We help Michigan employers get workers' compensation right, whichever stage you're at: obtaining coverage for a new business or your first employees, comparing an existing policy before it renews, reviewing employee duties and payroll classifications for audit exposure, or exploring which carriers and payment options — including pay-as-you-go — fit your business. Placed across markets by an independent Rochester Hills agency, for restaurants, contractors, retailers, manufacturers and professional firms.
We reply within one business day.
Having a few things ready speeds up the first conversation. None of this is required to reach out — we'll walk through it together either way.
Comp premium works on an estimate-then-reconcile basis: the figure you're quoted at binding is an estimate, and the premium you actually owe is settled later at audit. These are the parts that decide both.
The statutory side of the policy: eligible medical treatment and wage-loss benefits for employees injured in the course of employment, paid according to Michigan's schedule rather than negotiated per claim. What is payable, and for how long, is governed by the statute and the facts of the claim rather than by a limit chosen at binding.
A separate part of the same policy, with its own limits. It responds to suits arising out of a workplace injury that fall outside the statutory benefit system — third-party-over actions and certain family claims among them. It is easy to overlook precisely because the statutory side has no dollar limit printed next to it.
Premium is built from payroll within each class code, so the classification assigned to the work is one of the largest single factors in what the policy costs. Businesses whose staff do genuinely different jobs may qualify for more than one code where records support the split — and misclassification usually corrects itself at audit, in whichever direction hurts.
Where a carrier offers it, premium is reported and paid against actual payroll each pay period instead of an estimate billed up front. It smooths cash flow and narrows the year-end audit swing, which suits seasonal and variable-payroll operations, but the policy's terms and the carrier's audit requirements still apply — the billing rhythm changes, not the underlying obligations. Availability varies by carrier and by how payroll is processed, so it is worth asking for rather than assuming.
After the term ends the carrier compares estimated payroll to actual and issues a return or an additional bill. A large additional premium is usually not a pricing surprise but a records problem — payroll that grew, work that changed class, or subcontractor cost that could not be substantiated.
An employee working in another state raises questions a Michigan-only policy may not answer. Which states appear on the policy, and how they appear, needs deliberate review before work begins across a state line — not after an injury has already happened somewhere the policy does not contemplate.
Two businesses in the same trade with the same payroll can pay very differently. These are the items underwriters weigh, and the ones an employer can actually influence.
Rates are applied per unit of payroll within each class code, so both the total and how it is distributed matter. Overtime is commonly reported at straight time where records separate it, and clean payroll records are what make that treatment available — without them the whole figure tends to be rated at the higher amount.
The code describes the work performed, not the job title or the industry the business identifies with. A business that has grown into new services is the common case — the codes on the policy still describe what it did three years ago. Reviewing classification before renewal is far cheaper than correcting it at audit.
Prior claims feed an experience modification factor once a business is large enough to qualify for one, and it adjusts premium up or down against the average for its class. Frequency of small claims moves the factor more than a single severe one, which is why early reporting and active claim management matter more than employers usually expect.
What people actually do drives the rating: whether staff work at height, use powered equipment, drive as part of the job, or handle heat and sharp edges in a kitchen. Underwriters ask about the physical realities of the work rather than accepting a job title, and describing them accurately usually helps more than it costs.
Subcontractor cost may be included in the premium audit when adequate evidence of separate coverage is unavailable, depending on the carrier, classification and circumstances. Collecting certificates before work starts and keeping them current through the term is what produces the evidence an auditor asks for.
A documented safety programme and a practical light-duty return-to-work plan affect both underwriting appetite and the cost of the claims that do occur. Getting an injured employee back on modified duty shortens the wage-loss portion of a claim, which is the part that follows a business into its experience modification.
Classification follows the work actually performed, not a job title or the industry a business identifies with. A few examples of how that plays out:
Kitchen staff working with heat and knives, servers and bartenders on the floor, and any delivery drivers each describe different work, and the payroll for each can only be separated where records actually support the split. Michigan restaurant & bar insurance →
Classification follows the trade actually performed on site, and subcontractor payroll can be pulled into your own audit when a current certificate of insurance isn't on file for that sub. Michigan contractor insurance →
Technicians working with lifts, pressurized systems and power tools are rated differently than front-counter and sales staff at the same location, based on what each person actually does. Michigan auto repair & garage insurance →
Stocking, cashiering and any delivery work each carry a different exposure, and a store that delivers product off-site needs that use disclosed rather than assumed to be covered by the base classification. Michigan retail & liquor store insurance →
Machine operators, material handlers and office or sales staff at the same facility are rated on their actual duties on the floor, not a single blended payroll figure for the business as a whole. Michigan manufacturing insurance →
Clinical, administrative and ownership roles at the same practice or firm are commonly rated on different classifications, and accurate role-based payroll reporting is what keeps that distinction intact at audit. Medical & dental office insurance → · CPA & accounting firm insurance →
Comp premium is estimated at binding and reconciled after the term. Most unpleasant audit results trace back to payroll that changed during the year, work that shifted classification, subcontractor cost without a certificate on file, or records that weren't kept current — not to the rate itself.
