Ohio employers could be in line for a rare bit of good news: another $1 billion in workers’ comp dividends that, on average, may exceed the premiums they paid during Gov. Mike DeWine’s eight years in office. The proposed payout would reach roughly 250,000 public and private employers if the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation board approves it.
Under the plan, payments would be roughly equal to 90% of premiums paid during the 2022 policy year. Cleveland.com reports that the board is set to vote Aug. 28, while employers with unresolved 2022 policy-year true-up issues have until that date to correct them or risk missing the dividend.
The proposed windfall follows another round of rate relief for Ohio businesses. The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association says private employers received a 1% average rate cut beginning July 1, after public employers received a similar reduction Jan. 1, and that average rates have fallen about 50% since 2019.
Ohio’s premium rates are now at a 65-year low, according to the reporting, giving the proposed dividend an unusual backdrop: employers could see both lower ongoing costs and a large return of previously paid premiums. The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s 2025 annual report also said the State Insurance Fund’s net position increased by $1.2 billion during fiscal 2025.
This is the latest chapter in a long streak of employer relief from Ohio’s state-run workers’ comp system. Hoodline previously reported that private employers were already headed for a ninth consecutive rate reduction, driven by fewer workplace injuries and a strong fund balance.
What Ohio Employers Should Watch Before The Vote
The $1 billion remains a proposal, not a guaranteed check. If the board approves it, individual payments will be shaped by an employer’s share of premiums and eligibility requirements, meaning the roughly 90% figure is a statewide estimate rather than a promise that every business will receive the same percentage.
The Aug. 28 deadline is therefore more than a calendar reminder for employers with unfinished paperwork. The proposed dividend would bring the bureau’s total dividend payments to about $10.2 billion, extending a policy of returning excess funds while keeping Ohio’s workers’ comp rates among the lowest in decades.
