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Register a business for WCB coverage

To apply for workers compensation coverage in Manitoba, complete our Online Employer Registration application.

The Online Employer Registration tool is a secure, online application. It takes less than ten minutes to complete and you can access this resource at your convenience as it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When you have successfully completed your online registration, your information is sent to the Assessment Services Department for review. They will follow up with you with the following information:

  • the industry classification assigned to your business
  • your premium rate
  • information on how to report your payroll and pay your premium

If you would prefer to register your business over the phone, please call 204-954-4505 or toll free at 1-855-954-4321 to speak to someone directly.

Businesses that need to register

Businesses that employ workers in Manitoba

If you employ workers in Manitoba, you will be grouped together with other businesses that do similar kinds of work. These groups are called Industry Classifications and are used for the purposes of Rate Setting.

If you do not employ workers in Manitoba, you are not required to have WCB coverage. For these situations, business owners and self-employed individuals can choose to purchase Personal Coverage.

Businesses that are classified as a mandatory industry

If you are in a mandatory industry, everyone who works for your business is considered a worker and is entitled to WCB coverage regardless of the number of hours they work, the structure of their pay and the nature of their work. This includes contract workers, domestic service workers, family members and apprentices. Mandatory industries include: 

  • Agriculture and forestry 
  • Mines, quarries and oil wells 
  • Manufacturing 
  • Construction 
  • Transportation, communications and storage 
  • Trade (retail) 
  • Service 
  • Public administration

Note: If you hire one domestic worker who works more than 24 hours per week and another domestic worker for less than 24 hours a week, you must provide coverage for all of your domestic service workers.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the application process.

Yes, workers compensation coverage is provided automatically to the following volunteer emergency workers:

  • volunteer firefighters and ambulance attendants
  • individuals called to duty under the Wildfires Act. These workers are provided WCB coverage for the period of time they are engaged to assist with fire protection services and are considered workers of the Government of Manitoba.

In these situations, the Province of Manitoba is considered their employer.

Yes. Coverage is available for volunteers of non-profit or charitable organizations provided they meet the WCB’s criteria as laid out in policy 35.10.70 Coverage for Volunteers. A volunteer is defined as a person who does community service work and does not receive any pay or compensation.

In these cases, the non-profit or charitable organization must agree to purchase coverage for all of their volunteers (you cannot selectively cover some individuals and not others).

WCB coverage provides immunity from lawsuit for covered workers and employers. While these volunteers are not paid, many will have earnings from other paid employment that may be interrupted if they are injured. These earnings would be protected if the individual is injured while volunteering for an organization with WCB coverage.

Yes, however in most cases workers compensation coverage is provided by the Province of Manitoba. Students on a work experience through the following institutions have workers compensation through the Province:

  • Universities of Manitoba, Winnipeg and Brandon
  • University College of the North
  • College Universitaire de Saint-Boniface
  • Assiniboine Community College
  • RRC Polytech
  • high school

Other institutions may also apply for workers compensation coverage for their students in work experience programs. If the employer is in a mandatory industry, the training institute and the individual’s employer are both responsible for the coverage. 

Yes. Employers who hire Green Team members through the Government of Manitoba grant program are required to provide WCB coverage for these employees. Providing workers compensation to Green Team members is a condition of receiving the grant, whether the employer is in a mandatory industry or not.

If you prefer to speak to someone directly to register your business, you may call 204-954-4505 or toll free 1-855-954-4321 and we will register your business over the phone.

Before you begin, you should have the following information available so you can complete your request:

  • legal name of business entity (i.e. ownership)
  • WCB Account Number (if known)
  • nine-digit Business Number (if known)
  • business contact information
  • date workers were/will be hired
  • estimated annual gross payroll for current year
  • information pertaining to sale if the business was purchased 

The information you enter on this screen will be used to contact whoever is identified to finalize the registration. Please note, if you enter an email address on this screen, the WCB will use email for our initial contact to confirm details of your registration and for all future contact unless we are instructed otherwise.

Once your registration is complete, you may add additional contacts as necessary at any time. For example, if someone in your organization is primarily responsible for claim related issues, you can identify them as a contact for this purpose. 

If you have not had previous contact with the WCB, you will not have a WCB Account Number. In this case, you can enter a Business Number in the space provided or you can select the option of ‘No account number or business number or unknown.’

If you have had contact with the WCB in the past, your Account Number will be available on any previous correspondence you received. Previous correspondence may refer to a Firm Number which is the same as Account Number.

If you provide your WCB Account Number, the Summary screen will be pre-populated with the information we have on our system. You will have the opportunity to review the information and make any changes that are necessary. Once you confirm and submit the information, it will be sent to the WCB’s Assessment Services Department and one of our staff will be in touch with you to finalize your registration if necessary.

If you previously registered with the Companies Office, they may have provided you with a Business Number. If you previously applied for a GST number, you will also have been given a Business Number.

If you provide your Business Number, the Summary screen will be pre-populated with the ownership and address information we have available to us. You will have the opportunity to review the information, provide additional relevant information and/or make any changes that are necessary. Once you confirm and submit the information, it will be sent to the WCB’s Assessment Services Department and one of our staff will be in touch with you to finalize your registration if necessary.

The legal name of your business is the name registered with the Canada Revenue Agency. This may be different than the name under which you operate your business or your trade name. For example, you may have an incorporated numbered company – the numbered company is the name you need to provide for the legal name of your business. Your business name should be the name under which you operate publicly, if it is different.

A worker is any person who enters into, or works under, a contract of service or apprenticeship, written or oral, expressed or implied, whether by way of manual labour or otherwise. The following are examples of workers for WCB purposes:

  • full-time staff
  • part-time staff
  • office/administrative staff
  • management staff
  • casual workers
  • executive officers who are not directors
  • shareholders who work for the firm but are not directors of the firm
  • learners/apprentices (persons undergoing training)
  • clerks
  • sales staff
  • staff paid on commission
  • staff paid on piecework
  • anyone with Personal Coverage
  • some contract workers*

*If you hire independent contractors, you should use the Clearances application to determine if they are registered with the WCB and in good standing. If they are in good standing, you do not need to include their earnings in your payroll calculations. If they are not in the system or do not show good standing status, you need to contact the WCB so we can determine whether they will be deemed to be your worker(s) and if you need to include their earnings in your payroll calculations. 

When submitting payroll information, you must provide the WCB with an estimate of your payroll from the time you began employing until the end of the calendar year.

For the purposes of classification, the WCB of Manitoba, like all other Canadian compensation systems, assigns each business to an industry based on its main business activity rather than by occupation.

The main business activity of any business is generally the service or product for which it charges its customers a fee. Most other activities in a business support the main activity. For example, sales and administrative activities usually support the main activity of a business.

If you require technical assistance with the Online Employer Registration application, please contact the WCB Technical Support Team at 204-954-4573 in Winnipeg or toll free in Canada at 1-855-954-4321, ext. 4573. The WCB Technical Support Team is available to assist you from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM (except on statutory holidays).

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