A Tennessee employer that wants to self-insure its workers' compensation liability instead of buying a policy needs a certificate of authority from the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance, and T.C.A. § 50-6-405 conditions that certificate on posting 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 approves a different figure. Premiums cost 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, after a soft credit pull that never affects your score.
















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:
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.
Most applications clear the moment you pay — the soft pull informs approval and never affects your score. Pricing is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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.
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 a $100 minimum, after a soft credit pull that never affects your score.
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 a $100 minimum — is set at application.
Start the application →Priced at 2% of the amount, $100 minimum. Enter your commissioner-set figure and file with Commerce and Insurance the same day.