Alabama HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Alabama loss cost for HVAC workers comp, class 5537 (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems - Installation, Service and Repair & Drivers), is $1.571 per $100 of payroll (effective March 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.36.
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.
Alabama 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 Alabama
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 8,260 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Alabama (May 2025), the 18th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $23.26 an hour, 21% below the US median of $29.33.
This trade is a bigger part of the Alabama job market than it is nationally: heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers hold 1.5 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Alabama premium of about $2.36 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.57 for class 5537 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.55 for every hour worked, or $1,142 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,284 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Alabama pay runs from $17.56 an hour at the 10th percentile to $31.58 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.41 an hour on a new hire and $0.75 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Alabama
- Coverage required: 5+ employees; 1 for new single-family home construction
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners may be excluded; corporate officers count toward the 5-employee threshold
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 21 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per day, stop-work orders, and misdemeanor exposure
Alabama's small-employer exemption specifically does not cover new single-family homebuilders, who need coverage at one worker.
Alabama vs neighboring states
- Georgia: about $2.78 per $100 of payroll
Alabama has the lowest HVAC comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more 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 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.