Idaho Flooring Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Idaho rate for flooring workers comp, class 5478 (Carpet, Linoleum, Vinyl, Asphalt or Rubber Floor Tile Installation), is $2.74 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 flooring
- 5478: Floor Covering Installation - Resilient Flooring, Carpet and Laminate Flooring
- 5437 (Carpentry - Installation of Cabinet Work or Interior Trim, includes wood floor installation and sanding)
- 5348 (Tile, Stone, Mosaic or Terrazzo Work - Inside)
Flooring carries knee injury, back strain, silica dust from cutting tile or concrete, and adhesive vapor risks.
What comp costs per flooring installer in Idaho
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 570 tile and stone setters on payrolls in Idaho (May 2025), the 18th largest workforce of the 44 states with published figures. The median wage is $23.05 an hour, 14% below the US median of $26.77.
This trade is a bigger part of the Idaho job market than it is nationally: tile and stone setters hold 2.9 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published Idaho rate of $2.74 per $100 of payroll for class 5478, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.63 for every hour worked, or $1,314 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,627 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Idaho pay runs from $17.56 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.47 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.48 an hour on a new hire and $0.78 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 $2.39 per $100 of payroll
- Washington: about $7.80 per $100 of payroll
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for flooring comp at $2.39 and Washington the most expensive at $7.80 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 flooring comp bill
- Floor installers file knee, back, and repetitive-strain claims more than falls. Kneepads and lifting aids are cheap ways to keep the experience mod down.
- Tile, hardwood, and carpet installation can be separate classes in some states. If your crews do several, record payroll by type of work.
- Many flooring shops pay installers by the square foot as 1099 subs. If they cannot show their own coverage, the auditor counts what you pay them as your payroll.
- Showroom and sales staff who do not install can usually be rated as sales or clerical when their duties are documented.