Information on Premium Taxes and Fees, Fire Department Dues, and Related Payments for Insurers (Domestic, Nondomestic, Surplus Lines, and Risk Retention Groups)

​​​​​​Last Up​dated: March 11, 2025

Jump to Section: Tax Payment Requirements | Surplus Lines Premium Tax Reports and Payments | Risk Retention Group Premium Tax Reports and Payments​

Annual/Quarterly Premium Taxes and Annual Fees Payments and Annual Filings Through OPTins

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has implemented OPTins, a product of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), for insurers filing and paying Wisconsin premium taxes, fire department dues, and fees.  

Companies paying taxes and fees required under Wis. Stats. § 76.60, 76.63, 76.65, 76.66, 76.67, 601.31, 601.55, and 601.93, must use OPTins to pay premium taxes beginning with the first 2025 quarterly estimated tax payment due April 15, 2025. 

What does this mean for an insurer?

An insurer must establish an OPTins account so it can make its tax payments via OPTins.  Also, Wisconsin premium tax forms will only be available to download via OPTins and complete starting with filing year 2025, due March 1, 2026.

An insurer will log into OPTins and go through the three-step filing wizard. Step two will allow the insurer to download and save the applicable form. From there the insurer will complete all fields within the Excel document and upload it into OPTins. 

On step three, the non-refundable $17.50 NAIC Transaction fee will be included with the premium tax amount due to Wisconsin.

Please do not mail any checks or lockbox payments to the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

What are the next steps if an insurer doesn’t have an OPTins account?  

If an insurer has not created an OPTins account, the steps to implement an account and submit premium tax payments and filings is very simple. Go to www.optins.org and scroll down to Implementation Forms, select the paperwork that applies to the insurer.

It is important to register early because setting up a new account takes 7-10 business days. Contact the OPTins Marketing Team at optinsmktg@naic.org or call (816) 783-8787 if you have any questions regarding the implementation process.

Please provide the appropriate contact name and email address for future correspondence to the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Division of Financial Regulation at OCIFinancial@wisconsin.gov.

Any questions or comments relating to the use of OPTins for payments and submission of filings as instructed above should be directed to the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Division of Financial Regulation email listed above.

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Tax Payment Requirements

Year-End Final Premium Tax and Annual Fees Payment – Due March 1st

Submit payment via OPTins for the Net Amount Due as calculated on the Schedule of Taxes and Fees form. Annual fees should also be included with the final tax payment. Failure to submit the payment may result in a forfeiture.

For payments related to Filing Year 2024, due March 1, 2025, companies should continue to follow guidance listed on the “Prem​ium Taxes and Annual Fees” webpage. 

Quarterly Premium Tax Payments

Pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 76.64 and 601.93 (2), insurers must make quarterly payments of their estimated premium taxes. If there is no amount due for a given quarter (such as due to a prior year overpayment), then no action is required. The payment due dates are as follows:

• Quarter 1 Due on or before April 15th for quarter ending March 31st
• Quarter 2 Due on or before June 15th for quarter ending June 30th
• Quarter 3 Due on or before September 15th for quarter ending September 30th​
  
• Quarter 4 Due on or before December 15th for quarter ending December 31st

If any insurer fails to make quarterly payments of at least one-fourth of the lesser of (a) the total premium tax for the previous calendar year OR (b) 80% of the actual tax for the current year, in the event of a deficiency the insurer shall be liable for interest in the amount of one and one-half percent of the amount due and unpaid for each month or part of a month that the amount is due.

​​​Example: A company paid $10,000 in taxes incurred in the past calendar year and assumes that it will incur $15,000 in taxes in the current year in the State of Wisconsin. Under this assumption, the company must remit quarterly payments of no less than $2,500 each quarter to avoid additional interest. If the company will incur $8,000 in taxes (instead of $15,000), then each quarterly payment must be no less than $1,600 (one-fourth of 80% of $8,000) to avoid additional interest.

What if an insurer needs to file an amended return? 

If an insurer needs to file an amended return for periods prior to Filing Year 2025, they must file the return directly with OCI. Amended filings for periods prior to Filing Year 2025 can be either emailed to OCIFinancial@wisconsin.gov or hard copies can be sent to: 

If the amended filing results in additional taxes or fees due, payment may be sent to the OCI Milwaukee Lockbox or via electronic payment through April 30, 2025 (OCI Milwaukee Lockbox and electronic payments MUST be received by April 30). After April 30, 2025, the insurer must pay by check at the address listed above. Please note that OCI will only accept checks for amended filings for Filing Years prior to 2025.  

What is the process for an insurer to request a refund for an overpayment of taxes? 

If an insurer received correspondence from OCI stating the audit of its premium tax submission resulted in an overpayment that can be used for future tax liabilities or believes it has overpaid the State of Wisconsin, after OCI verification, and the insurer wants a certain amount refunded, a request should be emailed to OCIFinancial@wisconsin.gov​. The request should include all the following information:

• Name of the insurer
• NAIC number/company code
• FEIN Number
• Address of the insurer
• Exact dollar amount being requested to be refunded

Please note that it’s the insurers responsibility to ensure compliance with Wis. Stats. § 76.64 and 601.93 (2). If there are estimated quarterly premium tax payment deficiencies because of a refund, the insurer will be subject to related interest and late penalties. 

Surplus Lines Premium Tax Reports and Payments

Information on tax reports and payments for surplus lines insurers can be found here: oci.wi.gov/Pages/Companies/SrplsLnsIns.aspx​. All agents/brokers holding a surplus lines license in Wisconsin for ANY part of a year must file a Surplus Lines Premium Tax Report for that year, even if no business was written. Surplus Lines Premium Tax Reports are due annually on or before March 1.​​

Risk Retention Group Premium Tax Reports and Payments​​

Risk retention group premium tax reports and payments are due annually March 1st. The premium tax report form can be found ​here: oci.wi.gov/Documents/OCIForms/27-017.pdf​​​​​. If there has been no business written during the prior year, the tax form must be returned to this office indicating “No Business Written.” ​No business written Risk Retention Group premium tax reports may be emailed to the office using OCIFinancial@wisconsin.gov.​​