California Workers’ Comp Class Code Lookup: Every Dual-Wage Pair, 2026 Threshold and Rate
Quick answer: how to read this page
California has sixteen dual-wage construction classifications. Each is a pair of codes describing the same work: the first code is the low-wage code, the second is the high-wage code, and an employee goes into the high-wage code only if their regular hourly wage equals or exceeds the threshold. For policies incepting on or after September 1, 2026 every threshold moved up. The table below gives each pair, the old and new threshold, the approved pure premium rate per $100 of payroll for each code effective 9/1/2026, and how much more the low-wage code costs. Source: WCIRB Classification Search and the WCIRB September 1, 2026 Regulatory Filing. Verified September 7, 2026 by CPR Business Solutions.
Will we write it? Tell us the operation, the state, and roughly where the mod sits — we’ll come back within one business day with a straight answer: yes, no, or what we’d need to see. No ACORD, no loss runs, no obligation. Agents and business owners both welcome. Run it past us here.
Every California dual-wage pair, 2026 threshold and rate
Format: trade — low-wage code / high-wage code — threshold old → new — pure premium rate low / high — low-wage premium over high-wage.
Roofing — all kinds — 5552 / 5553 — $31.00 → $33.00 — $20.827 / $12.112 — 72% more. Full guide.
Carpentry — 5403 / 5432 — $41.00 → $46.00 — $12.075 / $5.321 — 127% more. Full guide.
Steel framing — light gauge — 5632 / 5633 — $41.00 → $46.00 — $12.075 / $5.321 — 127% more. Full guide.
Wallboard installation — 5446 / 5447 — $41.00 → $45.00 — $6.233 / $3.249 — 92% more. Full guide.
Excavation, grading, land leveling — 6218 / 6220 — $40.00 → $45.00 — $5.386 / $3.607 — 49% more. Full guide.
Sewer construction — 6307 / 6308 — $40.00 → $45.00 — $7.451 / $4.117 — 81% more. Full guide.
Water mains and gas mains — 6315 / 6316 — $40.00 → $45.00 — $4.918 / $3.147 — 56% more. Full guide.
Glaziers — away from shop — 5467 / 5470 — $39.00 → $43.00 — $7.514 / $3.349 — 124% more. Full guide.
Plastering or stucco — 5484 / 5485 — $38.00 → $42.00 — $8.447 / $6.452 — 31% more. Full guide.
Electrical wiring — 5190 / 5140 — $36.00 → $40.00 — $3.729 / $2.109 — 77% more. Full guide.
Masonry — 5027 / 5028 — $35.00 → $37.00 — $9.332 / $4.928 — 89% more. Full guide.
Sheet metal and HVAC ductwork — 5538 / 5542 — $33.00 → $37.00 — $5.871 / $3.674 — 60% more. Full guide.
Painting, waterproofing, tank painting — 5474 / 5482 — $32.00 → $36.00 — $8.509 / $4.778 — 78% more. Full guide.
Concrete — sidewalks and floor slabs — 5201 / 5205 — $33.00 → $36.00 — $8.245 / $4.748 — 74% more. Full guide.
Automatic sprinkler installation — 5185 / 5186 — $33.00 → $36.00 — $5.190 / $2.363 — 120% more. Full guide.
Plumbing, refrigeration, heating and AC equipment — 5183 / 5187 — $32.00 → $35.00 — $5.716 / $2.732 — 109% more. Full guide.
What the table tells you
The widest gaps are framing and glazing. Carpentry and steel framing (127%), glaziers (124%), sprinkler (120%) and plumbing (109%) are the pairs where one dollar of wage at the threshold moves premium the furthest. Those are the trades where a raise to the threshold most often pays for itself.
The narrowest gap is plastering. At 31%, 5484/5485 is the one pair where reclassification is usually cheaper than the raise.
Roofing is the most expensive code at both wage levels — $20.827 and $12.112 — and has the smallest threshold move ($31.00 to $33.00, tied with masonry).
The $5.00 moves are carpentry, steel framing, excavation, sewer and water mains. The $4.00 moves are wallboard, glaziers, plastering, electrical, painting and sheet metal. Sprinkler, concrete and plumbing moved $3.00; masonry and roofing moved $2.00.
The five rules that apply to every pair
It is a cliff, not a slope. One cent below the threshold puts that employee’s entire payroll in the low-wage code.
It is decided employee by employee. Crew or company averages never count.
“Regular hourly wage” is a defined term. Overtime premium, bonuses and per diem generally do not count toward it.
Undocumented payroll defaults to the low-wage code. Payroll the employer cannot show meets the threshold with time records is assigned to the low-wage code at audit.
The experience mod multiplies the reclassification cost but not the wage cost. A worse mod lowers the wage at which the raise pays — every pair guide above works the break-even by mod.
The threshold changes, the 10.4% advisory rate increase and the experience rating changes all landed on the same date — see the September 1, 2026 dual-wage threshold tracker and the experience rating changes. For the raise-versus-reclassify math across trades in one place, see the break-even guide.
One honest caveat
These are WCIRB approved pure premium rates — advisory benchmarks, not the rates any carrier charges. California is an open-rating state; every insurer files its own rates and applies its own schedule and experience modifications. The relative gap between the codes in each pair holds across the market because the loss data underneath is the same, but the dollars on a given account depend on the carrier’s filed rates and the client’s mod.
California class code FAQ
What is class code 5190 in California?
5190 is the low-wage electrical wiring classification — electricians whose regular hourly wage is below $40.00 for policies incepting on or after September 1, 2026. Electricians at or above $40.00 are 5140. The 9/1/2026 pure premium rates are $3.729 for 5190 and $2.109 for 5140.
What is class code 5187 in California?
5187 is the high-wage plumbing classification, covering plumbing (5187(1)), refrigeration (5187(2)) and heating or air conditioning equipment (5187(3)) for employees at or above $35.00 an hour. Below $35.00 the same work is 5183. The 9/1/2026 pure premium rates are $5.716 for 5183 and $2.732 for 5187.
What is class code 5201 in California?
5201 is the low-wage concrete classification — concrete or cement work on sidewalks, driveways and similar flatwork (5201(1)) and floor slabs (5201(2)) for employees below $36.00 an hour. At or above $36.00 the work is 5205. The 9/1/2026 pure premium rates are $8.245 for 5201 and $4.748 for 5205.
How do I tell which code in a California dual-wage pair is the low-wage one?
In WCIRB notation the first code listed is always the low-wage code and the second is the high-wage — and cheaper — code. The order is semantic, not numeric: electrical is written 5190/5140, and 5190 is the low-wage code even though it is the larger number.
Are California class codes the same as NCCI class codes?
No. California uses its own WCIRB classification system. Many code numbers overlap with NCCI codes used in most other states but describe different work — 9008 is janitorial in California and vocational schools under NCCI, for example. Always confirm the state before reading a code.
Placing California construction accounts
CPR Business Solutions is a wholesale workers’ compensation broker and MGA built around high-mod and hard-to-place accounts. If a California contractor has just seen payroll reclassify into a low-wage code, has a mod above 1.50, or has been non-renewed after an audit, that is the account we want.
Call 714-928-3858 or email proposals@cprbrokers.com.
Working an NCCI state instead? Roofing 5551, electrical 5190 and plumbing 5183 have no wage split there — see our guides for South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas and Florida.
