CRANSTON – The Insurance Division of the R.I. Department of Business Regulation announced Tuesday the approval of a 2.5% reduction in average workers’ compensation loss costs for 2026.
Going into effect Aug. 1, this marks the 11th consecutive annual decrease in "loss costs" for the state, amounting to a 75.8% overall reduction since 2015, according to DBR.
Loss costs are the expected amount an insurer will pay for claims such as medical bills and lost wages, calculated from past claims data.
Once approved these “advisory loss costs” must be used by all insurers electing to write workers compensation insurance in Rhode Island as one component in setting rates charged to employers, according to DBR.
The 2026 rate proposal was filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance last November on behalf of the state’s 200 insurance companies providing workers’ compensation coverage.
Cost rates were reduced 4.8% and 10.5% by state regulators in 2025 and 2024, respectively.
The trend is due to less workplace injury claims being recorded statewide, but DBR said individual insurance premiums will still vary based on a company’s individual claims history and payroll.
Calling the rate reduction “a positive sign” for the state economy and one that “indicates a healthy insurance market in Rhode Island,” DBR Director Elizabeth Dwyer said the downward cost curve was partly due to greater workplace safety being implemented by businesses.
Calculated per $100 of payroll, Workers' compensation insurance in Rhode Island averaged $969 annually, according to MoneyGeek.com.
Chris Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.