New Jersey Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published New Jersey rate for plumbing workers comp, class 5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers), is $4.46 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.
New Jersey class code for plumbing
- 5183: Plumbing NOC & Drivers
New Jersey is an independent bureau state that uses NCCI-style 4-digit codes but with its own phraseologies and several state-specific assignments, e.g. HVAC under 3724, concrete flatwork under 5200, and no 5537, 5478 or 5221.
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 New Jersey
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 8,750 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in New Jersey (May 2025), the 21st largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $37.61 an hour, 23% above the US median of $30.67.
This trade is a smaller part of the New Jersey job market than it is nationally: plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters hold 0.68 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published New Jersey rate of $4.46 per $100 of payroll for class 5183, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.68 for every hour worked, or $3,489 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $6,978 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New Jersey pay runs from $23.42 an hour at the 10th percentile to $65.73 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.04 an hour on a new hire and $2.93 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in New Jersey
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Automatically excluded on a policy; may elect coverage via a Notice of Election
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $5,000 per 10-day period; knowing failure is a fourth-degree crime (up to $10,000 and 18 months)
New Jersey sets rates through its own independent bureau (NJCRIB) rather than NCCI, and caps temporary disability at 400 weeks.
New Jersey vs neighboring states
- Delaware: about $2.50 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $5.28 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $2.47 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Pennsylvania is the cheapest for plumbing comp at $2.47 and New York the most expensive at $5.28 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.