Workers’ comp insurance cost for physician offices in California

Q: What does workers' comp cost physician offices in California?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $0.71 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee physician practice lands around $940–$3.8k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

Q: What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Physician-office work is NCCI class 8832 (Physician & Clerical) — the '& Clerical' is part of the class design, so receptionists and billing staff are rated in the same class as the clinical team rather than split out separately.

Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: California physician offices pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $0.71 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 2nd-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most <5-employee physician offices land around $940–$3.8k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

67% of CA physician offices have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
California sits 2nd of 51: HI pays more ($0.96), AK less ($0.48).
Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your physician practice needs in California →

What do California physician offices pay for workers’ comp?

Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of CA physician offices

bar height = how many physician offices are that size · figures = modeled annual cost

typical · most CA physician offices

▼

<5 emp

≈$1.4k/yr

5–9 emp

≈$4.1k/yr

10–19 emp

≈$8.8k/yr

20–49 emp

≈$21k/yr

50–99 emp

≈$55k/yr

100–249 emp

≈$120k/yr

SMALLER

MID-SIZE

LARGER

A <5-employee CA physician practice: modeled $940–$3.8k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 29,615 CA physician offices fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 29,615 CA physician offices (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($0.71/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 29,545 of 29,615 establishments (99.8%) — 70 establishments in larger, very small-count, or data-suppressed size bands are not shown. 2023 payroll dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.

Filed manual rate (CA)

$0.71 / $100 payroll

as of 2024

Typical <5-employee physician practice (67% of CA)

$940–$3.8k / yr modeled

as of 2024 · CBP 2023

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Offices of physicians (NAICS 621111)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05)

How does California compare to nearby ranks?

Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 8832 (Physician & Clerical), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →

Rank	State	Rate / $100 payroll
1	Hawaii	$0.96
2	California	$0.71
3	Wyoming	$0.57
4	New York	$0.56
5	Washington	$0.56
6	New Jersey	$0.52

Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04)

Frequently asked questions

What does workers' comp cost physician offices in California?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $0.71 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee physician practice lands around $940–$3.8k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

What drives the rate up or down?

Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Physician-office work is NCCI class 8832 (Physician & Clerical) — the '& Clerical' is part of the class design, so receptionists and billing staff are rated in the same class as the clinical team rather than split out separately.

Physician offices in nearby-ranked states: Hawaii ($0.96) · New York ($0.56) · New Jersey ($0.52) · Alaska ($0.48)

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Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 29,615 California physician offices; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.