If you have a remote employee based in Pennsylvania, you generally need Pennsylvania workers compensation for them, because coverage follows where the work is based, not where your office is. Pennsylvania's law reaches a worker whose employment is centered in the state or who was hired here, so a remote employee living and working in Pennsylvania normally needs a Pennsylvania policy.
Who this is for: Pennsylvania owners with employees who work from home, work across state lines, or split time between states, and who are unsure which state's workers comp applies. Where a job is based matters, because an injury at a kitchen table can still be a work injury.
The short version
- Home is a workplace: a remote worker's home counts as their job site for an on-the-job injury.
- Based in Pennsylvania means Pennsylvania coverage: a worker centered in the state needs a Pennsylvania policy.
- Where they were hired matters: a contract of hire made in Pennsylvania can pull the worker under Pennsylvania law.
- Multi-state teams need multi-state coverage: workers based in other states usually need coverage in those states.
- No safe day count: do not assume a short trip into or out of the state is automatically exempt.
Which state's coverage applies
Pennsylvania's law reaches an out-of-state injury when the employment is principally based in Pennsylvania, or when the worker was hired under a contract made in Pennsylvania and the job is not principally based in any single state. In plain terms, a remote employee who lives in Pennsylvania and does their job from there is normally a Pennsylvania worker who needs Pennsylvania coverage. When your team is spread across states, you generally need coverage lined up in each state where workers are based, because a policy written only for one state may not respond to an injury in another.
| Worker situation | Pennsylvania coverage? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Remote employee living and working in Pennsylvania | Yes | Their home is their Pennsylvania job site |
| Pennsylvania hire who travels for the job | Usually yes | Employment based here generally follows the worker |
| Employee based in another state | Usually that state | Line up coverage where the worker is based |
| Worker who splits time across states | Depends | Turns on where the job is principally based and where hired |
| Brief in-state work by an out-of-state worker | Check carefully | Do not assume a short trip is automatically exempt |
Why remote does not mean uncovered
A common mistake is treating remote staff as somehow outside the workers comp system. They are not. If a Pennsylvania-based remote employee is hurt while doing their job, even at home, it can be a compensable work injury, and if you had no coverage you face the same penalties and lawsuit exposure as if they had been hurt in a shop. Multi-state employers get tripped up the other way, assuming one home-state policy covers everyone; it often does not. The safe move is to confirm each worker's home state and make sure a policy is in place there.
A quick Pennsylvania example
Illustrative, not a quote. A small software firm is run from an office in Pittsburgh and hires a developer who works fully remote from her home in Pennsylvania. Because her job is based in Pennsylvania, she needs Pennsylvania coverage even though she never comes to the office. One afternoon she trips over a cord in her home office and breaks a wrist while on the clock. The policy treats it as a work injury and pays her care and part of her lost wages. Had the firm assumed a remote worker did not need coverage, that injury could have brought penalties and a direct claim against the business.
Real questions Pennsylvania owners ask
My employee works from home in Pennsylvania. Do I need workers comp?
Yes. A remote employee based in Pennsylvania generally needs Pennsylvania coverage. Their home counts as their job site, so an on-the-job injury there can be a covered work injury.
Can a home injury really be a work injury?
Yes. If a remote employee is hurt while doing their job during work hours, it can be compensable even though it happened at home. Being remote does not put a worker outside the system.
I'm based in Pennsylvania but my worker lives in another state. Which coverage applies?
Usually the state where the worker is based. You generally need coverage lined up in that state, because a policy written only for Pennsylvania may not respond to an injury elsewhere.
My team is spread across several states. Is one policy enough?
Often not. Employers with multi-state teams usually need coverage in each state where workers are based. Confirm each worker's home state and make sure a policy is in place there.
I hired someone in Pennsylvania who now travels for the job. Are they covered here?
Usually yes. When the employment is based in Pennsylvania or the worker was hired here, Pennsylvania coverage generally follows them, though the details depend on where the job is centered.
An out-of-state worker did a short job in Pennsylvania. Do I need coverage here?
Check carefully. Do not assume a brief in-state trip is automatically exempt. How Pennsylvania and the other state coordinate can depend on the specifics, so confirm before relying on it.
What if I just skip coverage for my one remote worker?
If that worker is based in Pennsylvania and gets hurt, you face the same penalties and lawsuit exposure as any uninsured employer, and the state's uninsured fund can pay them and bill you.
Why Pennsylvania owners choose Morrow
- We shop the right market for you. Pennsylvania is an open, competitive market: you can buy coverage from any private insurer licensed in the state or from the state-run State Workers' Insurance Fund (SWIF), and Morrow shops multiple carriers to find the best fit instead of leaving you with a single option.
- We catch pricing mistakes. Your price depends heavily on the category your work falls into for pricing (the class code). Put people in the wrong category and you overpay for years. We review your payroll and classifications before you buy.
- Proof of coverage, fast. Need a certificate (proof of coverage) for a general contractor or a landlord before Monday? We turn those around the same business day for most carriers.
- We help lower the score that drives your price. Insurers give you a score based on your past claims that raises or lowers your cost (the experience modification rate). We review it each year, flag errors, and connect you with return-to-work and safety resources that bring it down.
- Real people when a claim happens. When someone gets hurt, we stay involved through the life of the claim, not just at renewal.
Related Pennsylvania guides
Every Pennsylvania business is set up a little differently. These companion guides answer the same question for other situations, plus the national explainers behind the terms used here.
- Business insurance in Pennsylvania (start here)
- Workers comp: the owner's overview
- I own an LLC: do I need workers comp?
- I'm a sole proprietor: do I need workers comp?
- I own a corporation (C-corp or S-corp): do I need it?
- We're a partnership: do we need workers comp?
- We're a nonprofit: do we need workers comp?
- My workers are 1099: do I still need it?
- Only part-time or seasonal staff: do I need it?
- I only employ family: do I need workers comp?
- What happens if I don't carry workers comp?
- How much does workers comp cost?
- How do I get workers comp (even if turned down)?
- What insurance do I need for a contractor license?
- Workers compensation insurance, explained
- What workers comp costs (national guide)
- What workers comp does not cover
- Workers comp vs employers liability
- Technology company workers comp in Pennsylvania
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Pennsylvania rules and penalty amounts can change, so verify current requirements with Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Workers' Compensation or a licensed advisor before you rely on them. Last updated: July 2026.