Workers Comp Premiums And Buying Out A Business

We have received a few calls on this situation in the last few months. A company or individual decides to buy another company. The deal is cut. A premium auditor then arrives some time later. The business receives a premium bill for a large amount of money. Is there any way to avoid paying the bill or should the previous owner have to pay the bill?

I do not wish to give legal advice. However, from the Workers Compensation angle, the bill is due and payable by someone IF the premium audit bill is accurate. If the buyout contract does not specify the previous owner should pay the bill, the current liability is owed by the current owner. The new business owner very likely had some length of coverage under this policy.

The best way to avoid the situation is to have an expert look over the current Workers Compensation policy in place to make sure there are no lingering liabilities. Our most recent inquiry was on a $600,000 bill.