What 8871 covers
- Clerical duties — keeping records, handling correspondence, computer and phone work (New York's description includes sales by phone), and drafting — performed away from the employer's locations.
- Employees who work more than 50% of their time at home, or in California's rule, at home or other office space away from any location of their employer.
- Like 8810, it is a standard exception classification, split out from the business's main code when the employee qualifies.
What doesn't belong in 8871
- Clerical employees who work at the employer's office 50% or more of the time — California's manual assigns them to 8810, and New York refers clerical work at the employer's premises to 8810.
- Anyone regularly exposed to the operative hazards of the business, and outside salespeople. New York also excludes executive officers and representatives.
- Stock or tally clerks, and supervisors or clerks whose work is part of the business's other operations.
- Employees of a business whose standard classification already includes clerical employees — California's manual assigns them to that standard classification wherever they work.
Official titles by state
Each rating bureau publishes its own definition. Titles below are quoted exactly as the bureau publishes them; follow the link for the full official description.
| State | Official title for 8871 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | CLERICAL TELECOMMUTER EMPLOYEES | North Carolina bureau lookup |
| Massachusetts | CLERICAL TELECOMMUTER EMPLOYEES | Massachusetts bureau: 8871 |
| New York | Telecommuter Clerical Employees | New York bureau: 8871 |
| California | CLERICAL TELECOMMUTER EMPLOYEES — N.O.C. | California manual (USRP), effective Sept. 1, 2026 |
8871 has the same basic meaning in all four states we checked, which is unusual for a class code — but the details are set by each state's manual. New York and California draw the line at more than 50% of time worked away from the employer. North Carolina's description refers to a residence office in the employee's home, while California's rule also allows other office space away from any employer location.
Codes 8871 is often confused with
What a premium audit looks at
- Records showing where time was worked across the policy period — timekeeping with a location field, a written remote-work agreement, or a documented schedule.
- Whether the employee's duties are only clerical. Any regular operational duty moves the payroll out of 8871.
- That the employee's payroll sits in one code. New York doesn't allow 8871 payroll to be divided, and California's manual doesn't allow a standard exception employee's payroll to be divided between classifications in a policy period, apart from a single permanent job reassignment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the workers' comp class code for remote employees?
For clerical employees who work away from the employer's locations more than half the time, it's 8871, Clerical Telecommuter Employees. Clerical staff who are remote half the time or less generally stay in 8810. Remote employees doing non-clerical work are classified by that work.
What's the difference between class codes 8810 and 8871?
Both cover clerical duties. 8810 applies to clerical employees working at the employer's office locations; 8871 applies when the employee works more than 50% of their time at home or other office space away from the employer.
Can an employee's payroll be split between 8810 and 8871?
Generally no. New York states that 8871 isn't available for division of payroll, and California's manual doesn't allow a standard exception employee's payroll to be divided between classifications within a policy period, apart from a single permanent job reassignment. The whole of the employee's pay goes to one code.
What if an employee works from home exactly half the time?
Under California's manual, 8871 requires more than 50% of time away from the employer's locations, and 8810 applies to employees at the employer's office 50% or more of the time — so an even split falls to 8810. Check the manual for your state.
Check 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.
Rates aren't listed here on purpose. Class code rates and loss costs change by state, by carrier, and every year, so check the current figures with NCCI's Class Look-Up or your state's rating bureau (linked above) — and your own carrier for the rate on your policy.
Related terms
General information, not a classification ruling. Summaries on this page are written in plain English from the bureaus' published descriptions; the classification manual for the state where the work was performed governs, and the carrier and rating bureau determine the classification for any policy.
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