your actual class at registration, so treat 2.39 as illustrative for a roofer. The payroll and mod are hypothetical, and no discounts are applied.

• Hypothetical roofing payroll: $250,000
• DWS industry base rate, class 238000 (2026): 2.39
• Hypothetical experience mod: 0.95

Step by step

1. Payroll in hundreds: $250,000 / 100 = 2,500
2. Base premium: 2,500 x 2.39 = $5,975.00
3. Apply the mod: $5,975.00 x 0.95 = $5,676.25

If the proposed 2027 rate of 2.08 takes effect, the same inputs would give $4,940.00.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Wyoming DWS, Workers' Compensation Employers
• Wyoming DWS, New Employers
• Wyoming DWS, Wage Reporting and Coverage
• Wyoming DWS, A Guide to Workers' Compensation for Employers (updated 04.2025)
• Wyoming DWS, Workers' Compensation Injuries (employers)
• Wyoming DWS, Employer's Guide to Reporting an Employee Injury
• Wyoming DWS, 2026 Industry Base Rates by Classification
• Wyoming DWS, 2027 Proposed Industry Base Rates by Classification
• Wyoming DWS, Proposed 2027 Workers' Compensation Employer Industry Base Rates (hearing notice)
• Wyoming DWS, Notice of Hearing, Proposed 2026 Industry Base Rates
• Wyoming Statutes Title 27 (W.S. 27-14-104, 27-14-108, 27-14-201, 27-14-202, 27-14-203, 27-14-207, 27-14-302, 27-14-502, 27-14-507, 27-14-510)
• Wyoming Legislative Service Office, Workers' Compensation memorandum (June 5, 2023)

Sources accessed 2026-10-17.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm details with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Workers' Compensation Division.

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