Montana HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Montana 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 Montana figure.

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

Montana 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 Montana

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,230 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Montana (May 2025), the 46th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $29.26 an hour, in line with the US median of $29.33.

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of Montana jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.91).

At the US median of $2.74 per $100 of payroll (Montana does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.80 for every hour worked, or $1,668 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,335 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Montana pay runs from $20.14 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.05 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.55 an hour on a new hire and $1.07 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Montana

Coverage required: 1 employee; out-of-state policies are not accepted for construction work
Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; construction independent contractors need an Exemption Certificate (ICEC)
State fund: Competitive state fund (Montana State Fund)
Waiting period: 4 days (or 32 work hours); retroactive if disability lasts more than 21 days
Penalty for going without: Double the premium owed (minimum $200), up to $1,000 plus $100 per day, escalating to $50,000

Montana does not accept out-of-state workers comp policies for construction work performed in the state.

Montana vs neighboring states

Idaho: about $2.77 per $100 of payroll
North Dakota: about $2.00 per $100 of payroll
Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll

Montana does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, North Dakota is the cheapest for HVAC comp at about $2.00 and Idaho the most expensive at about $2.77 per $100 of payroll.

Working across the line into North Dakota or Wyoming 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.