There's no single answer to "how much does workers' comp cost in Florida?" — and anyone who gives you one without knowing your class code and payroll is guessing. What we can tell you is exactly how the number is built, what the 2025 Florida filed rates look like for the most common trades, and where the majority of businesses are quietly overpaying.
The Building Blocks of Your Workers' Comp Premium
Your total workers' comp cost through a PEO arrangement has three components — all calculated as a percentage of payroll:
| Component | What It Is | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| WC Charge | Your actual workers' comp premium rate | 0.18% – 22%+ of payroll |
| Florida SUTA | State unemployment tax (charged on first $7,000/employee/year) | 0.1% – 5.4% of wage base |
| Admin Fee | PEO's service fee for payroll, HR, compliance | 2% – 8% of payroll |
The WC charge rate is the one that varies most dramatically by trade. SUTA and admin fees vary by provider and your business's unemployment history.
2025 Florida Workers' Comp Rates by Trade
Florida's rates are set annually by NCCI and approved by FLOIR. After a -9.8% statewide reduction in 2024 and approximately -6.1% in 2025, rates are meaningfully lower than they were two years ago — but that only helps you if your current provider passed those reductions through.
| Trade | Primary Code(s) | 2025 Rate / $100 Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 5551 | $22.00+ |
| Structural Iron / Steel | 5040 | $14.00+ |
| Framing — Residential | 5645 | ~$9.69 |
| Concrete — Flatwork | 5221 | ~$8.50 |
| Tree Service | 0106 | ~$11.00 |
| Landscaping | 0042 | ~$6.10 |
| Painting — Exterior | 5474 | ~$5.20 |
| Plumbing | 5183 | ~$4.50 |
| HVAC | 5537 | ~$4.20 |
| Electrical — Commercial | 5190 | ~$4.50 |
| General Contracting | 5606 | ~$3.00 |
| Clerical / Office | 8810 | ~$0.18 |
These are the filed (manual) rates — the baseline before your experience modifier, PEO group discount, or any other adjustments.
A Real Cost Example
Let's say you run a framing crew — 5 employees, $400,000 in annual payroll, code 5645:
- WC charge at 9.69%: $38,760/year
- SUTA at 2.7% on $7,000 × 5 employees: $945/year
- Admin fee at 3%: $12,000/year
- Total blended cost: ~$51,705/year (12.9% of payroll)
If that framing contractor is currently paying a WC charge of 12% instead of 9.69%, that's an extra $9,240 per year — just on the WC component alone. And if their SUTA rate is 4.2% instead of 2.7%, that's another $525 per year on top of it.
Where Florida Businesses Overpay
In our experience, the most common sources of excess premium are:
1. Carrier Markup Above the Filed Rate
Florida's filed rate is a floor approved by regulators, but many carriers charge above it for high-risk trades. The E&S (surplus lines) market — which handles contractors who've been non-renewed or have adverse claims history — can charge multiples of the filed rate with no regulatory ceiling.
2. Stale SUTA Rates
Florida SUTA rates are reassigned annually by the Department of Revenue based on your unemployment claims history. New businesses start at 2.7%. Rates for established businesses range from 0.1% to 5.4%. Many businesses don't know their current rate or don't realize it changed.
3. Admin Fees Above Market
PEO admin fees vary widely. A 6–8% admin fee is high; 2–3% is competitive. The fee should be transparent and itemized, not buried in a blended rate.
4. Year-End Audit True-Ups
Traditional policies estimate your payroll at the start of the year and audit at the end. If payroll came in higher than estimated, you owe the difference — sometimes a five-figure surprise bill in January. Pay-as-you-go programs through a PEO eliminate this entirely.
How to Find Out If You're Overpaying
The most direct way is to run your class code and payroll figures through a comparison tool that uses actual 2025 Florida filed rates. You'll see the manual rate, what you'd pay at that rate versus what you're currently paying, and where the gap is.
If your current WC charge is materially above the filed rate for your code, you have a legitimate conversation to have with your current provider — or a reason to look at alternatives.