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Workers' Comp for Concrete Contractors in Florida

Codes 5213, 5221, 5222 & 5223 — 2026 FL rates from $2.60 to $3.87/100.

Concrete Workers' Comp in Florida - Getting Classification Right

Florida concrete contractors fall under four primary NCCI classifications, with 2026 filed rates ranging from $2.60 to $3.87 per $100 of payroll. The right classification depends on the type of concrete work your crews perform - and getting it wrong is one of the most common audit triggers in the construction trade.

Code	Description	2026 Rate	Typical Work
5222	Concrete - Bridges & Culverts	$3.87	Bridge decks, culverts, heavy civil concrete
5213	Concrete - Rebar, Forms & Reinforcing Steel	$5.18	Structural concrete, rebar placement, formwork
5221	Concrete - Flatwork, Driveways & Floors	$3.87	Slabs, driveways, sidewalks, warehouse floors
5223	Swimming Pool Construction	$2.60	Gunite/shotcrete pools, residential & commercial

Classification audit risk. If your crews pour structural concrete but are classified as flatwork (5221), your carrier will reclassify at audit and charge the higher rate retroactively. Separating payroll by work type from day one avoids surprises.

What Drives Concrete Workers' Comp Claims

Concrete work involves a combination of physical hazards that produce frequent and costly claims:

Overexertion and musculoskeletal injuries - concrete is heavy. Placing, screeding, and finishing large pours is physically demanding work with high rates of back, shoulder, and knee injuries.
Chemical burns - wet concrete is caustic. Prolonged skin contact causes chemical burns, and eye exposure is a serious hazard on pour days.
Falls - formwork, elevated slabs, and uneven terrain on active job sites create constant fall exposure, particularly for structural concrete crews.
Struck-by incidents - from pump booms, overhead formwork, and moving equipment on busy job sites.
Heat illness - Florida's climate makes outdoor concrete work in summer months particularly taxing, with heat exhaustion a real risk during multi-day pours.

Pay-As-You-Go Works Especially Well for Concrete

Concrete contracting is inherently project-based - payroll can swing dramatically from a slow month to a month with multiple large commercial pours. Standard annual policies estimate your payroll upfront and reconcile at year-end, often resulting in a large additional premium bill when volume exceeds the estimate.

PEO pay-as-you-go programs collect premium each payroll cycle based on actual wages. A month with $80,000 in payroll costs proportionally less than a month with $200,000 - with no surprise reconciliation at audit.

Frequently Asked Questions - Florida Concrete Contractors

Code 5213 applies to structural concrete work involving rebar placement, formwork, and reinforcing steel - typically foundations, columns, beams, and elevated slabs. Code 5221 covers flatwork: driveways, sidewalks, warehouse floors, and other horizontal concrete surfaces without significant reinforcing steel involvement. The rate difference is significant - $5.18/100 for 5213 vs $3.87/100 for 5221. If your crews do both, payroll must be separated by work type.

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Swimming pool construction has its own classification - code 5223 - at $2.6/100 for 2026. This covers gunite, shotcrete, and conventional pool construction. If your company does both pool work and other concrete, the payroll should be separated. Pool construction is generally a lower rate than structural concrete.

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Yes. Florida requires workers' comp for construction employers with one or more employees. Concrete work is unambiguously construction in Florida. Even a two-person finishing crew triggers the coverage requirement for W-2 employees. Officers of the company may apply for exemptions, but crew members cannot.

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When a worker performs both higher-rated and lower-rated work (e.g., structural pours and flatwork), Florida allows payroll to be split by actual hours worked in each classification - but only if accurate time records are kept. If records aren't maintained, the entire payroll is typically assigned to the higher rate. This is a significant source of audit findings for concrete contractors. Your PEO can help you set up a tracking system.

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Yes. High-mod concrete contractors are a core part of what we do. PEO programs buffer individual claims impact through group rating. If you've been non-renewed or are facing an unaffordable renewal, call us - we place concrete contractors across the mod spectrum.

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