Wisconsin Painting Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Wisconsin rate for painting workers comp, class 5474 (Painting or Paperhanging NOC & Shop Operations, Drivers), is $4.72 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 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 Wisconsin
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 3,350 painters on payrolls in Wisconsin (May 2025), the 24th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $24.08 an hour, in line with the US median of $23.75.
Painters make up about the same share of Wisconsin jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.79).
At the published Wisconsin rate of $4.71 per $100 of payroll for class 5474, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.13 for every hour worked, or $2,359 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $7,077 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Wisconsin pay runs from $18.21 an hour at the 10th percentile to $36.08 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.86 an hour on a new hire and $1.70 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 painting 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 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.