New York Roofing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published New York loss cost for roofing workers comp, class 5545 (Roofing - NOC - All Operations to Completion & Drivers), is $8.897 per $100 of payroll (effective October 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $13.35.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
New York class codes for roofing
- 5545: Roofing - NOC - All Operations to Completion & Drivers
- 5547: Roofing - Built-Up - All Operations to Completion & Drivers
New York is an independent bureau state: it uses 4-digit codes that look like NCCI codes, but several NCCI classes do not exist in New York (no 5551, 5537, 5478 or 5436), roofing is split by roof pitch, and carpentry is split by building type and height.
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 York
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 4,570 roofers on payrolls in New York (May 2025), the 7th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $31.74 an hour, 19% above the US median of $26.65.
This trade is a smaller part of the New York job market than it is nationally: roofers hold 0.54 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical New York premium of about $13.35 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $8.90 for class 5545 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $4.24 for every hour worked, or $8,814 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $35,254 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New York pay runs from $22.60 an hour at the 10th percentile to $45.69 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $3.02 an hour on a new hire and $6.10 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in New York
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: A sole proprietor with no employees is exempt; adding one employee triggers the full requirement
- State fund: Competitive state fund (New York State Insurance Fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 14 days
- Penalty for going without: $2,000 per 10-day period (under 10 employees), $5,000 for larger, plus criminal exposure
New York uses the independent NYCIRB (not NCCI) and separately mandates statutory Disability Benefits Law coverage alongside workers comp.
New York vs neighboring states
- Connecticut: about $15.88 per $100 of payroll
- Massachusetts: about $31.21 per $100 of payroll
- New Jersey: about $25.33 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $11.32 per $100 of payroll
- Vermont: about $11.98 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Pennsylvania is the cheapest for roofing comp at $11.32 and Massachusetts the most expensive at $31.21 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.