Idaho Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Idaho rate for electrical workers comp, class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings and Drivers), is $1.92 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 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 Idaho
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,690 electricians on payrolls in Idaho (May 2025), the 37th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $30.29 an hour, in line with the US median of $30.38.
This trade is a bigger part of the Idaho job market than it is nationally: electricians hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published Idaho rate of $1.92 per $100 of payroll for class 5190, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.58 for every hour worked, or $1,210 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,419 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Idaho pay runs from $18.67 an hour at the 10th percentile to $45.90 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.36 an hour on a new hire and $0.88 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
- Oregon: about $1.31 per $100 of payroll
- Washington: about $3.14 per $100 of payroll
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for electrical comp at $1.31 and Washington the most expensive at $3.14 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington or 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 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.