Vermont Flooring Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Vermont loss cost for flooring workers comp, class 5478 (Floor Covering Installation - Resilient Flooring - Carpet and Laminate Flooring), is $2.409 per $100 of payroll (effective April 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $3.61.
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.
Vermont 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 Vermont
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 60 floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles on payrolls in Vermont (May 2025), the 42nd largest workforce of the 44 states with published figures. The median wage is $24.62 an hour, 9% below the US median of $27.15.
Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles make up about the same share of Vermont jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.24).
At a typical Vermont premium of about $3.61 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.41 for class 5478 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.89 for every hour worked, or $1,849 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,697 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Vermont pay runs from $23.08 an hour at the 10th percentile to $34.85 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.83 an hour on a new hire and $1.26 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Vermont
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners not required to cover themselves but may elect in; must cover any employees
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; eliminated and paid retroactively if disability extends beyond 10 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $50/day pre-notice, escalating to $150/day, plus stop-work authority
Vermont uses a two-tier escalating daily fine, jumping from $50 to $150 a day if the lapse isn't cured within five days of notice.
Vermont vs neighboring states
- Massachusetts: about $2.95 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $3.04 per $100 of payroll
Vermont has the highest flooring comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less 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 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.