Workers' Comp Rates — Class 9014

Workers' Comp for Janitorial in Rhode Island (2026)

Rhode Island's failure-to-insure penalty is among the harshest in the country — felony charges, automatic business suspension, and up to $1,000/day civil penalty — and its $1,622/week maximum (10/1/2025) reflects a high-wage state with strong worker protections under DLT oversight.

Competitive marketStatute: R.I. Gen. Laws §28-29-1 et seq. (Workers' Compensation — General Provisions); benefit rates at §28-33-17; employer insurance obligation at §28-36-1 et seq.; failure-to-insure penalty at §28-36-15Effective: Current; maximum weekly rate $1,622 effective 10/1/2025 (reset annually each October 1 by DLT); NCCI filed -4.8% loss cost decrease effective 8/1/2025Last reviewed: Q2 2026
State
Rhode Island
Governing Statute
R.I. Gen. Laws §28-29-1 et seq. (Workers' Compensation — General Provisions); benefit rates at §28-33-17; employer insurance obligation at §28-36-1 et seq.; failure-to-insure penalty at §28-36-15
NCCI Class Code 9014 — Janitorial Services by Contractors, No Window Cleaning Above Ground Level & Drivers
Enforcement Agency
Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) — Workers' Compensation Court; 1 Dorrance Plaza, Providence, RI 02903; dlt.ri.gov
Civil Penalty
Failure to insure: felony — up to 2 years imprisonment (§28-36-15(a)); civil penalty up to $1,000 per day of noncompliance (each day separate offense); mandatory immediate business suspension by DLT director (§28-36-15(i)); corporate officers and LLC managers personally liable for all WC benefits and all fines; attorney general prosecutes all criminal actions; administrative penalty (unintentional/clerical lapse): estimated annual premium up to 3× annual premium

How workers' comp works for janitorial in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is an NCCI state with a competitive private insurance market. The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) — Workers' Compensation Court administers all WC claims and enforces employer compliance. There is no state fund; all coverage must be placed through licensed private carriers or the assigned-risk pool (administered by NCCI). Every Rhode Island employer with one or more employees — full-time or part-time — must carry WC coverage from the first day of employment. Rhode Island's failure-to-insure penalties are among the most severe in the country, including automatic felony charges and mandatory business suspension without prior hearing. NCCI filed a -4.8% voluntary market loss cost decrease effective August 1, 2025 (2024 Advisory Report), providing modest premium relief for Rhode Island janitorial operators.

Class code and rate (2026)

  • Code 9014 — Janitorial Services by Contractors, No Window Cleaning Above Ground Level & Drivers. Rhode Island is an NCCI loss-cost state. NCCI filed a -4.8% loss cost decrease effective August 1, 2025. Indicative market rate post-reduction: approximately $2.70–$2.90/$100 payroll. Confirm current class 9014 specific rate at ncci.com Class Lookup or Rhode Island DOI.
  • Code 9170 — Above-ground window cleaning. Higher rate; separate payroll records required.

Indemnity benefits (Rhode Island 2025–2026)

  • Max weekly TTD: $1,622 (effective 10/1/2025; per Rhode Island DLT Maximum Compensation Rates table; R.I. Gen. Laws §28-33-17 — resets annually each October 1).
  • Compensation rate: 62% of AWW for injuries on or after January 1, 2022 (amended R.I. Gen. Laws §28-33-17); for injuries before 12/31/2021, rate was 75% of spendable (net) base wage.
  • No separate statutory weekly minimum; low-wage workers receive 62% of their actual AWW.
  • Dependency benefits: $15/week per dependent (non-working spouse or child under 18/23-student) added to base benefit; total may not exceed 80% of AWW (R.I. Gen. Laws §28-33-17).
  • Waiting period: 3 calendar days; first 3 days compensated retroactively if disability exceeds 3 days (R.I. Gen. Laws §28-33-18) — one of the shortest retroactive triggers in the U.S.
  • Annual COLA: added May 10 each year if worker has received total disability benefits for at least 52 cumulative weeks.
  • PTD: 62% of AWW for life; subject to annual COLA adjustments.

Coverage thresholds and exemptions

  • Mandatory for all employers with 1 or more employees; R.I. Gen. Laws §28-36-1 — no employee-count threshold.
  • Sole proprietors may elect coverage voluntarily; corporate officers must be covered unless formally excluded by endorsement.
  • Independent contractor test: Rhode Island applies a multi-factor "ABC" test under R.I. Gen. Laws §28-29-17.1; janitorial workers under a contractor's direction are employees under parts B (integral to business) and C (customarily engaged in an established trade).

Failure-to-insure penalty

Rhode Island has one of the nation's most severe failure-to-insure regimes. Under R.I. Gen. Laws §28-36-15(a), any employer who knowingly fails to secure coverage is guilty of a felony punishable by up to 2 years imprisonment. In addition, a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day of noncompliance may be assessed — each day is a separate offense. The DLT director must suspend the business immediately upon finding noncompliance (§28-36-15(i)) without a prior hearing; the suspension is lifted only upon proof of insurance and full penalty payment. Corporate officers, LLP managers, and general partners are personally and severally liable for all fines, penalties, and WC benefits. The attorney general prosecutes all criminal actions (§28-36-15(e)). For unintentional or clerical lapses with no injuries, an administrative penalty of the estimated annual WC premium up to triple that amount may apply instead of criminal prosecution (§28-36-15(g)).

Cost drivers specific to janitorial in Rhode Island

  • Top injuries (BLS NAICS 561720): slips/falls, back/shoulder strains, chemical exposure — Rhode Island's concentration of healthcare facilities (Lifespan, Care New England), university campuses (Brown, URI), and state government buildings drives strong commercial janitorial demand.
  • Rhode Island's 3-day retroactive trigger is among the shortest in the country — even a 4-day disability becomes fully compensable from day 1, increasing effective indemnity exposure on short-duration claims compared to states with 14- or 21-day retroactive triggers.
  • The $1,622/week maximum (10/1/2025) is high for a small state, reflecting Rhode Island's elevated wage base.
  • Bid-math note: at ~$2.80/$100, load WC at approximately 2.8% of gross wages in Rhode Island bids. The -4.8% NCCI rate reduction improves renewal pricing for 2025–2026 policies. The severe failure-to-insure penalty makes lapse-in-coverage risk particularly dangerous for RI janitorial operators.

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This page is informational only. It does not constitute legal advice, tax advice, or a professional compliance determination. Laws vary by state and locality, change over time, and apply differently depending on your specific facts and circumstances. Before taking any action with legal or business consequences, consult a licensed attorney or CPA qualified in your jurisdiction.