Register for Worker's Compensation
Most employers are required by law to register their business/firm with Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) and pay premiums. Registration of employers is legislated by the Workers Compensation Act.
You must notify the WCB within 15 days of hiring your first worker. You must provide specific information about your operations and an estimate of your workers’ insurable earnings (payroll) for the year.
The definition of a worker also applies to family or unpaid workers. With the exception of
Proprietors, partners in a partnership or directors of a corporation, all individuals actively providing a service to the business are workers.
Obtaining coverage is more than just a legislated requirement. When you are covered by WCB insurance, you're protected against lawsuits from injured workers. If a worker is injured or contracts an occupational disease while on the job during the course of employment, WCB covers the worker's medical expenses and lost wages. Employees are automatically protected under the Act and cannot register for WCB insurance coverage. This is the employer's responsibility.
Registration is mandatory if
- You employ and pay people on a regular, casual or contract basis
- Your workers are employed full-time, part-time, temporary or casual, contract or subcontract (unless they are operating through a corporation or they maintain their own WCB-Alberta account) or as a volunteer.
- You hire someone to work in or around your home
- Your employees come from another province or country
- You work as a commercial fisherman
- You work in the trucking industry
Certain industries may be exempt from mandatory registration depending on specific provincial regulations.