California Workers Compensation – Classifications for Dual Hourly Wage Thresholds 2022

In California and most other states, many construction classifications are divided into separate classifications based on the hourly wage of the employee for each classification. In the industry this is referred to as dual wage classification. Each pair of dual wage classifications is divided into two “high wage” and “low wage” classifications. The “high wage” classification generally has a substantially lower rate than the “low wage” classification.

The California Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) has adjusted the hourly wage thresholds for certain dual wage classifications beginning September 1, 2022. The new hourly wage thresholds are for policies with effective dates 9/1/2022 and after.

The WCIRB website also has a PDF document with historical dual wage thresholds by year (for the past five years). Please always refer to WCIRB documentation before preparing your payroll reports for auditing purposes.

Classification for Dual Hourly Wage Threshold	Class Codes	Hourly Wage Threshold
Automatic Sprinkler Installation	5185 5186	Less Than $32 Equal or More Than $32
Carpentry	5403 5432	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Concrete or Cement Work	5201 5205	Less Than $32 Equal or More Than $32
Electrical Wiring	5190 5140	Less Than $34 Equal or More Than $34
Excavation NOC	6218(1) 6220(1)	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Gas Mains or Connections Construction	6315(2) 6316(2)	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Glaziers	5467 5470	Less Than $36 Equal or More Than $36
Grading Land NOC	6218(2) 6220(2)	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Heating and Air Conditioning Ductwork	5538(2) 5542(2)	Less Than $29 Equal or More Than $29
Heating and Air Conditioning Equipment	5183(3) 5187(3)	Less Than $31 Equal or More Than $31
Land Leveling	6218(3) 6220(3)	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Masonry	5027 5028	Less Than $32 Equal or More Than $32
Painting	5474 5482	Less Than $31 Equal or More Than $31
Plastering or Stucco Work	5484 5485	Less Than $36 Equal or More Than $36
Plumbing	5183(1) 5187(1)	Less Than $31 Equal or More Than $31
Refrigeration Equipment	5183(2) 5187(2)	Less Than $31 Equal or More Than $31
Roofing	5552 5553	Less Than $29 Equal or More Than $29
Sewer Construction	6307 6308	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Sheet Metal Work	5538(1) 5542(1)	Less Than $29 Equal or More Than $29
Steel Framing	5632 5633	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Wallboard Application	5446 5447	Less Than $38 Equal or More Than $38
Water Mains or Connections Construction	6315(1) 6316(1)	Less Than $39 Equal or More Than $39
Waterproofing	5474(2) 5482(2)	Less Than $31 Equal or More Than $31

When maintaining payroll records for dual wage classification, be aware that the assignment of a high wage classification to an hourly employee is contingent on verification and reconciliation of the total number of hours the employee worked against the employee’s time cards or time sheets that documents the operations performed, the daily start and stop times and total hours worked each day for the employee. If total number of hours cannot be verified, the employee will be assigned the low wage classification.

It is critical to maintain proper payroll records to avoid a large additional premium resulting from a workers compensation audit. If you need assistance with preparing your payroll records in compliance with WCIRB requirements, please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation. If we can assist with improving your workers compensation premiums, please contact us to get a quote.