Surprise workers' comp audit bill? Check it free.
Your policy was priced on estimated payroll. The audit re-prices it on what actually happened, and the difference shows up as a bill. Our free calculators show you where the money came from, so you know what to check before you pay or dispute.
Two free tools. No sign-up.
Audit Bill Estimator
Enter payroll by class code, your rates, and your experience mod. See what the audited premium should roughly be, how it compares with the deposit you paid, and which class drove the gap.
Open the estimatorUninsured Subcontractor Calculator
Paid subs who didn't give you a certificate of insurance? Auditors can treat part or all of what you paid them as your payroll. Estimate that charge, sub by sub.
Open the calculatorWhy audit bills surprise people
Workers' comp premium is usually figured as payroll in each class, divided by 100, times that class's rate, then adjusted by your experience mod and other policy factors. At the start of the policy year that math runs on an estimate. At the end, a premium audit replaces the estimate with real records. Common reasons the number jumps:
- Payroll grew beyond what was estimated on the policy.
- Subcontractors without certificates got counted as your payroll.
- Work was put in a higher-rated class than you expected, or payroll couldn't be split between classes because records weren't kept that way.
- Overtime was counted at full value when the premium portion could have been excluded with proper records (rules vary by state).
- Owner or officer payroll was included in a way you didn't plan for.
Some of these are real and you'll owe them. Some are errors or missing paperwork you can still fix. The point is to know which before you pay. Read: why is my audit bill so high?
What to do this week
- Find the deadline. Your audit invoice or notice says how long you have to dispute. Windows vary by carrier and can be short.
- Get the audit worksheet. Ask your carrier for the full audit summary showing payroll by class, sub charges and rates, not just the invoice total.
- Run the numbers. Use the estimator and sub calculator to see which lines drive the bill.
- Gather proof. Certificates of insurance, payroll reports, overtime records, contracts and invoices.
- Dispute in writing, specifically. List each error, the correction, and the records that support it. Step-by-step dispute guide · Free letter template
Popular guides
How to dispute a workers' comp audit
The order of steps, what a valid dispute contains, and when NCCI dispute resolution comes in.
Uninsured subcontractor charges
How auditors figure the charge and how a certificate can remove it.
State Fund (California) audit disputes
Exactly what State Fund asks for, and where to send it.
Who we are, and what we're not
TrueUpAudit publishes free calculators and plain-English guides for small contractors who just got a workers' comp audit bill they don't understand. We are not an insurance agency, a law firm, or a consultant, and we don't contact your carrier for you. You stay in charge of your own dispute; we help you understand the math and the paperwork. More about us.
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