Can owners be excluded from covering themselves on workers’ comp?

Yes, owners can exclude themselves from workers’ comp, but it depends on whether they are classified as a corporation or a proprietorship.

There’s no problem excluding an owner when a policy is written directly with a carrier, but owners cannot be excluded in a PEO relationship. Most states do not allow the owner’s exclusion within a PEO since the only exclusions allowed are to the master policy holder, which is the PEO, not the PEO’s client.