Workers Compensation FAQs

What does AmTrust Workers Comp cover for Georgia small businesses?

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Quick answer: AmTrust is an top workers comp specialist competitive for Georgia small businesses in restaurants, retail, and professional services.

What does AmTrust workers compensation cover in Georgia?

AmTrust Financial Services writes workers compensation for small businesses across many industries, and its policies are structured to meet Georgia’s statutory requirements. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 34-9-2) requires most employers with three or more employees to carry workers comp coverage. That threshold dropped from five to three employees on January 1, 2026, so more small businesses in Georgia now have a legal obligation to carry a policy.

An AmTrust workers compensation policy covers four core categories of loss:

  • Medical benefits: the policy pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment tied to a covered workplace injury or illness, including doctor visits, emergency care, hospital stays, surgery, prescriptions, and physical rehabilitation.
  • Lost-wage replacement: when an injury keeps an employee out of work, the policy replaces a portion of their wages during the recovery period. Georgia sets the weekly benefit at two-thirds of the employee’s average weekly wage, up to the state’s maximum benefit rate.
  • Disability benefits: if an employee suffers a lasting impairment, the policy pays benefits based on the severity and type of disability, following Georgia’s scheduled impairment guidelines for temporary total, temporary partial, permanent partial, or permanent total disability.
  • Death benefits: if a workplace accident is fatal, the policy pays burial expenses and weekly income benefits to the worker’s surviving dependents, calculated under Georgia’s statutory formula.

What is the employer’s liability component of a workers comp policy?

Workers comp policies also include a Part Two component called employer’s liability. This covers legal defense costs and damages if an injured employee steps outside the workers comp system and files a civil lawsuit against the business. That coverage is separate from general liability insurance, which does not respond to employee injury claims.

For example, if an employee argues their injury resulted from the employer’s gross negligence rather than a standard workplace accident, they may pursue a civil claim. Employer’s liability coverage pays the legal defense and any resulting damages, up to the policy limit.

What types of businesses does AmTrust cover in Georgia?

AmTrust has a particular appetite for small to mid-size businesses and writes across a wide range of occupations, including contractors, retail, hospitality, healthcare support, and light manufacturing. Policy premiums are based on the class codes assigned to each job type and the business’s actual payroll, so a business with lower-risk job classifications typically pays less per dollar of payroll than one in a higher-risk trade.

For example, an office-based accounting firm would pay a much lower rate per $100 of payroll than a roofing contractor, because the injury risk and cost of claims differ significantly between those job types.

Does Georgia workers compensation cover independent contractors?

Georgia workers comp does not cover independent contractors by default. The employer classification of a worker, whether employee or contractor, controls whether a claim is eligible. Misclassifying employees as contractors is a compliance risk that can leave a business exposed to uninsured claims and State Board of Workers Compensation penalties.

How is an AmTrust workers comp premium calculated in Georgia?

Premium is calculated from the class codes assigned to each type of work your employees perform and the actual payroll for those roles. A business with multiple job types may carry several class codes on the same policy. The Georgia State Board of Workers Compensation publishes the applicable rate tables, and rates are also influenced by your business’s claims history over prior policy years.

A coverage review through Olive Cover can walk you through the specifics of class codes, payroll basis, and what an AmTrust workers comp policy would cost for your Georgia operation. Schedule a coverage review here.