Registration FAQs

Getting started - How can I register?

What happens if I don’t register or if I register more than 10 calendar days after hiring my first employee? 

By law, most businesses need to register with the WSIB within 10 calendar days of hiring their first employee. If you own or operate a business in construction, your registration obligation may differ. You can learn more about mandatory coverage in the construction industry.

If you are not registered with us, and should be, you can voluntarily register your business for the first time. Not registering may result in penalties, investigation and provincial offences charge or having to repay retroactive premiums. See our policy on voluntary registration.
 

Can I register my new business prior to hiring employees?

No. We ask that you register with us 10 calendar days of hiring your first employee. We don’t accept future-dated registrations.

If you own or operate a business in construction, you can register as of the date your business starts performing construction work, or the date you meet the criteria of an independent operator in construction, see our policy on Workers and Independent Operators for more information. You can also learn more about mandatory coverage in construction.

What do I need to know if I run a business that’s not based in Ontario but hires people to work in Ontario?

Businesses have an obligation to find out if they should register in Ontario when either hiring:

  • Ontario resident employees to work in Ontario, or
  • Employees from outside of Ontario to work in Ontario

Most non-resident businesses who employ an Ontario resident to work in Ontario are required to have coverage for them with the WSIB. A non-resident employee is someone whose permanent residence is outside of Ontario. A non-resident employee who works in Ontario normally has a substantial connection with Ontario unless the employment here is minimal and short-term, compared to their employment somewhere else. See our policy on non-resident workers for more information about your registration obligations.

How do I register if I had a WSIB account in the past?

Use our online registration service to register. You’ll be able to include any prior and/or existing account(s) you’ve had with us. We will review the information and decide if a new account should be created, or if your prior account will be reactivated. If we have any questions, we’ll contact you.

How do I register a new account, if I already have an account with the WSIB?

Use our online registration service to register. You’ll be able to include any prior and/or existing account(s) you’ve had with us. We will review the information and decide if a new account will be created based on the legal name and physical location of business. If we have any questions, we will contact you.

How much does it cost to register?

Registering is free, but if you need a clearance certificate right away and haven’t paid any premiums, you will need to pay a $250 deposit to get the clearance certificate. The $250 will act as a credit on your account, so when the time comes for you to pay your premiums you will have already paid $250 against the bill. You can get your clearance certificate online

Registering online

Do I have to sign up using the online service?

We encourage you to register online. It’s free, fast and convenient. If you are unable to register online, you can register by phone, by mail or fax. Contact us to find out more. 

Can someone else (e.g. accountant/bookkeeper, family member, etc.) register my business for me?

Yes, but they must check off the statement saying that they are authorized by the business owner to submit registration information.

Can I save information I enter in the online eRegistration system and return to it later?

No. For security reasons, you must enter all information and submit it at one time. You will be timed out of your session if you are inactive for 30 minutes and the information you have entered will not be saved or stored online. 

Check out the list of information you should have on hand before you start. 

How do I know when my registration is complete?

Once you have submitted your information to us online, a confirmation number will be displayed on a printable summary page. We will also email this number to your company contact email address you provided to us during registration. Once your account has been activated, we’ll email you your WSIB account number and send you a welcome package by mail.

How long will it take to get my WSIB account activated after I submit my information online?

If we have all the information that we need from you, your account will typically be activated within 10 business days.

I did not receive a confirmation email after submitting my registration information. What happened?

The confirmation email is sent to the company contact email address that you provided.

You will not receive the email if the email address provided was invalid, incomplete, or filtered to exclude email from unknown senders. However, if you clicked on 'submit' and a confirmation number was displayed onscreen, then we do have your registration information and will contact you with your account information.

I submitted registration information online and got a confirmation number by email. Does this mean I now have a WSIB account?

Not yet. The confirmation email confirms the receipt of your registration information. We will review the information you submitted and we’ll email you your WSIB account number and send you a welcome package by mail.

Online service support and troubleshooting

Why do I get an error message after I press the 'Back' button to try to go to the previous page?

Always press the 'Previous' button on the bottom of the page to return to the previous page.

If you clicked the 'Back' button on your browser by mistake, use the 'Refresh' button to continue.

I submitted eRegistration information and found I made a mistake, how can I go back to my submission to revise it?

You cannot revise an eRegistration submission once you've created it and received your confirmation number. Have your eRegistration confirmation number ready and call 416-344-1000 or 1-800-387-0750 for assistance.

I received a session expired message. Why did this happen?

You were inactive in the session for over 30 minutes. To avoid this, please navigate to another page before 30 minutes has elapsed. None of the information you have entered has been saved or stored online. You will have to enter your information again.

I am having trouble registering online, where can I get help?

We can help answer any questions related to registration and provide online registration support. If you need help, contact us.