WSIB Reporting

WSIB registration is easy to overlook when a business is busy hiring. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board runs Ontario’s no-fault workplace insurance, and employers in covered industries pay premiums based on their payroll. Infoetax offers WSIB registration, reporting, premium calculations, payroll reconciliation and compliance assistance to employers in Hamilton and the GTA. The notes below are general, and the WSIB’s own pages are the final word.

Who has to register

The WSIB says most Ontario businesses with employees must register, and that this includes family members and subcontractors on the payroll. Coverage isn’t mandatory for every business: the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act lists which industries need coverage and which don’t. Construction has its own mandatory coverage rules, and the WSIB names industries such as restaurants and bars, trucking and household employers among those that must register.

Timing matters. According to the WSIB’s how to register page, a business has 10 calendar days from the day it hires its first employee to register. If you are opening a business and hiring at the same time, our business registration and incorporation service handles WSIB alongside the CRA accounts.

How premiums are calculated

The WSIB’s formula is simple on paper: insurable earnings multiplied by the premium rate, divided by 100. The detail is in the inputs.

• Insurable earnings start with gross earnings for everyone you insure, such as wages, bonuses, commissions, overtime, sick pay and vacation pay, then remove non-insurable amounts.
• The annual maximum caps what is insurable for each person. The WSIB lists the 2026 maximum at $121,700, and earnings above it aren’t reported.
• The premium rate depends on how the business is classified. A business with more than one classification calculates each one separately.

Rates are published each year, so a calculation done for one year shouldn’t simply be carried into the next. The WSIB’s premium calculation page sets out what counts as insurable.

Reporting and paying

How often an employer reports and pays depends on its annual payroll, and the WSIB charges a fee when payroll is reported after the due date. Because the numbers come straight from payroll, WSIB work sits closely with payroll services. When payroll records are complete, the premium report is mostly arithmetic.

Changes during the year are worth flagging early. A business that takes on a new line of work, hires people into a different kind of role, or stops having workers altogether may need its WSIB account updated, and the WSIB has its own pages for managing or closing an account. If your payroll shows a change like that, tell us and we can look at what it means for your reporting.

The annual reconciliation

Businesses that report and pay monthly complete an annual reconciliation, which compares the premiums reported through the year with the actual premium owed. Businesses that close an account during the year reconcile too, while those reporting quarterly or annually generally don’t. The WSIB’s reconciliation page says reconciliations are due March 31 each year, and any amount owing must be received by then. A reconciliation that doesn’t match the year’s payroll records is usually the first sign that something was reported in the wrong category.

Clearance certificates

A WSIB clearance certificate is a unique number issued to a registered business that is current with its premiums and reporting. The WSIB says one clearance number covers all of a business’s contracts and is valid for up to 90 days, and that a clearance is generated automatically when payments and reporting are up to date. Contractors and subcontractors are the ones most often asked for it, since the business hiring them may want proof of good standing before work starts.

Not everyone can get one. The WSIB notes that independent operators outside construction, with no workers other than the owners, might not have to register and so wouldn’t be eligible for a clearance. As part of our compliance assistance, we can help you understand what a clearance certificate requires and keep the reporting behind it in order. Read the details on the WSIB’s clearances page.

What our WSIB work covers

• WSIB registration for new employers.
• Premium reporting through the year.
• Premium calculations based on insurable earnings.
• Payroll reconciliation, including the annual reconciliation.
• Compliance assistance with WSIB requirements and correspondence.

To get started, use the contact page or visit the office at 537 Queenston Rd., which is open weekdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Bring your WSIB account number, if you have one, and a recent payroll summary. We work with employers across Hamilton and Stoney Creek.