A WSIB clearance certificate is a document from Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board confirming that a contractor or subcontractor is registered with WSIB and that their account is in good standing. If you hire contractors, a valid clearance protects you from being held liable for that contractor's unpaid WSIB premiums. It is free, quick to obtain and easy to verify, which is why most organizations ask for one before work starts.
What a WSIB clearance certificate confirms
A clearance certificate answers one narrow question: is this business registered with WSIB, and is its account up to date on the day the clearance was issued? WSIB will not issue a clearance to a contractor whose account is not current, so a valid certificate is a reasonable signal that the contractor is meeting its workers' compensation obligations.
A clearance does not tell you about the quality of the contractor's work, its safety record, its liability insurance or its trade licences. It is one document in a larger file, not a full compliance check.
Why principals ask for one
WSIB uses the term principal for the business that hires a contractor. If you are a property manager, condo corporation, general contractor or facility operator bringing in outside trades, you are usually the principal.
The main reason to collect a clearance is financial protection. By issuing a clearance, WSIB waives its right to hold the principal liable for the contractor's unpaid premiums and other amounts owed, such as interest, charges and surcharges, for the period the clearance is valid. Without a valid clearance on file, you can be held liable for those amounts.
In construction, the rule is stricter: clearances must be in place before any work begins and for the full duration of the work. A narrow exemption exists for a home's resident hiring a contractor for home repairs, but it does not apply to commercial properties or businesses.
How contractors get a clearance
Contractors request clearances through WSIB's online services. There is a quick access option that does not require a login, and there is no fee. Because clearances are free and fast, there is rarely a good reason for a contractor to start work without one.
If a contractor tells you they cannot get a clearance, treat it as a meaningful signal. The most common reason is that their WSIB account is not up to date, and that is exactly the situation the clearance system is designed to flag.
How to verify a clearance yourself
A PDF emailed by the contractor is useful, but you can also confirm it directly. WSIB lets principals verify a clearance online by searching the business name and other details. Many organizations make this a standard step at onboarding and at each renewal.
- Ask the contractor for their current clearance certificate.
- Check that the legal business name matches the name on your contract or purchase order.
- Confirm the validity dates on the certificate cover the work period, or at least today.
- Verify the clearance through WSIB's online lookup.
- Save a copy with the date you checked it, and note the expiry date for follow up.
Principals and contractors must keep clearance records for at least three years, so store each certificate rather than replacing the old one when a new one arrives.
Common gaps to watch for
- Name mismatches. A clearance for a numbered company or a related business does not cover a different legal entity doing the work.
- Expired certificates. Clearances are valid for up to 90 days, so a certificate collected at onboarding will not cover a long engagement on its own. See how long a WSIB clearance is valid.
- Subcontractors. If your contractor brings in its own subcontractors, many principals ask that those businesses provide clearances too, or that the contractor confirm it has collected them.
- Out of province contractors. Businesses based elsewhere may hold a clearance from their own board, such as a WorkSafeBC clearance letter in British Columbia, a WCB clearance letter in Alberta, a WCB clearance in Manitoba, or a CNESST attestation de conformité in Quebec. Each has its own rules, so confirm what applies to work done in Ontario.
How to put this into practice
Make the clearance a standard item on your vendor requirements, alongside a certificate of insurance and any trade licences. Request it before the first visit, record the expiry date, and ask for a fresh one before the current one lapses. Our contractor compliance checklist lists the other documents most organizations collect.
Vendorpass tracks clearance expiry dates for each vendor and reminds them to upload a new certificate before the old one runs out.