California workers’ compensation written premium levels for calendar years 2022 to 2024 remained consistent, marking a return to stability following sharp fluctuations during the pandemic.
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released its latest Quarterly Experience Report on statewide insurer experience valued as of June 30, 2025.
Related: Viewpoint: A Workers’ Comp Hard Market Is Coming to California
The WCIRB report also notes that written premium in the first six months of 2025 were consistent with the first six months of 2024.
“The average charged rate had been declining steadily since 2014, reaching historical lows in 2023 and 2024,” the report states. “The estimated average charged rate based on the first six months of 2025 is 2% higher than that of 2024, the first increase in over 10 years.”
In a 2025 pure premium rate filing decision, the California Insurance Commissioner approved an average 8.7% increase in advisory pure premium rates effective September 1, 2025.
Highlights from the report include:
- The estimated average charged rate for the first half of 2025 was 2% higher than the same period in 2024, the first year-over-year increase in more than a decade.
- The combined ratio for accident year 2024 increased by 13 points over accident year 2023 and is the highest in over 20 years.
- Indemnity claim frequency increased in 2023 and 2024, largely driven by a sharp increase in the frequency of claims involving cumulative trauma.
Topics California Workers' Compensation
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