WSIB Registration in Ontario: Who Must Register and How

WSIB registration in Ontario is mandatory for most businesses in covered industries, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board says you have 10 calendar days after hiring your first employee to register. Registration is free and takes about 10 minutes online. Construction businesses have stricter rules and often must register even without employees.

This guide explains who must register, which industries are optional, how the construction rules work, what premiums are based on, and how to register step by step.

What is the WSIB?

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) runs Ontario's no-fault workplace insurance system. Covered employers pay premiums, and workers injured on the job receive benefits instead of suing their employer. The WSIB is a government agency but receives no tax funding; premiums pay for benefits and administration.

WSIB is separate from the Canada Revenue Agency. Registering for a business number, HST or payroll with the CRA does not register you with the WSIB.

Do I need WSIB coverage?

It depends on your industry and whether you have workers. Coverage is mandatory for industries named in Schedule 1, Part I or Schedule 2 of the regulation under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, and optional for industries in Schedule 1, Part II.

These are examples from the WSIB, not complete lists. The WSIB's online registration asks about your business activity and tells you whether you need to register. If your industry is optional, you can still apply for coverage and, if approved, you have the same rights and obligations as a mandatory employer.

Schedule 1 vs Schedule 2 employers

Most employers are in Schedule 1, a system of collective liability: premiums go into a shared fund that pays benefits. Schedule 2 employers pay the full cost of their own workers' claims plus an administration charge.

When do I have to register with the WSIB?

The WSIB says that by law most businesses must register within 10 calendar days of hiring their first employee. Employees include family members, and the WSIB also counts subcontractors who work for you.

Its registration policy (14-02-02) splits this into two steps: you must give the WSIB information about your business operations within 10 calendar days of the first worker's start date, and complete registration by the last day of the following month. The safe approach is simply to register within 10 days.

You can register before you hire, but it isn't required. Coverage starts when your first employee begins work. If something material changes, for example you end up not hiring or your business activity changes, tell the WSIB within 10 calendar days.

Are sole proprietors, partners and executive officers covered?

Outside construction, business owners are not automatically covered. Independent operators, sole proprietors, partners and executive officers can apply for optional insurance if they want coverage for themselves.

That means an Ontario corporation in a non-construction industry with no employees usually doesn't need to register yet. The obligation starts once it hires its first worker. An owner who pays themselves a salary should check the WSIB's rules for executive officers, because they aren't covered unless they apply.

Independent operators outside construction don't need to register. If a client needs proof of your status, the WSIB offers a questionnaire, and a no-employee business bidding on a job can request a tender letter.

What are the WSIB rules for construction?

Since January 1, 2013, coverage has been compulsory in construction for independent operators, sole proprietors, partners and executive officers, not just employees. They are treated as "deemed workers" of their own business (WSIB policy 12-01-06).

• Who is exempt: people whose business works exclusively on exempt home renovation work for the homeowner who hires them directly, and one partner or executive officer per business who does no construction work.
• Independent operators: a construction worker with no employees who works for more than one client in 18 months is an independent operator and must register and complete a status declaration.
• When to register without employees: on the date your construction work starts, or the date you meet the independent operator criteria.
• Clearances: clients must collect your WSIB clearance certificate before you start work. See our guide to the WSIB clearance certificate.

How much does WSIB cost?

Registration is free, though third-party companies may charge for registering on your behalf. Coverage costs premiums, which depend on two things:

1. Your business activity. Each class has its own rate, based on the shared risk of businesses doing similar work. New businesses start at the class rate.
2. Your insurable earnings. Premiums are charged per $100 of insurable earnings, up to a yearly maximum per worker.

The average hides wide differences: office-based work costs far less than high-risk trades. Your WSIB welcome letter tells you the rate for your business activity. After that, your own claims history moves your rate up or down relative to your class, by at most about 15% a year.

How to register with the WSIB online

1. Gather your information. The WSIB asks for your legal and trade names, CRA business number, contact and bank details, a description of your business activity, owners' or directors' names, birthdates and titles, your first hire date and headcount, and an estimate of this year's insurable earnings.
2. Start the online registration on wsib.ca. Answer questions about your business and select your business activity. The WSIB confirms whether you need to register.
3. Sign up or log in and submit. You can save your progress, but sessions expire after about 30 minutes of inactivity.
4. Get your account number. In most cases the WSIB gives you an account number as soon as you submit.
5. Read your welcome email. It includes a letter about your premium rate and access to online services, where you report and pay premiums.
6. Display the poster. The WSIB mails a safety poster that you must display in your workplace.

An accountant, family member or service provider can register for you if they confirm they are authorized. You can't change a submission after you see the confirmation page, so check your business activity carefully. If you can't register online, you can register by phone or mail.

What happens if you don't register?

A business that should be registered and isn't can face non-compliance interest and charges, an investigation, prosecution under provincial offences rules, and retroactive premiums back to when coverage should have started. The WSIB lets businesses in that position register voluntarily, which in some cases can avoid those consequences.

There is a practical cost too. Without a WSIB account in good standing, you can't get a clearance, and many clients won't let you start work.

Let us handle WSIB and CRA registration for you

When you incorporate in Ontario with OpenCompany, you can add WSIB registration and CRA accounts (business number, HST and payroll) to your order in the incorporation wizard, and we'll register them once the corporation exists. See our pricing for the add-ons. For the tax side, read how to register for HST and get a business number, and for start-up budgeting see how much it costs to incorporate in Ontario.