Unlocking Time and Attendance in HR: What Non-Desk Businesses Need
September 17, 2025
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If you’re a Washington, DC employer looking to protect both your business and your team, you’re in the right place. At Beyond, we provide the essential information you need to understand how workers’ compensation works and how to stay compliant.
Workers’ compensation insurance can be a lifeline for both businesses and employees in the event of a job-related injury or illness. For example, if an employee experiences a workplace accident or contracts an occupational illness and is unable to perform their duties, workers’ comp ensures they receive partial wage replacement and medical expense coverage.
For employers, this coverage provides peace of mind by helping protect the business from legal claims that could arise from such incidents.
Yes. In the District of Columbia, employers with one (1) or more employees generally must secure workers’ compensation coverage (either through an authorized insurer or, if approved, a self-insured program).
Who counts as an “employee” matters. D.C. law defines “employee” as a person working under a contract of hire and includes most workers; however, it excludes certain categories such as employment that is “casual and not in the usual course” of the employer’s business, and it contains special rules for domestic service (household workers must be covered when the employer employs one or more domestic workers for 240 hours or more in any calendar quarter in the current or prior year).
D.C. coverage can also apply in situations where an injury occurs outside the District but the employment is localized principally in the District, and there are limited exemptions for certain nonresident employers when specific conditions are met (for example, when the employer provides workers’ compensation coverage in another jurisdiction).
In D.C., workers’ comp covers any injury or illness that results from an employee’s job duties, starting from the first day of employment.
Temporary Total Disability (TTD): Paid at 66 2/3% of the Average Weekly Wage (AWW).
Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): Also paid at 66 2/3% of AWW for partial work limitations.
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD): Based on the loss or loss of use of a body part.
Permanent Total Disability (PTD): For employees who cannot earn wages due to disability or loss of two major body parts (e.g., both hands or both eyes).
Disfigurement: Up to $7,500 for serious disfigurement to visible areas like the face, head, or neck.
Employers typically obtain workers’ compensation insurance from a private carrier authorized to write workers’ comp in the District. Employers may also apply to become self-insured if they meet the District’s requirements and receive approval.
If you’re unable to obtain coverage in the standard market, you can access the District’s residual/assigned-risk market through a licensed agent or broker (who submits the application through D.C.’s assigned risk program).
Under D.C. law, an employer that fails to secure required workers’ compensation coverage may be assessed a civil fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $10,000. If the employer is a corporation, the president, secretary, and treasurer can also be personally liable for the fine and may be personally liable (jointly with the corporation) for compensation and benefits owed for injuries occurring while the employer is uninsured.
Separately, D.C. law makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly transfer or conceal employer property after an employee is injured with the intent to avoid paying workers’ compensation; penalties can include a fine and imprisonment of up to one year.
Employers must post the DCWC Form 1 “Notice of Compliance” at each worksite where it is clearly visible to employees. This notice summarizes your workers’ compensation coverage information and key employee rights.
If an employee is injured or develops an occupational illness:
File DCWC Form 8 (Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease) as soon as possible after you learn of the injury/illness, but no later than 10 days after the date of injury/death (or after the date you have knowledge of an occupational disease/infection).
Submit the report to the Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWC) and provide the required copies as directed (including to the appropriate agency and your insurer/claims office, consistent with D.C. reporting practice).
Send the employee (or the employee’s next of kin) a written “statement of rights and obligations” by certified mail, return receipt requested, at the same time you submit the report.
If you dispute (controvert) that the injury/illness is work-related, you must file DCWC Form 11 (Notice of Controversion) on or before the 14th day after you have knowledge of the alleged injury or death and its relationship to the employment.
Failure or refusal to submit required employer reports can result in civil penalties of up to $1,000 per failure.
If a work-related injury results in disability lasting more than three days, and the claim is not controverted, the employer/insurer must begin compensation payments promptly—generally with the first payment due within 14 working days after the employer has knowledge of the injury. If the employer/insurer does not begin payments and does not file a timely Notice of Controversion (Form 11), it may be subject to sanctions.
If compensation is unreasonably delayed (including in bad faith), the District may require the employer/insurer to pay the employee their actual weekly wage in addition to the compensation due for the period of delay.
Maintaining workers’ compensation coverage is essential for compliance with D.C. law — but just as importantly, it supports a safe and secure workplace for your employees. Should something go wrong, both your team and your business are protected. If you have questions or need help, Beyond is here to support you.
