What Pennsylvania requires

Pennsylvania requires workers’ compensation from the first employee — full-time, part-time, or seasonal. The state runs its own rating system through the PCRB, claims flow through the WCAIS portal, and employers with a properly posted panel of physicians control medical treatment for the first 90 days.

Industries we insure in Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s employer mix leans service-heavy, and we’ve built programs for its biggest categories:

• Restaurants — the city’s signature industry, from cheesesteak counters to James Beard kitchens
• Offices & professional services — law, finance, and consulting across Center City
• Medical & dental offices — one of America’s densest healthcare markets
• Janitorial & cleaning — the crews serving the city’s office towers
• Technology companies — the growing University City and N3rd Street scene

Philadelphia workers’ comp rates

Pennsylvania loss costs fell again for 2026 (-1.22% effective April 1), and each carrier’s multiplier turns those loss costs into very different final rates. See our Pennsylvania rates guide for how the system works.

Philadelphia employers carry Pennsylvania’s statewide loss costs — there’s no city surcharge on comp — but the city’s claim patterns (dense traffic, older buildings, busy sidewalks) make carrier selection and mod management matter more than in the suburbs.

How we work for Philadelphia employers

• One application, a dozen A-rated carriers — including specialty markets that actively want your class of business
• Pay-as-you-go billing — premium follows your actual payroll instead of an annual estimate
• Same-day certificates — when a contract, lease, or license is waiting on proof of coverage
• Classification and mod reviews — the two levers that quietly decide what Philadelphia businesses overpay
• Ghost policies — for owner-only operations that just need compliant proof of coverage

Philadelphia workers’ comp FAQs

Does Philadelphia require workers’ comp beyond Pennsylvania’s rules?

No separate city mandate — Pennsylvania’s first-employee requirement governs. But Philadelphia’s commercial licensing, union agreements, and GC contracts routinely demand current certificates, so lapses surface fast in this market.

What does workers’ comp cost in Philadelphia?

The same PCRB loss costs apply statewide — your price depends on class codes, payroll, experience mod, and the carrier’s multiplier. Philadelphia’s service-heavy mix means many businesses rate in inexpensive office and retail classes.

Can you issue a certificate fast for a Philadelphia contract?

Yes — same-day certificates are standard for us. If a Center City lease or a GC is holding a job on proof of coverage, we can usually deliver it the day you bind.

More Pennsylvania resources

Workers’ comp in Pittsburgh · Workers’ comp in Allentown · Workers’ comp in Reading · Pennsylvania guide · Pennsylvania rates · Pennsylvania forms