Idaho Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Idaho rate for drywall workers comp, class 5445 (Wallboard, Sheetrock, Drywall, Plasterboard or Cement Board Installation - Within Buildings and Drivers), is $4.25 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Idaho class code for drywall
- 5445: Wallboard Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers
- 5480 (Plastering NOC & Drivers)
- 5491 (Paperhanging & Drivers)
Drywall work carries lifting injuries from heavy sheets, dust exposure, and ladder and scaffold falls on high walls and ceilings.
What comp costs per drywall installer in Idaho
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 920 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Idaho (May 2025), the 21st largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $21.05 an hour, 26% below the US median of $28.33.
This trade is a bigger part of the Idaho job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 2.0 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published Idaho rate of $4.25 per $100 of payroll for class 5445, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.89 for every hour worked, or $1,861 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,582 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Idaho pay runs from $14.22 an hour at the 10th percentile to $31.16 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.60 an hour on a new hire and $1.32 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Idaho
- Coverage required: 1 employee; no waivers permitted
- Owners and sole proprietors: A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt; employees must be covered
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Idaho State Insurance Fund)
- Waiting period: 5 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
Idaho coverage is strictly compulsory with no waivers, so an employee cannot sign away their right to workers comp.
Idaho vs neighboring states
Idaho has the highest drywall comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Wyoming needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a drywall comp bill
- Drywall hangers and tapers usually share one class. Stilt and scaffold falls and lifting injuries are the claims to manage.
- Piece-rate pay is common in drywall. Comp is still charged on the full amount paid, so piece-rate crews do not lower premium.
- Drywall subs without their own coverage are the largest audit risk in this trade. Collect certificates before the first board goes up.
- If you also frame or do acoustic ceilings, those can be separate classes. Record payroll for each kind of work.