Canada Corporate Filings

Ontario Workers Compensation WSIB Registration

Registration of an Ontario Business with the Ontario WSIB

Ontario Online WSIB Registration $39.99

Registration of a new ontario Business with the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.Register your business in Ontario for the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board- WSIB. Workers's Compensation is an insurance program designed to protect employers against liability suits for workers' injuries and to provide fair compensation for those workers who are injured on the job. Contributions to the workers's compensation accident fund are collected by the Workers Compensation Board from employers only. The assessment rates vary according to the accident cost experience of the industry and the individual employer.

Most businesses in Ontario that employ workers (including family members and sub-contractors) must register with the WSIB within 10 days of hiring their first full- or part-time worker. It's the law.

Registering with the WSIB provides workplace insurance coverage for all of your workers and gives you access to experts in health and safety for your business sector.

According to the Workers's Compensation Act, most employers must make specific contributions. Employers who are not included may apply for coverage on a voluntary basis. Once a company employs more than two workers where coverage is required, it has 10 days to register with the Workers' Compensation Board. Active company officers are considered workers under the Act.

Most employers in Canada are required by law to have Workers Compensation Insurance for their workers, both paid and unpaid.

Paid Workers
You are required to cover all your workers. A worker for WCB purposes is any person who enters into or:

Works under a contract of service or apprenticeship, written or oral, expressed or implied, whether by way of manual labor or otherwise. A worker is anyone who works:

Unpaid workers

If any of your workers are not paid, you must still report a value for their services with the insurable earnings information you submit for your workers. This value of service should represent a fair market value for the services provided.

Family members

The definition of a worker also applies to family members. With the exception of proprietors, partners in a partnership or directors of a corporation, all individuals actively providing a service to the business are workers.

Directors/shareholders

If you are operating as a corporation, you do not have to cover the directors of your corporation. Directors are persons elected by shareholders to manage the business and financial affairs of a corporation. The Provincial Corporate Registry officially records the names of all directors.

In order to be covered by workers’ compensation, directors need to purchase optional personal coverage. Directors who do not have personal coverage are not protected from legal action resulting from workers’ injuries and may be personally sued.

You are required to cover your shareholders who work for the corporation. When shareholders are also elected directors of the corporation, they are not covered by workers’ compensation unless they obtain personal coverage.

Contractors/subcontractors

If you hire contractors or subcontractors you must cover them, except when these individuals:

1. Have their own (WCB account)
2. Are operating as a corporation, or
3. Are performing the work as:

A partner in a partnership with personal coverage (see Partnerships section).

For contractors/subcontractors earnings, you report 100% of the amount paid if only labour is supplied. If equipment is involved, contact the WCB for assistance in determining the amount to report.

Corporations

If you hire a corporation, you do not cover their workers or directors.

Partnerships

If you hire a partnership that has no workers, you must cover the partners if none of them have personal coverage. If, however, any partner has personal coverage, you do not cover any of the partners. The partner (s) without personal coverage will not receive compensation benefits if injured.

Proprietors

If you hire proprietors who do not have personal coverage, you must cover them as your workers. A proprietor for WCB purposes is an individual who owns and operates a business and does not employ any workers. Proprietors usually perform work for more than one principal concurrently.

Volunteers

If you are a non-profit employer who engages volunteers who receive nominal or no remuneration for their services, you may apply to have them covered by workers’ compensation (e.g., the building of a church or community hall).

If you are an employer who is for profit, you may also apply to cover your volunteers if they are in an activity that arises from patriotism, civic-mindedness, or religious or charitable purposes. Otherwise, if the volunteers are there to solely support your business activity/profitability, they are considered your workers and are to be insured at a value of service.

Workers’ Compensation is liability and disability insurance system set up under the Provincial's Workers’ Compensation Act that provides your workers with compensation benefits if they are injured on the job. It also protects you from lawsuit from your injured workers.

This system brings stability and protection to the workplace by providing coverage at a cost shared by all employers. It also protects you and your workers against the risks and expenses of injury and uncertainties of litigation.

The Provincial's WCB is a mutual insurance corporation that manages the workers’ compensation insurance business based on legislation and regulations of the Provincial's Workers’ Compensation Act. The WCB is not a provincial government department or crown agency.