Georgia Electrical Workers Comp Rates 2026: Class Code, Cost

Electrical workers comp in Georgia 2026: the state's class code, rate, cost per worker from BLS wages, and neighboring states.

Georgia Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Georgia loss cost for electrical workers comp, class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings and Drivers), is $1.300 per $100 of payroll (effective March 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.95.

A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.

Georgia class code for electrical

  • 5190: Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings
  • 7538 (Electric Light or Power Line Construction & Drivers)

Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.

What comp costs per electrician in Georgia

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 21,650 electricians on payrolls in Georgia (May 2025), the 10th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $28.04 an hour, 8% below the US median of $30.38.

Electricians make up about the same share of Georgia jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.91).

At a typical Georgia premium of about $1.95 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.30 for class 5190 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.55 for every hour worked, or $1,137 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,275 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Georgia pay runs from $17.88 an hour at the 10th percentile to $40.39 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.35 an hour on a new hire and $0.79 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Georgia

  • Coverage required: 3+ employees (lowered from 5 on Jan 1, 2026)
  • Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded by default; officers count toward the threshold even if exempt
  • State fund: Private market (no state fund)
  • Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability lasts 21+ days
  • Penalty for going without: Willful failure is a misdemeanor ($1,000-$10,000 fine) plus civil penalties of $500-$5,000

Georgia lowered its threshold from five to three employees effective January 1, 2026, pulling many small contractors newly into the mandate.

Georgia vs neighboring states

Among its neighbors, Alabama is the cheapest for electrical comp at $1.87 and North Carolina the most expensive at $2.00 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.

What moves a electrical comp bill

  • Electrical is one of the cheaper construction classes, so overstated payroll often costs more than the rate itself. Estimate payroll honestly at renewal and true it up at audit.
  • Ladder falls and shocks are the typical claims. Lockout and tagout procedures that are actually followed are what keep the experience mod under 1.0.
  • Low-voltage, alarm, and solar work can carry different class codes in some states. Ask your agent before you add those lines to the business.
  • Office staff and estimators who stay out of the field can usually be rated as clerical. Keep their hours off the field timesheets.

Related Georgia Electrical pages