Cost
A trim carpenter and a framing crew see very different jumps the moment they hire their first employee. Here's what actually happens to your premium.
Every carpentry business eventually faces the same fork: keep working solo, or bring on a first employee. What surprises a lot of carpenters is how differently that jump lands depending on what kind of carpentry you actually do — a trim carpenter adding a helper and a framing contractor adding a first crew member are looking at very different numbers.
As a solo operator, your premium is mostly a function of your revenue and whether you're doing framing/structural work, finish/trim work, or cabinetry and millwork. See our full cost breakdown for the solo bands across each type.
The day you put an employee on the clock, most states require workers' compensation — a standalone policy priced off payroll, not an add-on to your GL. Carpentry carries real physical exposure regardless of specialty: saw and nail gun injuries, falls from ladders and staging, repetitive strain from framing work specifically. Carriers price this class with that reality built in from your very first hire.
A framing or structural crew adding employees sees a steeper cost increase than a trim or finish carpenter doing the same, because the underlying physical risk was already higher before anyone else joined. Combined GL and workers' comp costs for a small framing crew commonly land two to three times a solo trim carpenter's baseline. Our contractor coverage page covers what else shifts once you're running a crew.
More carpenters on a job usually means more saws, more nail guns, and — if cabinetry or millwork is part of your business — more material value moving through an installation floater at any given time. Both coverage limits need to track your actual crew size and material volume, not a solo-operator estimate from when you started.
Larger commercial and framing contracts sometimes specify minimum crew size or coverage limits as a condition of the bid — which means the insurance conversation about scaling up needs to happen before you win that job, not after.
The math usually works if a hire lets you take on real additional work — a second active job site, a bid you couldn't staff solo — rather than just splitting existing revenue. Get both numbers quoted before you commit, so the decision is based on real figures.
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FAQ
Yes, in most states workers' comp requirements are based on having any W-2 employee, regardless of their specific role or trade experience.
Often the direct insurance cost is lower, but you're responsible for collecting a valid COI from every sub, and using an underinsured sub can create liability that flows back onto your own policy.
Framing and structural work already carries higher physical risk solo, so adding an employee compounds an already-higher baseline rather than starting from a lower one like finish carpentry does.
No — you need to report increased material value and typical job volume to your carrier so your floater limit reflects what you're actually carrying, not a solo-era estimate.
It varies significantly by whether you do framing, finish, or cabinetry work, but combined GL-plus-workers-comp costs commonly land well above solo-only pricing — get a specific quote for your situation.
Tell us your current setup and hiring plan, and we'll quote both so you can decide with real numbers.