Massachusetts HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Massachusetts class codes for HVAC

• 5183: Plumbing NOC (phraseology: Air Conditioning Systems: Non-Portable: Plumbing & Drivers; Refrigeration pipe fitting)
• 5538: Sheet Metal Work - Shop and Outside NOC (phraseology: Heating & Air Conditioning Duct Work - Shop & Outside & Drivers; Air Conditioning Systems: Non-Portable: Sheet Metal Work)
• 5190: Electrical Wiring (phraseology: Air Conditioning Systems: Non-Portable: Cleaning, Oiling or Adjusting & Drivers; Thermostat Installation - Electric)

Massachusetts has its own classification system and manual, with NCCI-style numbers for most trades but its own codes in places (roofing split into 5545 sloped and 5547 flat, no 5537 HVAC class, no 5436), plus a wage-based Massachusetts Construction Classification Premium Adjustment Program (MCCPAP) credit for qualifying construction employers.

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

What comp costs per hvac technician in Massachusetts

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 8,200 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Massachusetts (May 2025), the 19th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $37.16 an hour, 27% above the US median of $29.33.

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of Massachusetts jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.86).

At the published Massachusetts rate of $2.22 per $100 of payroll for class 5183, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.82 for every hour worked, or $1,716 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,432 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Massachusetts pay runs from $24.44 an hour at the 10th percentile to $49.23 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.54 an hour on a new hire and $1.09 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Massachusetts

• Coverage required: 1 employee
• Owners and sole proprietors: Owners of an unincorporated business excluded by default; may elect in
• State fund: Private market (no state fund)
• Waiting period: 5 days; 21+ days paid retroactively from day one
• Penalty for going without: Immediate stop-work order plus $100 per day, and criminal exposure for willful failure

Massachusetts is an administered-pricing state, so carriers generally cannot compete on base rates the way they do elsewhere.

Massachusetts vs neighboring states

• Connecticut: about $3.55 per $100 of payroll
• New York: about $4.67 per $100 of payroll
• Vermont: about $3.96 per $100 of payroll

Massachusetts 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.

Related Massachusetts HVAC pages

• Massachusetts HVAC Salary
• Massachusetts HVAC License