Texas Roofing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Texas loss cost for roofing workers comp, class 5551 (Roofing--All Kinds & Drivers), is $1.946 per $100 of payroll (effective July 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.92.
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.
Texas class code for roofing
- 5551: Roofing--All Kinds & Drivers
Texas uses NCCI's separate Basic Manual for Texas, which still has Texas-specific codes (for example 5536 HVAC, 5200 concrete flatwork, 5102 carpet and resilient floor covering) that NCCI is gradually replacing with multistate codes, and workers' comp is optional for most private employers (nonsubscribers must report to DWC that they have no coverage).
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 Texas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,740 roofers on payrolls in Texas (May 2025), the 4th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $22.13 an hour, 17% below the US median of $26.65.
This trade is a smaller part of the Texas job market than it is nationally: roofers hold 0.47 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Texas premium of about $2.92 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.95 for class 5551 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.65 for every hour worked, or $1,344 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $5,376 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Texas pay runs from $16.41 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.59 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.48 an hour on a new hire and $0.86 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Texas
- Coverage required: Elective for most private employers (South Dakota is also elective)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Included by default but may elect out
- State fund: Private market (Texas Mutual is the largest writer and insurer of last resort)
- Waiting period: 7 days; the waiting week is paid retroactively if off work more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Non-subscribers must file a notice; failure to file draws administrative penalties up to $25,000 per day
Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out entirely, trading coverage for the loss of common-law negligence defenses as a non-subscriber.
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.