New York HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published New York loss cost for HVAC workers comp, class 5536 (Air Conditioning and Heating Duct Work - Shop and Outside - All Operations to Completion & Drivers), is $3.111 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.67.

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.

New York class codes for HVAC

5536: Air Conditioning and Heating Duct Work - Shop and Outside - All Operations to Completion & Drivers
5183: Plumbing - NOC - All Operations to Completion & Drivers
3737: Machinery or Equipment Repair or Servicing at Customers' Premises - NOC - All Operations to Completion & Drivers

New York is an independent bureau state: it uses 4-digit codes that look like NCCI codes, but several NCCI classes do not exist in New York (no 5551, 5537, 5478 or 5436), roofing is split by roof pitch, and carpentry is split by building type and height.

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

What comp costs per hvac technician in New York

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 24,430 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in New York (May 2025), the 4th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $35.78 an hour, 22% above the US median of $29.33.

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of New York jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.96).

At a typical New York premium of about $4.67 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.11 for class 5536 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.67 for every hour worked, or $3,476 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $6,951 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New York pay runs from $23.35 an hour at the 10th percentile to $48.40 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.09 an hour on a new hire and $2.26 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in New York

Coverage required: 1 employee
Owners and sole proprietors: A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt; adding one employee triggers the full requirement
State fund: Competitive state fund (New York State Insurance Fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 14 days
Penalty for going without: $2,000 per 10-day period (under 10 employees), $5,000 for larger, plus criminal exposure

New York uses the independent NYCIRB (not NCCI) and separately mandates statutory Disability Benefits Law coverage alongside workers comp.

New York vs neighboring states

Connecticut: about $3.55 per $100 of payroll
Massachusetts: about $2.22 per $100 of payroll
New Jersey: about $5.64 per $100 of payroll
Pennsylvania: about $2.71 per $100 of payroll
Vermont: about $3.96 per $100 of payroll

Among its neighbors, Massachusetts is the cheapest for HVAC comp at $2.22 and New Jersey the most expensive at $5.64 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.