Washington HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Washington employers buy HVAC workers comp from the state fund. The 2026 rate for class 0307 (Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and furnace systems: Installation, service or repair) is $1.98 per hour worked, before your experience factor.
Washington charges for every hour worked, not per $100 of payroll. Source.
Washington class code for HVAC
- 0307: Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and furnace systems: Installation, service or repair
Monopolistic state fund (no private carriers) with its own four-digit risk classes and subclasses in WAC 296-17A that do not match NCCI codes, and premiums are charged per hour worked rather than per $100 of payroll, with workers paying part of the premium through payroll deduction.
HVAC technicians work in attics and on roofs and handle electrical circuits and refrigerants.
What comp costs per hvac technician in Washington
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 7,370 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Washington (May 2025), the 20th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $36.38 an hour, 24% above the US median of $29.33.
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make up about the same share of Washington jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.79).
Washington charges by the hour, not by payroll. The 2026 state fund rate for class 0307 is $1.98 for every hour worked, so a full-time worker costs about $4,108 a year and a 2-person crew roughly $8,216, before your experience factor. You pay $1.63 of each hour; the rest can be deducted from the worker's pay.
Because premium follows hours rather than wages, a senior hand at the 90th percentile costs the same to insure as a new hire. That is roughly $5.43 per $100 of payroll at the median Washington wage, the figure used in the comparison below.
Workers comp requirements in Washington
- Coverage required: Any employee (no minimum headcount)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners and exempt officers may buy elective coverage; employees must always be covered
- State fund: Monopolistic; coverage only from the state Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), or qualified self-insurance
- Waiting period: 3 days; paid only if the worker is still off on the 7th day
- Penalty for going without: Up to twice the premiums owed or $1,000, plus up to 100% of claim cost if unregistered
Washington uniquely calculates premiums by hours worked rather than payroll, and lets employers withhold part of the premium from employee wages.
Washington vs neighboring states
Washington has the highest HVAC comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
If your crews cross into Idaho or Oregon, your Washington state-fund coverage does not follow them. Buy a private policy for the out-of-state work, with Washington excluded from it.
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.