Texas HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Texas loss cost for HVAC workers comp, class 5536 (Air Conditioning Systems - Heating and/or Cooling - Not Portable - Duct Fabrication or Installation & Drivers), is $0.851 per $100 of payroll (effective July 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.28.
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.
Texas class code for HVAC
- 5536: Air Conditioning Systems - Heating and/or Cooling - Not Portable - Duct Fabrication or Installation & Drivers
Texas uses NCCI's separate Basic Manual for Texas, which still has Texas-specific codes (for example 5536 HVAC, 5200 concrete flatwork, 5102 carpet and resilient floor covering) that NCCI is gradually replacing with multistate codes, and workers' comp is optional for most private employers (nonsubscribers must report to DWC that they have no coverage).
HVAC technicians work in attics and on roofs and handle electrical circuits and refrigerants.
What comp costs per hvac technician in Texas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 34,730 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Texas (May 2025), the 3rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $27.77 an hour, 5% below the US median of $29.33.
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of Texas jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.94).
At a typical Texas premium of about $1.28 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $0.85 for class 5536 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.36 for every hour worked, or $739 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $1,479 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Texas pay runs from $18.32 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.36 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.23 an hour on a new hire and $0.50 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Texas
- Coverage required: Elective for most private employers (South Dakota is also elective)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Included by default but may elect out
- State fund: Private market (Texas Mutual is the largest writer and insurer of last resort)
- Waiting period: 7 days; the waiting week is paid retroactively if off work more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Non-subscribers must file a notice; failure to file draws administrative penalties up to $25,000 per day
Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out entirely, trading coverage for the loss of common-law negligence defenses as a non-subscriber.
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.