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9014
NCCI class code for standard janitorial services: carries base rates of $4.00–$7.00 per $100 payroll depending on state, directly multiplied by your payroll to set premium
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Calculate your workers' comp premium using actual class code rates for your state and payroll mix.
Workers' compensation premium is calculated by multiplying your payroll (by employee group) by the class code rate applicable to each group. A single payroll dollar classified under the wrong code can cost you anywhere from $0.40 to $9.00 per $100 depending on the codes involved. For a cleaning company with $500,000 in payroll, misclassifying office staff under janitorial codes overpays by $18,000–$33,000 annually.
Understanding the four class codes relevant to cleaning operations (how they're defined, what work qualifies, and how auditors verify classification) is fundamental to paying accurate (not inflated) workers' comp premiums.
The Four Class Codes Cleaning Companies Use
Code 9014: Janitorial Services (Standard Commercial)
NCCI definition: "Janitorial Services": applies to employees engaged in cleaning and maintaining the interior of buildings. Covers standard commercial cleaning: offices, retail stores, warehouses, schools, and other non-specialized commercial facilities.
Typical base rate: $4.00–$7.00 per $100 payroll (state-specific)
Work included: Floor cleaning, vacuuming, restroom sanitation, trash removal, window washing below 15 feet, dusting, general surface cleaning in standard commercial environments.
Work excluded: Healthcare facility cleaning (9016), specialty restoration work, mold remediation, high-rise window washing, construction cleanup on active construction sites.
Code 9014 is the default code for most commercial janitorial operations. If your employees clean offices, schools, retail facilities, or light industrial space, this is your primary production code.
Code 9016: Janitorial Services, Healthcare Facilities
NCCI definition: Applies to employees who clean hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, dental offices, outpatient surgery centers, and other healthcare facilities where exposure to bloodborne pathogens, pharmaceutical waste, and infectious materials creates elevated injury risk.
Typical base rate: $5.50–$9.00 per $100 payroll (state-specific: typically 30%–50% above 9014)
Why the premium: Healthcare cleaning involves exposure to bloodborne pathogens (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030), sharps, pharmaceutical waste, and infectious agents. Injury severity and frequency are statistically higher than standard commercial cleaning.
Documentation requirement: You cannot self-assign code 9016. The assignment is driven by the nature of the facilities your employees actually clean. Auditors verify healthcare facility contracts and service records to confirm appropriate classification.
Code 8742: Outside Sales Representatives
NCCI definition: Applies to employees who travel to prospect and sell to commercial clients. For cleaning companies, this covers dedicated account executives, business development representatives, and outside sales staff who do not also perform cleaning work.
Typical base rate: $0.40–$0.80 per $100 payroll
Critical restriction: To classify an employee under 8742, they must be doing exclusively sales work: no cleaning. An employee who sells contracts in the morning and fills in on a crew in the afternoon is classified under the field cleaning code for their entire payroll. NCCI "dual function" rules require the higher-rated code when an employee performs work in two different classifications.
Code 8810: Clerical Office Staff
NCCI definition: Applies to employees whose work is confined to an office and who do not make outside sales calls or go to job sites. For cleaning companies: bookkeepers, administrative assistants, billing coordinators, dispatchers working exclusively from the office.
Typical base rate: $0.20–$0.40 per $100 payroll
Documentation requirement: For 8810 classification, the employee's work must be entirely office-confined. A dispatcher who occasionally drives to job sites is not 8810. A driver who drops off supplies is not 8810. Documentation supporting clerical classification should include job descriptions and, ideally, a physical workspace separate from the warehouse or field operations.
