Tennessee self-insured workers' comp bonds.
From $10,000.
A Tennessee employer that self-insures workers' compensation needs a certificate of authority, and T.C.A. § 50-6-405 conditions it on security, such as a surety bond, of at least $500,000 unless the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance approves a different figure. Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a Tennessee self-insured workers' comp bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $10,000 at the $500,000 minimum. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No long underwriting queue for the standard self-insurance security — enter your amount, consent to a soft pull, and file with Commerce and Insurance. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your company details, the security amount your certificate of authority requires, the effective date, and a one-time credit consent that authorizes a soft pull only.
Approved
Most applications clear the moment you pay — the soft pull informs approval and never affects your score. Pricing is 2% of the bond amount.
File with Commerce and Insurance
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance to support your self-insurance certificate. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the self-insurance security actually guarantees
Most Tennessee employers cover their workers' compensation liability with an insurance policy. T.C.A. § 50-6-405 lets a qualifying employer take on that liability itself instead, but only after the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance issues a certificate of authority to self-insure. It is unlawful for an employer to self-insure workers' compensation without that certificate.
As a condition of the certificate, the statute requires the employer to post and maintain security — negotiable securities, a surety bond, a certificate of deposit, or a letter of credit — with a fair market value of not less than $500,000, unless the commissioner has approved a different amount. The security backs the employer's obligation to actually pay the workers' compensation claims that arise while it is self-insured; if the employer cannot or will not pay, the state can draw on the security to protect injured workers.
The commissioner can require the security be increased if it is later judged inadequate, and the statute requires it be held for a minimum of ten years after the employer is no longer self-insured, so a lapsed employer cannot walk away from claims that are still working through the system. Enter the amount your certificate requires; we price the bond from $10,000, after a soft credit pull that never affects your score.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with Commerce and Insurance. Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance to support your self-insurance certificate. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including your company details and a one-time credit consent that authorizes a soft pull only. The pull never affects your score, and your price — from $10,000 — is set at application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Tennessee bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Post your self-insurance security today.
Priced at 2% of the amount. Enter your commissioner-set figure and file with Commerce and Insurance the same day.