Iowa Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Iowa rate for plumbing workers comp, class 5183 (Plumbing NOC and Drivers), is $2.13 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Iowa class code for plumbing
- 5183: Plumbing NOC & Drivers
- 5188 (Sprinkler Installation & Drivers)
Plumbing work involves back strain, cuts, burns from soldering and hot water, and work in crawl spaces and other confined spaces.
What comp costs per plumber in Iowa
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,730 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Iowa (May 2025), the 29th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $30.72 an hour, in line with the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Iowa jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.23).
At the published Iowa rate of $2.13 per $100 of payroll for class 5183, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.65 for every hour worked, or $1,361 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,722 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Iowa pay runs from $21.88 an hour at the 10th percentile to $46.87 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.47 an hour on a new hire and $1.00 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Iowa
- Coverage required: 1 employee; no payroll or headcount floor
- Owners and sole proprietors: A full-time sole proprietor or partner is auto-excluded; may decline in writing or elect in
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability continues more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: An uninsured employer loses tort immunity and can be sued for uncapped civil damages
Iowa has no small-employer exemption at all, requiring coverage from the first employee with no payroll floor.
Iowa vs neighboring states
Iowa has the lowest plumbing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more 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 plumbing comp bill
- Plumbing rates sit in the middle of the construction classes; the swing comes from your experience mod. Trench and excavation injuries are the costly claims, so trench-safety training pays back quickly.
- Some states split residential and commercial plumbing into different classes. If you do both, make sure the payroll for each is recorded so the cheaper work is not rated at the higher class.
- Apprentices carry the same class rate as journeymen, but their lower wages mean less premium per hour. Your payroll mix matters as much as the rate.
- Uninsured subs (excavators, drywall patchers) get added to your payroll at audit unless you collect certificates before they start.