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An employer who hires employees in New York State is required to provide statutory disability benefits insurance coverage for their employees unless they are considered exempt (as defined by New York State Law). An employer that provides disability benefits insurance to their employees is known as a “covered employer”.
To obtain additional information on a covered employer, please go to the NYS Workers’ Compensation Board’s website at www.wcb.state.ny.us and click on Disability Benefits.
Premiums may be paid entirely by the employer, or paid jointly by the employer and the employee. New York State Law allows (but does not require) employers to deduct ½ of 1 percent of an employee’s wage up to a maximum of $.60 per week to offset the cost of providing benefits. For more information about employee contributions, please contact your accountant or financial advisor.
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To apply for New York statutory disability benefits insurance with NYSIF, an employer must submit a Disability Benefits application and include a $100.00 check for the initial premium deposit. A Disability Benefits insurance application form UDB-36 may be downloaded directly from this web site or requested by calling our disability benefits customer service department toll free at:
1-866-NYSIF-DB or 1-866-697-4332
Complete all sections of the application and submit with a minimum premium deposit check for $100.00 made payable to: NYSIF Disability Benefits.
Mail the completed application and deposit check to:
NYSIF Disability Benefits15 Computer Drive WestAlbany, NY 12205
If the information on the application is complete and the application is approved, coverage begins on the day following the postmark on the mailed envelope, unless a future date of coverage is requested.
The policy period remains in effect for one year from the inception date. At the end of a policy period, the policy automatically renews unless the policyholder notifies NYSIF to cancel the policy. To cancel a policy, New York State Law requires policyholders provide 30 days written notice to NYSIF.
If an applicant has a previous disability benefits or workers’ compensation insurance policy with NYSIF with an outstanding balance, the previous account must be finalized and any outstanding balance paid before a new policy may be issued (Section 93B, NYS Workers’ Compensation Law).
NYSIF’s minimum premium policy is $100 per year.
NYSIF disability benefits insurance has two individual rates for calculating premium for employees: a male rate and a female rate.
Male rate effective January 1, 2007 the male premium rate for an employee is calculated at $0.16 per $100.00 of payroll, up to a maximum annual rate of $28.29 per employee.
Female rate effective January 1, 2007 the female premium rate for an employee is calculated at $0.32 per $100.00 of payroll, up to a maximum annual rate of $56.58 per employee.
A policyholder’s annual premium is determined on the basis of total number of male and female employees, and the total estimated annual wages for each employee. Wages are capped at $340 per week or $17,680 annually for each employee.
If estimated annual wages for an employee are less than $17,680, then the lower wages should be reported.
A NYSIF disability benefits insurance policy is written for a period of one year. To calculate policy premium, the total annual employee capped wages (limited to $17,680 per person) are estimated and multiplied by the male and/or female rates. The estimated annual premium is later adjusted at the end of the period when the policyholder submits a payroll report to report actual employee wages.
NYSIF reserves its right to apply a premium modification on policies with an unfavorable claims history, which increases the premium above standard rates. A three year loss run history is required from the applicants’ former carrier to determine the appropriate premium modification.
At the end of a payroll period, whether annual, semi-annual or quarterly, policyholders are required to submit a payroll report verifying the actual number of employees and capped wages for that period. Once the payroll report is received, the premium is adjusted to reflect the difference between the estimated and actual wages. It is important to accurately estimate the payroll at the beginning of the period to minimize premium adjustments.
NYSIF disability benefits policyholders who employ 49 or fewer employees become members of a group of policyholders who may be eligible for the annual Return of Premium credit.
At the conclusion of each policy year, after all claims are closed, a total group loss ratio is calculated for the group. If the group loss ratio is less than the industry standard, established by the New York State Insurance Department, a Return of Premium credit is awarded to qualified NYSIF policyholders. If the total group loss ratio is greater than or equals the minimum loss ratio industry standard, no credit is issued.
Return of Premium qualifications:
If a policyholder’s annual premium is over $1,000 they may qualify for a Premium Adjustment Plan credit. This program awards policyholders with an annual credit based upon the policyholder’s individual claims performance.
At the end of the policy year, after all claims for the period have closed, the annual premium of a qualified policyholder is compared to the total claims for that same period. If the policyholders total annual claims multiplied by a factor of 1.2, is less than the total premium for that period, a Premium Adjustment Plan credit is awarded.
Premium Adjustment Plan qualifications:
If the name and/or address of a business or entity(s) changes, please notify NYSIF as soon as possible. Correcting this information is essential so all correspondence continues without interruption.
Address changes may be submitted in writing or noted on your remittance slip when sending in payment.
Name changes require an “Assignment of Interest Agreement” form UDB-37 be completed and returned to NYSIF.
New York State Workers’ Compensation Law requires policyholders provide NYSIF with 30 days written notice of their intent to cancel a policy.
If a cancellation request is less than 30 days from the policy anniversary date, the policyholder is responsible for any premium payment that extends beyond the anniversary date.
Cancellation requests should be mailed to:
Please be sure to include the NYSIF Disability Benefits policy number on the request to cancel. Upon cancellation, a final Payroll Report will be required to calculate the final earned premium.
Policies will be processed for non-payment cancellation when balances are not paid within 30 days of the monthly billing statement notification. If payment is submitted prior to the final non-payment cancellation date, the policy will be reinstated. If payment is not received, the policy is cancelled.
To obtain a new policy, the policyholder must finalize the cancelled policy and pay any outstanding balance due.
There may be times when a credit balance occurs on an account. If there are no outstanding payroll reports, and the current estimated policy period is paid in full, a refund may be requested.
To request a refund, submit a letter to:
The Disability Benefits policy number should be noted on the request. Please allow 2-3 weeks to process refunds.
NYSIF Disability Benefits insurance premium is based upon the total actual and capped ($17,680 per person) payroll of a policyholder during a particular policy period. To finalize the actual premium on a policy, policyholders are required to report their total actual and capped payroll within 30 days after the end of a payroll period.
Payroll reports are mailed to policyholders at the close of a policy period. Policyholders are required to complete the report and submit to NYSIF within 30 days.
If a policyholder fails to return a completed payroll report, payroll for the outstanding period is considered unreported and a 50 percent payroll adjustment is added to the original estimated premium. If the completed payroll report is later submitted, the payroll period will be revised to reflect the reported payroll information.
If a payroll report is not received by the policyholder at the end of a policy period, please contact us by e-mail or call toll free:
A statement of account is mailed each month to notify policyholders of payments due or credits earned on their policy. The payment due date is clearly noted on the statement of account to avoid non-payment cancellation.
Applies to new or renewing policies
*Balance paid in nine monthly installments
A $10 service charge is applied to each monthly installment.
To avoid paying the $10 monthly service charge, policyholders have the option to pay the total estimated or remaining balance during the policy period.