08/10/2026
ARE YOU CLASSIFIED CORRECTLY?
In this break from my posts on Commercial Lines agency, I wanted to share some important information.
At the time of injury is the absolute worst time to review your policy and/or determine if you are classified correctly.
Many times we have found that an operation is incorrectly classified on their workers compensation policy. This can be the result of a change in operations, lack of knowledge of the agent, agent writing to a code that fits a current carrier as opposed to finding a carrier that accepts the correct operation.
I wanted to share a couple common misclassified risks:
Janitorial - if you are performing residential work, you need to ensure you are classified in 0917 (9014 is for commercial cleaning only).
Stay at home employees- you need to be classified in 8871 (8810 is for in office clerical)
Pressure Washing - if you power wash roofs, you need to be considered under 5551 (9014 is from the ground)
Carpentry - if you are performing structural work, you need to be classified as 5645 (many times agents will apply 5437 to reduce premium- however, this is limited to interior trim carpentry)
Flooring- it is really important to evaluate these operations as separate codes apply for wood floors, tile floors, and carpet.
There are many, many different scenarios. The most important advice is (1) take a look at your policy and review with your agent (2) if you don't know insurance, you need to know your agent. We have decades of experiences writing commercial coverages including workers compensation. We will be glad to review your current coverage and make a recommendation. We also have many solutions including pay as you go, self reporting, payroll companies, accountants, dividend programs and more. We can also help you establish a safety plan at no cost (worth a 2% discount on every work comp policy).