Workers' compensation (WCB)

Provincial no-fault insurance, paid for by employers, that replaces lost wages and pays health care for workers hurt or made ill by their work.

Also called: WCB, workers' comp, workplace injury insurance, workers compensation board

What workers' compensation (WCB) means

Workers' compensation is a no-fault insurance system run by a board in each province and territory. When a worker is injured or becomes ill because of their job, the board pays benefits, such as wage-loss payments and health care, regardless of who was at fault. In return, the worker generally cannot sue their employer for the injury.

Employers pay for the system through premiums (called assessments in some provinces), based on their payroll and the risk level of their industry. Most employers in most industries must register with their board, though coverage rules differ by province and some industries are exempt or optional.

People often say 'WCB' for any of these boards, but the names differ: WSIB in Ontario, WorkSafeBC in British Columbia, CNESST in Quebec, WorkSafeNB in New Brunswick and WorkplaceNL in Newfoundland and Labrador, for example.

How it works

Premiums are worked out as a rate per $100 of assessable payroll. Your rate depends on your industry classification. Each worker's earnings count only up to the board's maximum assessable earnings for the year, so earnings above that cap do not attract premiums. Many boards also adjust your rate up or down based on your own claim history, which is called experience rating.

When an injury happens, the worker gets first aid or medical care, you report the injury to the board within its deadline, and the worker files their own claim. If the claim is accepted, the board pays a share of the worker's lost earnings, usually based on net (take-home) pay, plus health care costs. Some provinces make the employer pay wages for the day of the injury.

Help the worker get back to work. Most boards expect employers to offer suitable modified duties when a worker is able, and early return to safe work usually lowers the cost of a claim. Keep in touch with the worker and the board throughout.

Common mistakes: treating workers as contractors to avoid premiums, reporting late, discouraging a worker from filing a claim, and paying an injured worker 'under the table' instead of reporting. These can lead to penalties.

Workers' compensation (WCB) by province

Each province and territory has its own board, premium rates, maximum assessable earnings and benefit rules. Figures below are for 2026.

Where the work is done	The rule
British Columbia	WorkSafeBC. Maximum assessable earnings $127,500. Wage-loss benefits are 90% of net earnings.
Alberta	WCB Alberta. Maximum $110,900. Benefits are 90% of net earnings; the employer pays regular wages for the whole day of injury.
Saskatchewan	WCB Saskatchewan. Maximum assessable earnings $108,223.
Manitoba	WCB Manitoba. Maximum assessable earnings $171,500.
Ontario	WSIB. Maximum insurable earnings $121,700. Benefits are 85% of net earnings; the employer pays the day of injury.
Quebec	CNESST. Maximum insurable earnings $103,000.
New Brunswick	WorkSafeNB. Maximum $85,800. Benefits are 90% of loss of earnings, with no waiting period.
Nova Scotia	WCB Nova Scotia. Maximum $79,900 ($83,300 in 2027). Benefits are 75% of net earnings for the first 26 weeks, then 85%. Two fifths of the first week is held back, and paid back if the worker is off more than 5 weeks.
Prince Edward Island	WCB PEI. Maximum $89,300. Benefits are 90% of net earnings, with no waiting period.
Newfoundland and Labrador	WorkplaceNL. Maximum $80,935. Benefits are 85% of net earnings; the employer pays the day of injury.
Yukon	Yukon Workers' Safety and Compensation Board. Maximum $107,599 ($111,580 in 2027).
Northwest Territories	WSCC. Maximum assessable earnings $116,000.
Nunavut	WSCC. Maximum assessable earnings $117,300.

Benefit rates are shown only where we confirmed them on the board's page or the AWCBC tables. Federally regulated employers are not listed.

Example: A sprained back at a moving company

Darnell runs a 10-person moving company in Halifax. A mover strains his back lifting a dresser and his doctor says he cannot work for three weeks.

Darnell reports the injury to WCB Nova Scotia and the mover files his claim. Once it is accepted, the mover receives 75% of his net earnings, since he is well within the first 26 weeks. Nova Scotia holds back two fifths of the first week as a waiting period and pays it back only if the worker is off more than 5 weeks, so that part is not paid here. When the doctor clears light work for the third week, Darnell offers dispatch and inventory duties, which shortens the time off.

Free WCB calculators

Staffkin's free WCB premium calculator estimates your premium from your payroll and rate, and the claim cost calculator estimates what an injury can cost your business.

Estimate your WCB premium

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about workers' compensation (WCB)

Do I have to register with WCB?

Most employers in most industries must register with their provincial board once they hire workers. Coverage rules and exemptions differ, so check with your board.

Can an injured worker sue me?

Generally not, if you are covered. Workers' compensation is a no-fault system that replaces the right to sue the employer for a workplace injury.

How are WCB premiums calculated?

Your industry rate per $100 of assessable payroll, times your payroll, counting each worker only up to the board's maximum assessable earnings.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.