Vermont Roofing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Vermont loss cost for roofing workers comp, class 5551 (Roofing - All Kinds & Drivers), is $7.986 per $100 of payroll (effective April 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $11.98.
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.
Vermont class code for roofing
- 5551: Roofing - All Kinds & Drivers
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 Vermont
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 210 roofers on payrolls in Vermont (May 2025), the 50th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $28.39 an hour, 7% above the US median of $26.65.
Roofers make up about the same share of Vermont jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.79).
At a typical Vermont premium of about $11.98 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $7.99 for class 5551 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $3.40 for every hour worked, or $7,074 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $28,297 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Vermont pay runs from $21.82 an hour at the 10th percentile to $30.41 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $2.61 an hour on a new hire and $3.64 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Vermont
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners not required to cover themselves but may elect in; must cover any employees
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; eliminated and paid retroactively if disability extends beyond 10 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $50/day pre-notice, escalating to $150/day, plus stop-work authority
Vermont uses a two-tier escalating daily fine, jumping from $50 to $150 a day if the lapse isn't cured within five days of notice.
Vermont vs neighboring states
- Massachusetts: about $31.21 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $13.35 per $100 of payroll
Vermont has the lowest roofing comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more 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.