Workers' Comp vs General Liability in Florida

Last reviewed: November 2026, by Cheap Workers Comp Florida, licensed Florida agency DFS #L077476

Side by Side

What Workers' Comp Covers

Workers' compensation is the no-fault system Florida set up in Chapter 440, Florida Statutes. When an employee is hurt on the job, the employer's coverage pays for medically necessary treatment and replaces part of the employee's lost wages, whether or not anyone was at fault. In exchange, the employee generally cannot sue the employer for the injury. Section 440.10(1)(a) requires every covered employer to secure this compensation for its employees.

The coverage follows the payroll. Premium is calculated per $100 of payroll for each class code. For example, roofing (code 5551) currently carries a 2026 Florida filed rate of $6.75 per $100 in our database, so a roofer earning $50,000 generates about $3,375 of base premium before pricing adjustments. That is why workers' comp is usually the more expensive policy for high-hazard trades.

What General Liability Covers

Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance protects the business when its operations injure someone who is not its employee, or damage someone else's property. A ladder that falls onto a homeowner's car, a customer who trips over your materials, a water leak from your plumbing work that ruins a ceiling: those are general liability claims. The policy also pays to defend you when you are sued over those events. Most GL policies also include completed-operations coverage for damage that shows up after the job is finished, though terms vary by insurer.

What GL does not do is pay for your own employees' work injuries. Standard CGL forms exclude bodily injury to the insured's employees arising out of their employment, because that risk belongs to workers' comp. A contractor with a $1,000,000 GL policy and no workers' comp has no coverage for a worker who falls off a roof.

Who Requires Which in Florida

The state, for workers' comp

Florida law requires workers' comp at one or more employees in construction and four or more in most other industries, counting part-time employees and non-exempt corporate officers and LLC members (section 440.02(20)(b)2. and the Division's coverage guidance). The Division of Workers' Compensation enforces it with stop-work orders and penalties under section 440.107. There is no general state mandate to carry GL for most businesses.

The licensing board, for contractors

State-certified and registered contractors face both requirements through their license. Section 489.115(5)(a) requires an applicant, before a certificate or registration is issued or renewed, to file an affidavit that it has obtained workers' compensation, public liability insurance, and property damage insurance in amounts the Construction Industry Licensing Board sets by rule. Section 489.114 separately requires evidence of workers' compensation coverage under Chapter 440, and failure to maintain required coverage is grounds to revoke, suspend, or deny the license; the Department notifies contractors found out of compliance and they must pay a $500 administrative fine and prove compliance. A contractor who will be exempt files an affidavit saying it will obtain the exemption within 30 days after the license is issued (section 489.115(5)(d)).

The board's rule 61G4-15.003 sets the minimum public liability and property damage amounts:

Those are legal minimums for the license. In practice, contracts often require much higher limits.

General contractors and project owners

GCs ask subs for both certificates because Florida law makes them responsible for uninsured subcontractors' workers. Under section 440.10(1)(b), the employees of a sub that has not secured coverage are treated as the contractor's employees, and section 440.10(1)(c) requires the contractor to collect evidence of coverage from each sub. For GL, the concern is that if a sub damages property or injures a third party, the claim will land on the GC. Contracts commonly require the sub to name the GC as an additional insured on the sub's GL policy.

Certificates of Insurance

A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary of the policies a business carries: insurer, policy numbers, effective and expiration dates, and limits. It is evidence of coverage, not the policy itself, and it does not change the policy's terms. A typical contractor certificate shows both general liability and workers' compensation, along with any auto or umbrella coverage.

For workers' comp, you can check the certificate against the state's records. The Division of Workers' Compensation offers an online proof of coverage search and an exemption search. There is no equivalent state database for GL, so the certificate holder relies on the agent or insurer that issued it. Our certificate verification guide shows how to check a workers' comp certificate step by step.

Common Gaps Between the Two

• Employee injuries with only a GL policy. GL excludes them. If you have employees and meet the threshold, only workers' comp responds.
• Exempt owners. An officer with a valid exemption may not recover workers' comp benefits for his or her own injuries (section 440.05). The GL policy does not fill that hole either, so the owner's health and disability coverage matters.
• Uninsured subcontractors. Their injured workers can become the GC's workers' comp claim under section 440.10, and the GC's auditor will charge premium on what was paid to them. Some GL policies also limit or exclude coverage for injuries to subcontractors' workers, so read the exclusions.
• "1099" workers who are really employees. In construction, a worker paid as an independent contractor is an employee under section 440.02(18)(c)3. Calling them contractors does not move them onto anyone's GL policy, and the Division can assess up to $5,000 per misclassified worker under section 440.10(1)(f).
• Ghost policies. A workers' comp policy that lists no covered employees can produce a certificate without covering the people on the job. See our ghost policy guide.
• Lapses. A certificate shows dates as of the day it was issued. A policy canceled for nonpayment afterward leaves the certificate looking valid. Re-check workers' comp coverage on the state database before work starts.

How We Fit In

We focus on workers' compensation. Our instant quote tool prices Florida workers' comp, including PEO pay-as-you-go programs where premium is collected with each payroll. If you already have a workers' comp policy, upload your renewal and we will quote against it. Keep your GL with an agent who writes it, and make sure both certificates list the correct business name and dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Resources

• How to verify a Florida workers' comp certificate
• Subcontractor certificates of insurance
• Ghost policies in Florida
• 1099 contractors and workers' comp
• How much workers' comp costs in Florida

Sources

• Section 440.02, Florida Statutes (2026): Definitions
• Section 440.10, Florida Statutes (2026): Liability for compensation
• Section 440.05, Florida Statutes (2026): Election of exemption
• Section 489.114, Florida Statutes (2026): Evidence of workers' compensation coverage
• Section 489.115, Florida Statutes (2026): Certification and registration
• Rule 61G4-15.003, F.A.C.: Public Liability Insurance
• Florida Division of Workers' Compensation: Coverage Requirements