WorkSafeBC 2027: a flat average, and why your own rate can still move
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The average rate has been $1.55 every year since 2018. Your premium comes from your industry’s rate and your own claims record, and for nearly half of BC employers that goes up in 2027.
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What WorkSafeBC announced
WorkSafeBC has published its preliminary rates for 2027. The average base rate stays at $1.55 per $100 of assessable payroll, the same figure every year since 2018. The expected cost of coverage is higher, about $1.88 per $100, and WorkSafeBC is covering the gap from its surplus: roughly $960 million goes back to employers in 2027 through discounted rates and assessment credits.
These rates are preliminary. WorkSafeBC calculates the official values in its October final-rates process, and they need its board’s approval. The figures on this page are the preliminary ones.
Why an unchanged average can still raise your premium
Nobody pays the average rate. Your base rate is set for your classification unit, the industry group your business is placed in, and it follows that industry’s claim costs. For 2027, 48% of employers are in units whose base rate goes up, 30% go down and 22% stay the same.
Experience rating then adjusts the base rate for your own claims history against similar employers. Lower-than-average claim costs can earn a discount of up to 50% over time. Higher costs can bring a surcharge of up to 100%.
| Part | What sets it |
|---|---|
| Industry base rate | Your classification unit’s claim costs |
| Experience rating | Your own claims compared with similar employers |
| Assessable payroll | Wages paid, up to the maximum per worker |
| Premium | Base rate adjusted for experience, per $100 of assessable payroll |
Check your 2027 rate now
A wrong classification unit costs money in either direction, and it is the part of the premium you can ask WorkSafeBC to review. If the business has changed since it registered, raise it with WorkSafeBC before an audit finds it.
What to change in payroll before January
WorkSafeBC has set the 2027 maximum wage rate at $130,800, effective 1 January 2027. It is also the most of one worker’s annual earnings that a premium is charged on, so earnings above it are not assessable. Payroll software applies the new cap only once it has been updated for 2027. Check it before the first pay run of the year.
Your annual payroll report to WorkSafeBC is reconciled against the premiums you paid during the year. Payroll records that separate wages from reimbursements and other amounts make that report a copying exercise, not a reconstruction.
Recording premiums and credits
WorkSafeBC premiums are an operating expense, best kept in their own account, apart from payroll taxes. An assessment credit reduces what you owe, so it normally reduces that expense for the period. It is not income. If a credit appears on a statement and you cannot see where it went in the books, ask whoever keeps them.
A fictional example
A fictional landscaping company has CAD 400,000 of assessable payroll. At a base rate of CAD 3.00 per 100 and no experience-rating adjustment, its premium is CAD 12,000. If its unit’s rate rises to CAD 3.30 for 2027, the same payroll costs CAD 13,200. These rates are invented for the example. They are not WorkSafeBC’s rate for any industry.
Is the WorkSafeBC rate going up in 2027?
The average base rate is not: it stays at $1.55 per $100 of assessable payroll for a tenth year. Your own rate can still change, because it depends on your classification unit and your claims record. For 2027, 48% of employers are in units whose base rate rises.
Where do I find my 2027 rate?
WorkSafeBC publishes each classification unit’s preliminary base rate on its 2027 rates page, and your preliminary experience rating letter is in your online services account. Both stay preliminary until the final rates are set in the fall.
What are the 2027 maximum assessable earnings?
$130,800 per worker, from 1 January 2027. Earnings above that in the year do not attract a premium. Make sure your payroll software has the 2027 figure before the first pay run of the year.
How do I record a WorkSafeBC assessment credit?
It reduces what you owe WorkSafeBC, so it normally reduces the WorkSafeBC expense for the period. It is not income. Keep the statement that shows it with that month’s records.
Do I need WorkSafeBC coverage at all?
Most BC businesses that hire and pay workers do. WorkSafeBC publishes who needs to register, and registration is separate from your CRA payroll account.
The dated note on the 2027 rate announcement
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