Arkansas HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Arkansas does not publish its HVAC class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $2.74 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Arkansas figure.
No official Arkansas figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Arkansas 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 Arkansas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 4,960 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Arkansas (May 2025), the 28th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $23.13 an hour, 21% below the US median of $29.33.
This trade is a bigger part of the Arkansas job market than it is nationally: heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $2.74 per $100 of payroll (Arkansas does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.63 for every hour worked, or $1,318 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,636 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Arkansas pay runs from $17.81 an hour at the 10th percentile to $33.31 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.49 an hour on a new hire and $0.91 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Arkansas
- Coverage required: 3+ employees; 2 for construction, 1 if the contractor subcontracts work out
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; owners file a Certificate of Non-Coverage to stay exempt
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Civil penalties, stop-work orders, and criminal exposure for knowing failure
Arkansas steps the construction threshold down to two employees, or one for any contractor who subcontracts work out.
Arkansas vs neighboring states
Arkansas does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Texas is the cheapest for HVAC comp at about $1.28 and Missouri the most expensive at about $3.82 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.