Hawaii HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Hawaii 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 Hawaii figure.

No official Hawaii figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Hawaii 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 Hawaii

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,300 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Hawaii (May 2025), the 45th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $31.47 an hour, 7% above the US median of $29.33.

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of Hawaii jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.79).

At the US median of $2.74 per $100 of payroll (Hawaii does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.86 for every hour worked, or $1,794 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,587 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Hawaii pay runs from $20.73 an hour at the 10th percentile to $47.80 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.57 an hour on a new hire and $1.31 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Hawaii

Coverage required: 1 employee
Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 50%+ ownership may opt out of covering themselves
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 3 days
Penalty for going without: $100 per employee per day ($500 minimum)

Hawaii pairs mandatory workers comp with two other required coverages, Temporary Disability Insurance and the Prepaid Health Care Act, under one division.

Hawaii vs neighboring states

California: about $5.72 per $100 of payroll

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

Hawaii does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, California is the cheapest for HVAC comp at about $5.72 and California the most expensive at about $5.72 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.