Titanium Shield is an independent agency, so a comp account is marketed rather than placed with one company by default. Available markets include standard carriers and specialty programmes, among them Retailers Insurance Company, a Michigan workers' compensation carrier. Which markets fit a particular account depends on the class of business, payroll, loss history and each carrier's appetite at the time — eligibility and pricing are determined by the carrier, not by the agency.
Direct answers to what Michigan employers ask before moving a comp policy.
Michigan workers' compensation requirements depend on the number of employees, hours worked, entity structure and other statutory criteria, so the obligation should be confirmed for the specific business rather than assumed. The general private-employer trigger is commonly described as three or more employees at once — including part-time staff — or one employee working 35 or more hours per week for 13 or more weeks in the preceding 52 weeks. Having fewer employees than that does not automatically mean coverage is unnecessary: entity structure, owner or officer status, exclusions and industry-specific rules can bring a smaller business into the requirement, and issuing a 1099 to a worker does not by itself settle whether that worker counts as an employee for this purpose. This is general information, not legal advice; the state agency or your attorney can confirm how it applies to your operation.
A rate is applied to each unit of payroll within a class code, and the result is adjusted by any experience modification factor and carrier-specific credits or debits. Because premium follows payroll, the figure quoted at binding is an estimate that is reconciled at audit against what was actually paid. Two businesses in the same trade can pay very differently based on classification, loss history and how their payroll records are kept.
Class codes describe the work being performed and carry the rate applied to payroll. They follow the actual duties rather than a job title or the industry a business identifies with, and a business may carry more than one code where its records support separating the payroll. Codes that no longer describe the work are one of the most common and most correctable sources of overpayment.
After the policy term the carrier compares estimated payroll to actual and issues either a return premium or an additional bill. Auditors typically review payroll records, tax filings, the split of work by class code, and subcontractor certificates. Keeping those records organised through the year, rather than assembling them afterwards, is what keeps an audit from producing a surprise.
Premium is reported and paid against actual payroll each pay period rather than estimated and billed up front. It reduces the size of the year-end audit adjustment and helps cash flow for seasonal or variable-payroll businesses, but the arrangement remains subject to the policy's terms and to the carrier's audit requirements — pay-as-you-go changes the billing rhythm, not the underwriting or recordkeeping obligations. Availability depends on the carrier and on how payroll is processed, so it should be asked about specifically rather than assumed to be on offer.
In many cases yes, depending on entity type and ownership, and the election has to be made properly rather than assumed. Excluding an owner removes their payroll from the premium calculation, but it also removes their workers' comp coverage for that person. Health insurance often excludes work-related injuries specifically, since workers' comp is expected to apply instead, and personal disability coverage has its own eligibility and waiting-period terms rather than stepping in automatically. Whether exclusion is worth doing is a judgement about that trade-off, and the specifics should be confirmed for the entity in question.
It can. Subcontractor costs may be included in the premium audit when adequate evidence of separate coverage is unavailable, depending on the carrier, classification and circumstances. This is the most frequent source of unexpected audit bills for contractors in particular. Collecting a certificate of insurance before work starts, and confirming it stays in force through the term, is what produces the evidence the auditor asks for.
Yes. Those are among the classes we work with regularly, along with hospitality, manufacturing, automotive and professional firms. Because we are independent, an account is marketed to the carriers whose appetite fits the class, payroll and loss history rather than submitted to one company by default. Eligibility and pricing are determined by the carrier in every case.
Payroll, staffing and classification all shift year to year. We review current comp programs against the business as it operates today.
Your current declarations page, renewal date, any renewal offer, and a note on what's changed — new hires, a new state, a shift in duties — helps start the conversation. You don't need it all ready before you reach out.
Titanium Shield Insurance Agency is an independent commercial agency in Rochester Hills. We review classification, payroll and loss history before marketing an account, and coordinate comp alongside the rest of a commercial programme rather than treating it as a standalone purchase.