New Jersey Roofing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published New Jersey rate for roofing workers comp, class 5551 (Roofing - All Kinds & Drivers), is $25.33 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 roofing
- 5551: Roofing - All Kinds & 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.
Falls are the main hazard in roofing. In 2023 roofing contractors accounted for 110 fatal falls, 26 percent of all fatal falls in construction (BLS).
What comp costs per roofer in New Jersey
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,860 roofers on payrolls in New Jersey (May 2025), the 25th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $36.83 an hour, 38% above the US median of $26.65.
This trade is a smaller part of the New Jersey job market than it is nationally: roofers hold 0.50 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published New Jersey rate of $25.33 per $100 of payroll for class 5551, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $9.33 for every hour worked, or $19,404 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $77,618 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 $21.75 an hour at the 10th percentile to $49.87 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $5.51 an hour on a new hire and $12.63 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 $11.40 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $13.35 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $11.32 per $100 of payroll
New Jersey has the highest roofing 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 roofing comp bill
- Falls drive roofing claims, and one serious fall can push your experience mod well above 1.0 for three policy years. A written fall-protection plan and documented toolbox talks are what carriers ask to see before they offer a safety credit.
- Uninsured subcontractors are the most common audit surprise in roofing. If a sub cannot show you a certificate of insurance, the auditor adds what you paid them to your own payroll at the roofing rate.
- Estimators and salespeople who never go on a roof can often be classed separately at a far lower rate, but only if your payroll records show their hours apart from field work.
- Overtime premium (the extra half in time and a half) is excluded from comp payroll in most states. Record it separately so you are not charged the roofing rate on it.