Workers' comp in Texas.
Workers' comp is optional for private employers in Texas. Class codes follow NCCI's manual, with Texas's exceptions. You buy coverage from carriers, including Texas Mutual Insurance Company.
- REQUIRED
- Optional for private employers
- RATING BUREAU
- NCCI
- CLASS CODES
- NCCI codes
- BUY FROM
- Carriers, including Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Optional for private employers.
The rule
Workers' comp is optional for private employers in Texas. An employer without it must notify its employees and the Division of Workers' Compensation, and contractors on public building or construction projects must cover their employees (Texas Labor Code 406.096).
Source: Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation, Workers' compensation insurance coverage verification, checked October 5, 2026.
Coverage rules: Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation, Workers' compensation insurance coverage verification, checked October 5, 2026.
Class codes follow NCCI's manual, with Texas's exceptions.
Class system
NCCI's codes, with Texas's exceptions.
Codes on our pages
Most codes on our pages are in Texas's list; the exceptions are below.
Not in Texas's list
- 8829 Nursing and convalescent homes
- 8864 Social services organizations
- 8869 Child day care
- 9082 Restaurants
- 9083 Fast food restaurants
- 3400 Stamped metal goods manufacturing
- 2883 Wood furniture manufacturing
- 8380 Auto service and repair centers
- 5645 Residential carpentry
- 5445 Drywall installation
- 5478 Floor covering installation
- 5537 HVAC and refrigeration
- 5221 Concrete flatwork
- 5507 Road subsurface work
- 6217 Excavation
- 5610 Construction debris removal
In Texas's list
- 8810 Clerical office
- 8742 Outside sales
- 8803 Traveling auditors and accountants
- 8820 Law firms
- 8601 Consulting architects and engineers
- 8832 Physician and dental offices
- 8835 Home and traveling health care
- 8824 Retirement living, care staff
- 8868 Schools, teaching and office staff
- 9101 Schools, all other staff
- 9052 Hotels, all other staff
- 9058 Hotel restaurant staff
- 9014 Janitorial contractors
- 8292 Storage warehouses
- 7219 Trucking
- 7380 Commercial drivers
- 8018 Wholesale stores
- 2802 Carpentry shops
- 3724 Machinery erection and repair
- 3632 Machine shops
- 3179 Electrical equipment manufacturing
- 2003 Bakeries
- 4299 Printing
- 8748 Auto salespersons
- 5606 Construction executives and superintendents
- 5403 Carpentry, commercial and taller dwellings
- 5437 Cabinet and interior trim installation
- 5474 Painting
- 5348 Ceramic tile and indoor stone
- 5183 Plumbing
- 5538 Sheet metal work
- 5190 Electrical wiring
- 5213 Concrete construction
- 5022 Masonry
- 5551 Roofing
- 5057 Iron or steel erection
- 5102 Door and window installation
- 5506 Road paving
- 6400 Fence installation
- 0042 Landscape gardening
List: NCCI's Texas advisory loss costs effective July 1, 2026 (published by TDI), checked October 5, 2026.
Your payroll, your rate, before discounts and assessments.
Your rate comes from carriers that actively write the class.
Worklio Insurance bills pay-as-you-go comp with each payroll, no deposit; the audit usually confirms what you've already paid.
COMMON QUESTIONS
- Do I need workers' comp in Texas?
- Not as a private employer, in most cases: workers' comp is optional for private employers in Texas. An employer without it must notify its employees and the Division of Workers' Compensation, and contractors on public building or construction projects must cover their employees (Texas Labor Code 406.096).
- Who sets class codes in Texas?
- NCCI, as Texas's rating organization. Class codes follow NCCI's manual, with Texas's exceptions. An advisor confirms your class codes.
- Can I buy from Texas Mutual Insurance Company?
- Yes. Texas Mutual Insurance Company writes workers' comp in Texas, alongside other carriers.
- Is Worklio Insurance licensed in Texas?
- Worklio Insurance Services LLC's producer is licensed in Texas, and the agency license there is active. See insurance licenses
SOURCES
- Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation, Workers' compensation insurance coverage verificationWho must carry it, coverage rules, checked October 5, 2026.
- Texas Department of Insurance, Workers' Compensation Policy and PremiumRating bureau, class system, checked October 5, 2026.
- NCCI's Texas advisory loss costs effective July 1, 2026 (published by TDI)Class codes, checked October 5, 2026.
Figures as of October 5, 2026.
For planning, not a quote or a classification ruling. An advisor confirms your class codes with your carrier.