North Carolina HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published North Carolina loss cost for HVAC workers comp, class 5537 (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems Installation, Service and Repair and Drivers), is $1.563 per $100 of payroll (effective April 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.34.
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.
North Carolina 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 North Carolina
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 15,230 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in North Carolina (May 2025), the 6th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $27.53 an hour, 6% below the US median of $29.33.
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of North Carolina jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.17).
At a typical North Carolina premium of about $2.34 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.56 for class 5537 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.64 for every hour worked, or $1,340 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,680 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. North Carolina pay runs from $18.16 an hour at the 10th percentile to $37.10 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.42 an hour on a new hire and $0.87 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in North Carolina
- Coverage required: 3+ employees (including construction); 1 if any work involves radiation
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners, partners, and LLC members not auto-counted as employees; may elect in
- State fund: Private market (NC Rate Bureau residual plan)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 21 days
- Penalty for going without: $1-$100 per employee per day; first offense a misdemeanor, repeats a felony
North Carolina keeps its three-employee threshold even for construction and sets rates through the independent NC Rate Bureau.
North Carolina vs neighboring states
- Georgia: about $2.78 per $100 of payroll
North Carolina 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.