Texas Painting Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Texas loss cost for painting workers comp, class 5474 (Painting NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers), is $0.689 per $100 of payroll (effective July 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.03.
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 painting
- 5474: Painting NOC & Shop Operations, 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).
Painting carries ladder fall risk, solvent exposure and lead paint hazards in buildings built before 1978.
What comp costs per painter in Texas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 18,330 painters on payrolls in Texas (May 2025), the 3rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $21.86 an hour, 8% below the US median of $23.75.
Painters make up about the same share of Texas jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.90).
At a typical Texas premium of about $1.03 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $0.69 for class 5474 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.23 for every hour worked, or $468 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $1,405 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Texas pay runs from $17.25 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.32 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.18 an hour on a new hire and $0.29 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 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.