Wisconsin Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Wisconsin rate for plumbing workers comp, class 5183 (Plumbing NOC & Drivers), is $2.21 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 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 Wisconsin
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 10,210 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Wisconsin (May 2025), the 17th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $39.04 an hour, 27% above the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Wisconsin jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.16).
At the published Wisconsin rate of $2.21 per $100 of payroll for class 5183, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.86 for every hour worked, or $1,795 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,589 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Wisconsin pay runs from $24.05 an hour at the 10th percentile to $57.72 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.53 an hour on a new hire and $1.28 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 plumbing 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 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.