| Class Code | Description | Base Rate Range | Premium on $50K Payroll | vs. 8810 Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8810: Clerical | Office-confined staff | $0.20–$0.40/$100 | $100–$200/yr | – |
| 8742: Outside Sales | Field sales reps (no cleaning) | $0.40–$0.80/$100 | $200–$400/yr | – |
| 9014: Janitorial (standard) | Commercial cleaning, non-healthcare | $4.00–$7.00/$100 | $2,000–$3,500/yr | $1,800–$3,300 more than 8810 |
| 9016: Janitorial (healthcare) | Hospital/clinic cleaning | $5.50–$9.00/$100 | $2,750–$4,500/yr | $2,550–$4,300 more than 8810 |
State-Specific Variations
Twenty-one states operate independent rating bureaus rather than using NCCI directly. These states may use different class codes or different base rates for the same work. Key non-NCCI states relevant to cleaning companies:
California: Uses WCIRB (Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau). Class code 9014 equivalent is Governing Classification 9012 (Janitor/Cleaning). Rates in California are significantly higher than NCCI states: typically $8.00–$14.00 per $100 payroll due to high injury frequency and medical cost indices.
New York: Uses NYBCOICF and NYCIRB rate structure. Base rates for janitorial work run $6.00–$10.00 per $100.
Texas: Workers' comp is not compulsory for private employers in Texas. However, cleaning companies that carry coverage typically do so through the Texas Department of Insurance's private market using NCCI-equivalent classifications.
Washington, Ohio, North Dakota, Wyoming: Monopolistic state fund states where all workers' comp is purchased through the state fund, not private carriers. Rates are set by the state.
Disputing a Class Code Assignment
If your carrier has assigned class codes that you believe are incorrect, you can dispute the assignment. The process:
- Review NCCI's Scopes Manual (available online) for the official class description and verify whether your operations match
- Prepare job description documentation for each employee group: what work they perform, what facilities they clean, how much time at each task type
- Request a class code review through your broker in writing, citing the specific NCCI class description you believe applies
- If the carrier disagrees, you can request a formal classification review through NCCI or the applicable state rating bureau
- Engage a workers' comp auditor or classification consultant if the dispute involves significant premium: the cost is typically $500–$2,000 for a thorough review, often recoverable in premium savings
For the experience modification factor that multiplies on top of class code rates, see the experience modification factor guide. The insurance audit preparation guide explains how to document class code segregation for the annual audit. The insurance hub is the full reference.
Official class code descriptions are maintained in NCCI's online class code lookup tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What class code should my cleaning company use for employees who clean both offices and medical clinics?
NCCI dual function rules assign an employee who works across two classifications to the higher-rated class for their entire payroll, unless you can document and segregate the actual hours spent in each type of facility. A cleaner splitting 80% of the week in standard offices under 9014 and 20% in a medical clinic gets no automatic split. Without hour records, the full paycheck follows the higher rate. Set up that tracking before the audit, not in response to it.
Can my workers' comp class code change without my knowledge?
Yes, and owners are routinely caught off guard by it. Codes can change at audit, and your carrier can apply retrospective corrections to work already performed. Operational shifts trigger it too: take on a hospital contract and the auditor may reclassify employees whose work changed during the policy year. Read the renewal declarations page line by line and confirm the codes listed there still describe what your crews actually do.
Does class code 9014 cover window washing?
Only part of it. Code 9014 covers interior window washing and exterior window washing performed from the ground or within 15 feet of the ground. Exterior high-rise work moves to Code 9350 (Window Cleaning, All Operations) or 9352 (Window Cleaning, Above 1st Floor), depending on height and jurisdiction. Those codes carry significantly different rates, so bidding elevated glass on a 9014 assumption will quietly erase the margin.
I'm about to sign my first medical clinic account: what should I sort out before the crew starts?
Get hour documentation in place first. Adding a clinic puts the same employees into two classifications, and dual function rules default their whole payroll to the higher-rated class unless the hours in each facility type are documented and segregated. Expect the change to surface at audit as well, since auditors reclassify employees whose work changed mid-policy and corrections can be applied retrospectively. Pricing the contract without that adjustment builds a shortfall into the bid.
How we built this guide
Opora editorial sources from BLS OEWS wage tables, ISSA-447 production rates, NCCI workers' compensation classifications, EPA List N, OSHA 29 CFR standards, and primary state regulatory filings. We don't recycle blog posts; we audit primary documents.
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