Montana Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Montana does not publish its electrical class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $1.90 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Montana figure.
No official Montana figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Montana 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 Montana
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 2,750 electricians on payrolls in Montana (May 2025), the 46th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $36.90 an hour, 21% above the US median of $30.38.
Electricians make up about the same share of Montana jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.10).
At the US median of $1.90 per $100 of payroll (Montana does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.70 for every hour worked, or $1,458 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,917 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Montana pay runs from $23.62 an hour at the 10th percentile to $43.03 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.45 an hour on a new hire and $0.82 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Montana
- Coverage required: 1 employee; out-of-state policies are not accepted for construction work
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; construction independent contractors need an Exemption Certificate (ICEC)
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Montana State Fund)
- Waiting period: 4 days (or 32 work hours); retroactive if disability lasts more than 21 days
- Penalty for going without: Double the premium owed (minimum $200), up to $1,000 plus $100 per day, escalating to $50,000
Montana does not accept out-of-state workers comp policies for construction work performed in the state.
Montana vs neighboring states
- Idaho: about $1.92 per $100 of payroll
- North Dakota: about $1.50 per $100 of payroll
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Montana does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, North Dakota is the cheapest for electrical comp at about $1.50 and Wyoming the most expensive at about $2.39 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into North Dakota 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.