Canada

Workers' Compensation (WSIB / WCB), in plain English.

Workers' compensation in Canada is a provincial no-fault insurance system funded by employer premiums, administered by WSIB in Ontario and by a WCB or equivalent board in other provinces. Premiums are calculated on assessable earnings up to an annual maximum per worker, at a rate set by the employer's industry classification. It is employer-paid. Workzoom calculates assessable earnings from the payroll run so premium reporting starts from real pay data.

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How Workers' Compensation (WSIB / WCB) works.

Premium cost is driven by two things: the classification unit assigned to the work performed, and the assessable earnings base, which caps at a provincial maximum per worker each year. Assessable earnings are not identical to gross pay, since some earnings types are excluded, so a system reporting gross will overstate the premium. Employers operating in several provinces register with each board separately and report against each one's rules, rates, and ceilings. Coverage follows the province of employment.

Where Workers' Compensation (WSIB / WCB) goes wrong.

  1. Reporting gross earnings instead of assessable earnings is the most common overpayment, and boards do not proactively refund it.
  2. The other is classification drift: a business whose operations have changed since registration can sit in the wrong rate group for years, paying a premium rate that no longer reflects the actual work.
  • 2000 Running payroll since Workzoom has run Canadian payroll for 26+ years.
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  • Trusted in production County of Renfrew, Silvera for Seniors, and Cable Bahamas. Built for 50 to 5,000 employees.

In the product

How Workers' Compensation (WSIB / WCB) runs on Workzoom.

Workers' Compensation (WSIB / WCB) is part of the Workzoom Payroll Suite. Workzoom runs HR, workforce, and talent on a single employee record across ten countries: Canada, the United States, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, and the United Kingdom. Full gross-to-net payroll runs live in Canada, the United States, and the Bahamas. Pricing starts at $4 per employee per suite per month.

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Related terms.

Questions about Workers' Compensation (WSIB / WCB)

No. Workers' compensation premiums are paid entirely by the employer. Nothing is deducted from employee wages for coverage.
No. Assessable earnings exclude certain earnings types and cap at a provincial annual maximum per worker. Reporting gross pay instead of assessable earnings generally results in overpaying premiums.
The employer registers with each provincial board separately and reports under each board's own classifications, rates, and annual maximums. Coverage follows the province where the work is performed.
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