We Are Unable to Pay Work Comp Audit Bill – Help
Companies that cannot afford their Work Comp audit bill is one of the main reasons that we are contacted overall. The work comp audit bill is usually mailed to the employer within a few days after receiving the workers comp audit report
If your company receives a bill without a full breakdown of what is charged, we recommend that you immediately write, not call, the insurance carrier to inform them that you have received a bill with no explanation of charges. The work comp audit bill will usually have an address on it.
One question to ask is – Was the premium audit accurate? Sometimes, a sharp increase in payroll will result in a bill that is unexpectedly high. Make sure your payroll figures match up with the premium auditor’s figures.
The worst thing to do is to just file the bill away. If you renewed with the same carrier that has sent you the bill, you may be cancelled for non-payment. In other words, the worst thing to do is to ignore the bill Another complication is that employers which are written through a state risk pool are not allowed to renew with a delinquent balance to one of the carriers providing coverage in the risk pool.
If you, after verifying the bill, feel that you owe the total, you should contact the carrier by phone as soon as possible. It is up to each carrier, but they may allow you to pay it off over time. Do not expect this to happen automatically.
Alternative insuring arrangements such as Professional Employment Organizations (PEO‘s) will bill your company each payroll cycle. The work comp audit bill is charged as your company turns in payroll.
Premium finance companies can be seen as an option. However, unless I am mistaken, there are no premium finance companies that will allow you credit at the end of a policy. Your company needs to have had this arrangement upfront when the policy is written.
Finally, the steps are:
- Make sure an explanation of the work comp audit bill was previously sent or included with the bill
- If not, immediately write the carrier, certified return receipt
- Verify the payroll, class code, and the covered subcontractors
- Contact carrier immediately if your company cannot pay, it may be possible to pay over a short period of time
- DO NOT ignore the bill
- Pay what you owe, but not an extra penny.
- Seek out a PEO or a Premium Finance Company before your next policy renews
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