Wisconsin HVAC Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Wisconsin rate for HVAC workers comp, class 5537 (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems - Installation, Service and Repair - Shop, Yard and Outside and Drivers), is $3.29 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 6,630 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers on payrolls in Wisconsin (May 2025), the 23rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $29.67 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 Wisconsin jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.86).
At the published Wisconsin rate of $3.29 per $100 of payroll for class 5537, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.98 for every hour worked, or $2,030 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $4,061 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Wisconsin pay runs from $22.08 an hour at the 10th percentile to $47.15 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.73 an hour on a new hire and $1.55 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Wisconsin
- Coverage required: 3+ employees, or 1 employee paid $500+ in a calendar quarter
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners excluded; may elect in; some closely-held officers excluded
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Twice the premium unpaid or $750 (whichever is greater); a short lapse runs $100 per uninsured day
Wisconsin passed the first constitutional workers comp law in the nation in 1911.
Wisconsin vs neighboring states
Wisconsin has the highest HVAC comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less 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.