Indiana Painting Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Indiana loss cost for painting workers comp, class 5474 (Painting or Paperhanging NOC and Shop Operations, Drivers), is $1.415 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.12.

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.

Indiana class code for painting

5474: Painting NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers
5037 (Painting: Metal Structures - Over Two Stories in Height & Drivers)
5491 (Paperhanging & Drivers)

Painting carries ladder fall risk, solvent exposure and lead paint hazards in buildings built before 1978.

What comp costs per painter in Indiana

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 3,510 painters on payrolls in Indiana (May 2025), the 21st largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $24.16 an hour, 2% above the US median of $23.75.

Painters make up about the same share of Indiana jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.76).

At a typical Indiana premium of about $2.12 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.42 for class 5474 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.51 for every hour worked, or $1,065 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $3,196 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Indiana pay runs from $17.51 an hour at the 10th percentile to $33.43 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.37 an hour on a new hire and $0.71 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Indiana

Coverage required: 1 employee
Owners and sole proprietors: Owners exempt for themselves; construction independent contractors file a Clearance Certificate
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 21 days
Penalty for going without: Up to $10,000 per violation plus $50 per day per uncovered employee

Indiana sets rates through its own Indiana Compensation Rating Bureau rather than NCCI.

Indiana vs neighboring states

Michigan: about $2.29 per $100 of payroll
Ohio: about $2.08 per $100 of payroll

Among its neighbors, Ohio is the cheapest for painting comp at $2.08 and Michigan the most expensive at $2.29 per $100 of payroll.

Working across the line into Ohio needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.

What moves a painting comp bill

Painting rates are set by height and surface: interior repaint work and exterior or industrial painting can fall into different classes in many states. Describe your mix accurately at quote time.
Ladder and scaffold falls are the costly claims. Scaffold training and inspection logs help when you ask a carrier for safety credits.
Painting crews lean on 1099 labor. Without a certificate of insurance on file, the auditor will add those payments to your payroll.
Seasonal exterior work makes payroll hard to forecast. Estimate the year, not your busiest month, so the deposit and the audit stay close.