Minnesota Workers' Compensation law states that employers must provide worker's compensation for employees or else be self-insured: There are limited exceptions under law.  Fines and penalties for failure to provide insurance may be imposed for violations of law. The name of the governing law is the Minnesota Workers' Compensation Act.  In general the test for who is an employee versus who is an independent contractor has to do with the amount of control that the 'employer' exerts over the manner and method by which the 'worker' performs his/her work, but the factors that need to be analyzed in a given instance are many.  Just because someone is stated to be an independent contractor does not mean that person is an independent contractor with regard to the applicability of workers' compensation coverage requirements. I would urge you to seek counsel from a qualified private attorney regarding your needs and issues.