Class codes

Workers' comp class codes, explained.

A class code is the four-digit number that decides the rate on every dollar of payroll assigned to it. Here's what the most searched codes cover, what doesn't belong in them, and where to read the official definitions for your state.

Search by code number, job, or industry

Office & professional

8810 Clerical office employees: Class code 8810 is the workers' compensation classification for clerical office employees — staff whose work is office work, performed in an area separated from the rest of the business's operations.
8742 Outside salespersons: Class code 8742 is the workers' compensation classification for outside salespersons, collectors, and messengers — employees whose work takes place away from the employer's premises.
8868 School and college professional employees: Class code 8868 is the workers' compensation classification for the professional and clerical employees of colleges, schools, and trade or vocational institutions — teachers, professors, administrators, and similar staff.

Health & home care

8832 Physician offices: Class code 8832 is the workers' compensation classification for medical providers operating in a typical doctor's office — physicians, dentists, the staff who support them, and their clerical employees.
8835 Home, public and traveling healthcare: In North Carolina, Massachusetts, and other states using the NCCI classification system, class code 8835 covers home, public, and traveling healthcare — businesses that send nurses, therapists, and caregivers to care for patients in their homes.
8827 Home care services and in-home nursing (California): Class code 8827 is a California classification for in-home care, split into 8827(1) Home Care Services for non-medical personal care and 8827(2) Nursing Care for agencies that send registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, or certified nursing assistants into private residences.

Construction & contracting

3724 Machinery or equipment erection or repair: Class code 3724 is the workers' compensation classification for contractors who install, erect, or repair machinery and equipment at their customers' locations when no more specific classification applies.
5606 Contractor executive supervisors and project managers: Class code 5606 is the workers' compensation classification for construction executives, project managers, and superintendents who oversee projects through job-site foremen rather than directing workers or doing construction work themselves.
5645 Residential carpentry: Class code 5645 is the workers' compensation classification for carpentry on residential dwellings — up to three stories in North Carolina and Massachusetts, and limited to detached one- or two-family homes in New York.
5403 Carpentry — not otherwise classified: Class code 5403 is the workers' compensation classification for carpentry not otherwise classified — commercial carpentry, residential buildings above the height limit of 5645, and wood structures like decks, gazebos, and wooden bridges.
5190 Electrical wiring within buildings: Class code 5190 is the workers' compensation classification for electrical contractors installing wiring within buildings, including small fixtures such as outlets, switches, and fuses.
5183 Plumbing: Class code 5183 is the workers' compensation classification for plumbing contractors — installing, repairing, and maintaining the piping and fixtures that carry water and gas within buildings, including their shop work and drivers.

Building operations & services

9015 Building operation — all other employees: In North Carolina, Massachusetts, and other states using the NCCI classification system, class code 9015 covers the non-clerical employees who operate and maintain a building for its owner, lessee, or property manager — but New York uses 9015 for something else entirely.
9014 Janitorial services by contractors: In North Carolina, Massachusetts, and other states using the NCCI classification system, class code 9014 covers contractors providing janitorial and building services to others — but New York uses 9014 for exterminators.

How class codes work

Workers' compensation premium is calculated per class code: the payroll assigned to each code is multiplied by that code's rate. Most policies carry a governing classification for the main operation, plus standard exceptions such as 8810 clerical office employees and 8742 outside salespersons that are split out when they qualify.

Classification follows what the work actually is, not job titles. That's why a premium auditlooks at what people do day to day — and why a code that was right when the policy was written can be wrong by the time it's audited.

Same number, different meaning

Most states use the classification system maintained by NCCI. Several — including California, New York, and Massachusetts — run their own rating bureaus, and the same four digits can describe different work. These differences come straight from the bureaus' published titles:

Code	North Carolina	New York
9015	BUILDINGS-OPERATION BY OWNER OR LESSEE OR REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT FIRM-ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES	Baths
5645	CARPENTRY-CONSTRUCTION OF RESIDENTIAL DWELLINGS NOT EXCEEDING THREE STORIES IN HEIGHT	Carpentry – Detached One or Two-Family Dwellings – All Operations to Completion
9014	JANITORIAL SERVICES BY CONTRACTORS-NO WINDOW CLEANING ABOVE GROUND LEVEL & DRIVERS	Exterminator & Drivers

Some states don't share numbers at all. California's manual doesn't use NCCI's 8835 for in-home healthcare; it classifies that work as 8827, split between personal care and nursing care. Always read a code against the manual for the state where the work was performed.

Find your code in the official manuals

NCCI Class Look-Up The official tool for the states where NCCI administers the classification system.
WCIRB California Classification Search California runs its own classification system; its code numbers don't map one-to-one to NCCI's.
NYCIRB Classification Digest New York's official classification descriptions.
WCRB Massachusetts Class Code Lookup Massachusetts' official classification descriptions.
NCRB North Carolina Class Code Lookup North Carolina's official classification descriptions.

Frequently asked questions

What is a workers' comp class code?

A class code is a four-digit number that groups businesses or job duties by the hazard of the work. It determines the rate applied to the payroll assigned to it, so it is one of the biggest factors in what a workers' compensation policy costs.

How do I find my workers' comp class code?

Your class codes are listed on your policy's information or declarations page, next to the estimated payroll for each. To read the official definition, look the code up in the classification manual for your state: NCCI's Class Look-Up for most states, or your state's own rating bureau in states such as California, New York, and Massachusetts.

Are class codes the same in every state?

No. Most states use the classification system NCCI maintains, but several run their own bureaus, and the same four digits can describe different work. New York's 9015, for example, is bathhouses, while in NCCI-system states it is building operation staff.

Who decides which class code applies to my business?

The carrier assigns class codes when the policy is written, based on how the business describes its operations. The premium audit then checks those codes against the work actually performed, and payroll can be reclassified if they don't match.

General information, not a classification ruling. Summaries are written in plain English from the rating bureaus' published descriptions; the classification manual for the state where the work was performed governs.