Texas Flooring Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Texas loss cost for flooring workers comp, class 5102 (Carpet Installation & Drivers; Floor Covering - Installation of Linoleum, Asphalt or Rubber Tiling & Drivers), is $1.064 per $100 of payroll (effective July 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.60.
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.
Texas class codes for flooring
- 5437: Floor Covering - Installation of Finished Wooden Flooring & Drivers (also Floor Sanding and Finishing - Wood)
- 5102: Carpet Installation & Drivers; Floor Covering - Installation of Linoleum, Asphalt or Rubber Tiling & Drivers
- 5348: Ceramic Tile Installation - Inside
Texas uses NCCI's separate Basic Manual for Texas, which still has Texas-specific codes (for example 5536 HVAC, 5200 concrete flatwork, 5102 carpet and resilient floor covering) that NCCI is gradually replacing with multistate codes, and workers' comp is optional for most private employers (nonsubscribers must report to DWC that they have no coverage).
Flooring carries knee injury, back strain, silica dust from cutting tile or concrete, and adhesive vapor risks.
What comp costs per flooring installer in Texas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,480 floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles on payrolls in Texas (May 2025), the 3rd largest workforce of the 44 states with published figures. The median wage is $20.71 an hour, 24% below the US median of $27.15.
This trade is a smaller part of the Texas job market than it is nationally: floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles hold 0.69 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Texas premium of about $1.60 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.06 for class 5102 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.33 for every hour worked, or $689 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $1,378 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Texas pay runs from $16.58 an hour at the 10th percentile to $27.75 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.27 an hour on a new hire and $0.44 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Texas
- Coverage required: Elective for most private employers (South Dakota is also elective)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Included by default but may elect out
- State fund: Private market (Texas Mutual is the largest writer and insurer of last resort)
- Waiting period: 7 days; the waiting week is paid retroactively if off work more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Non-subscribers must file a notice; failure to file draws administrative penalties up to $25,000 per day
Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out entirely, trading coverage for the loss of common-law negligence defenses as a non-subscriber.
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.