What Counts as Payroll?

Workers’ Comp Payroll Definition

For workers' compensation purposes, payroll or remuneration means money or substitutes for money. Your premium calculations include the following as remuneration:

1. Wages or salaries including retroactive wages or salaries.
2. Total cash received by employees for commissions and draws against commissions.
3. Bonuses including stock bonus plans.
4. Extra pay for overtime work-see next section for exceptions.
5. Pay for holidays, vacations, or periods of sickness.
6. Payment by an employer of amounts otherwise required by law to be paid by employees to statutory insurance or pension plans, such as the Federal Social Security Act.
7. Payment to employees on any basis other than time worked, such as piecework, profit sharing, or incentive plans.
8. Payment or allowance for hand tools or power tools used by hand provided by employees either directly or through a third party and used in their work or operations for the insured.
9. The rental value of an apartment or a house provided for an employee based on comparable accommodations.
10. The value of lodging, other than an apartment or a house, received by employees as part of their pay, to the extent shown in the insured's records.
11. The value of meals received by employees as part of their pay to the extent shown in the insured's records.
12. The value of store certificates, merchandise, credits or any other substitutes used for money received by employees as part of their pay (refer to exclusions below for certain fringe benefits [substitutes for money] not considered to be remuneration).
13. Payments for salary reduction, retirement or cafeteria plans (IRC 125) which are made through deductions from the employee's gross pay.
14. Davis-Bacon wages paid to employees or placed by an employer into third-party pension trusts.
15. Annuity plans.
16. Expense reimbursements to employees to the extent that an employer's records do not substantiate that the expense was incurred as a valid business expense.
17. Payment for filming of commercial excluding subsequent residuals which are earned by the commercial's participant(s) each time the commercial appears in print or is broadcast.

Remuneration Excludes

Remuneration EXCLUDES the following:

1. Tips and other gratuities received by employees.
2. Payment by an employer to group insurance or group pensions plans for employees.
3. The value of special reward for individual invention or discovery.
4. Dismissal or severance payments except for time worked or for accrued vacation.
5. Payments for active military duty.
6. Employee discounts on goods purchased from the employee's employer.
7. Expense reimbursements to employees to the extent that an employer's records substantiate that the expense was incurred as a valid business expense.
8. Supper money for late work.
9. Work uniform allowance.
10. Sick pay paid to an employee by a third party such as an insured's group insurance carrier that is paying disability income benefits to a disabled employee.
11. Employer provided perquisites ("perks") such as:
    1. An automobile.
    2. An airplane flight.
    3. An incentive vacation (e.g., contest winner).
    4. A discount on property or services.
    5. Club memberships.
    6. Tickets to entertainment events.
12. Employer contributions to salary reduction, employee savings plans, retirement, or cafeteria plans (IRC 125) -- contributions made by the employer, at the employer's expense, that are determined by the amount contributed by the employee.