Connecticut
Workers' Comp Exemption

Connecticut does not give an ordinary employer a multi-worker safe harbor before coverage begins

The Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission says that, with few exceptions, all employers in the state must have workers' compensation insurance for employees as defined by the Act. The statutory employer definition is built around one or more employees for pay rather than a general five-worker threshold.

Owner elections therefore do not answer the company-coverage question by themselves. A corporate officer can be personally excluded while the corporation still covers its other employees; a sole proprietor who never elected personal coverage can still become an employer when the business hires a covered worker.

Out-of-state employers also need a separate check. WCC states that employers operating in Connecticut must provide coverage for employees working in the state and comply with Connecticut law, so an owner election filed elsewhere is not a substitute for the Connecticut analysis.

A sole proprietor and a partnership start from opposite election directions

Connecticut WCC describes Form 75 as the form a sole proprietor uses to be included in workers' compensation coverage. The same form can revoke a previous inclusion. That means a sole proprietor's personal treatment starts outside the Act until the proprietor accepts coverage through the election process.

A partnership uses the opposite direction. Form 6B-1 is completed by all members of a partnership who want to be excluded from coverage, and the current WCC directions emphasize the all-partner filing. An individual partner should not assume that signing a corporate-style Form 6B creates the partnership election.

These forms concern the owners personally. The business still needs to cover employees who remain within the Act. Keep owner election records separate from the insurer's proof for the rest of the workforce so a customer can see exactly who is excluded and who is insured.

Form 6B is the personal exclusion path for a corporate officer or LLC owner/manager

WCC's current forms page says Form 6B is completed by a corporate officer or a manager of an LLC who wishes to be excluded from workers' compensation coverage. The current directions also describe the form for an LLC member, and the form is used to revoke a previous exclusion when the person wants to return to coverage.

Connecticut now permits Form 6B to be filed electronically. The filing instructions direct coverage-election forms to the Office of the Chairperson rather than a district office and explain how a filer can obtain date-stamped proof of a submission.

Because the exclusion is personal, keep the filed Form 6B tied to the exact company, role, and individual. If the owner changes from an officer to a different role, leaves the LLC, or the entity converts, the old filing should be reviewed before it is shown as current proof.

The Commission accepts the election forms for filing, so the compliance value is in an accurate, date-stamped record

WCC's directions say Forms 6B, 6B-1, and 75 go to the Office of the Chairperson and that incomplete or illegible forms can be returned unstamped. The Commission also notes that it accepts these forms for filing purposes and that the filer is responsible for the accuracy of the information.

The cited materials do not impose one universal annual renewal cycle across the three election forms. Instead, the record should be managed around changes that affect the election: revocation, ownership or entity-role changes, insurer changes, or the addition of covered workers.

A date-stamped copy is useful because it demonstrates what was actually filed, not merely what was prepared. For electronically filed Form 6B, retain the electronic confirmation with the policy and corporate or LLC records.

Permit proof and business changes require a separate Connecticut check

Connecticut publishes a separate set of forms for building permits. Form 7A is for a sole proprietor or property owner who will not act as general contractor or principal employer. Form 7B is for a sole proprietor or property owner who will act in that role. Both are submitted to the local building official rather than the Workers' Compensation Commission.

Form 7C is for a general contractor or principal employer who has chosen to be excluded from coverage by filing Form 6B or 6B-1. That sequencing matters: 7C is proof used in the permit process; it is not the filing that creates the underlying owner exclusion.

A construction compliance file should therefore keep the two layers separate. First preserve the Commission election that establishes the owner's status, then supply the permit form that accurately describes the applicant's role on the specific project.

Connecticut's broad employer rule means the first covered worker should trigger a fresh review even when the business previously operated owner-only. The owner's personal election and the employee policy obligation move on separate tracks, so one old 6B or 75 cannot answer both questions.

Chapter 568 provides meaningful enforcement for failure to secure required coverage, including stop-work and civil mechanisms and potential criminal exposure for knowing and willful violations. Because penalty details depend on the statutory subsection and facts, use the current statute for case-specific enforcement rather than quoting an old summary.

Also recheck the file when an owner changes role, a partnership adds or loses a partner, the business begins Connecticut work from another state, or a building permit is requested. Those events can require a new election analysis, new employee coverage, or a different 7-series permit form.