Washington Flooring Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Washington employers buy flooring workers comp from the state fund. The 2026 rate for class 0502 (Floor coverings or countertops: Installation or removal) is $2.13 per hour worked, before your experience factor.
Washington charges for every hour worked, not per $100 of payroll. Source.
Washington class codes for flooring
- 0502: Floor coverings or countertops: Installation or removal
- 0513: Interior finish carpentry
Monopolistic state fund (no private carriers) with its own four-digit risk classes and subclasses in WAC 296-17A that do not match NCCI codes, and premiums are charged per hour worked rather than per $100 of payroll, with workers paying part of the premium through payroll deduction.
Flooring carries knee injury, back strain, silica dust from cutting tile or concrete, and adhesive vapor risks.
What comp costs per flooring installer in Washington
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 370 floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles on payrolls in Washington (May 2025), the 21st largest workforce of the 44 states with published figures. The median wage is $27.31 an hour, in line with the US median of $27.15.
This trade is a smaller part of the Washington job market than it is nationally: floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles hold 0.69 times their national share of jobs there.
Washington charges by the hour, not by payroll. The 2026 state fund rate for class 0502 is $2.13 for every hour worked, so a full-time worker costs about $4,430 a year and a 2-person crew roughly $8,859, before your experience factor. You pay $1.76 of each hour; the rest can be deducted from the worker's pay.
Because premium follows hours rather than wages, a senior hand at the 90th percentile costs the same to insure as a new hire. That is roughly $7.80 per $100 of payroll at the median Washington wage, the figure used in the comparison below.
Workers comp requirements in Washington
- Coverage required: Any employee (no minimum headcount)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners and exempt officers may buy elective coverage; employees must always be covered
- State fund: Monopolistic; coverage only from the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), or qualified self-insurance
- Waiting period: 3 days; paid only if the worker is still off on the 7th day
- Penalty for going without: Up to twice the premiums owed or $1,000, plus up to 100% of claim cost if unregistered
Washington uniquely calculates premiums by hours worked rather than payroll, and lets employers withhold part of the premium from employee wages.
Washington vs neighboring states
Washington has the highest flooring comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
If your crews cross into Idaho or Oregon, your Washington state-fund coverage does not follow them. Buy a private policy for the out-of-state work, with Washington excluded from it.
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.