Alaska HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Alaska loss cost for HVAC workers comp, class 5537 (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems - Installation, Service and Repair & Drivers), is $1.868 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.80.

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.

Alaska class code for HVAC

5537: Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems - Installation, Service and Repair & Drivers
5535 (Sheet Metal Work - Installation & Drivers)
5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers)

HVAC technicians work in attics and on roofs and handle electrical circuits and refrigerants.

What comp costs per hvac technician in Alaska

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 610 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Alaska (May 2025), the 50th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $37.23 an hour, 27% above the US median of $29.33.

This trade is a smaller part of the Alaska job market than it is nationally: heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers hold 0.72 times their national share of jobs there.

At a typical Alaska premium of about $2.80 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.87 for class 5537 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.04 for every hour worked, or $2,168 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $4,337 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Alaska pay runs from $23.36 an hour at the 10th percentile to $50.55 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.65 an hour on a new hire and $1.42 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Alaska

Coverage required: 1 employee
Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 10%+ ownership are excluded; employees must still be covered
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 28 days
Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per day, stop-work orders, and a 3-year bar on public contracts

A hiring contractor in Alaska becomes liable for a subcontractor's employees if that sub lacks its own coverage.

Alaska vs neighboring states

Washington: about $5.43 per $100 of payroll
Oregon: about $2.29 per $100 of payroll

Alaska has no land border, so this compares it with the nearest mainland markets.

Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for HVAC comp at $2.29 and Washington the most expensive at $5.43 per $100 of payroll.

Working across the line into Washington 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 HVAC comp bill

Service techs and install crews usually share one class, so the rate is driven by your claim history: back strains from lifting condensers and falls from ladders and roofs are the typical losses.
If you also do sheet-metal fabrication or duct work outside buildings, ask how your bureau classifies it. Some of that work rates differently from installation and service.
Dispatchers, office staff, and outside salespeople can be rated as clerical or sales when their duties keep them out of the field. Keep their timesheets separate.
Company vehicles put a lot of miles on service crews. A driving policy and clean MVRs help on the auto side and with comp, because vehicle accidents on the job are comp claims.