Type what your business does to see the class codes insurers and applications ask for, what each one is used for, and where to go next.
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Insurers price your business on these codes. Tell us about your business once and see what insurers offer.
Compare quotesA class code is a number that tells an insurer what kind of work your business does. Insurers group businesses by these codes and price each group on its typical claims, so the code decides which insurers will quote you and the rate they start from. There are four systems, and an application can ask for any of them:
| Code | Format | What it’s used for |
|---|---|---|
| GL class code | 5 digits (ISO) | Rates your general liability insurance. Business owner’s policies use a separate list of BOP codes. |
| WC class code | 4 digits (NCCI or a state bureau) | Rates your workers’ compensation insurance on the payroll in each job class. |
| NAICS code | 6 digits (2022 edition) | The federal industry code; many applications ask for it. See NAICS codes in insurance. |
| SIC code | 4 digits | The older industry code NAICS replaced; some insurers still ask for it. |
The GL and WC codes in this tool are common codes for each business type, not an official ruling. Your insurer assigns the final code, so confirm it with them before you rely on it.
Three things: whether an insurer will offer you a policy at all, the rate it starts from, and how it measures the size of your business. General liability is usually priced on an exposure base such as sales, payroll or the cost of work you subcontract, depending on the class. Workers’ comp is priced on payroll in each job class, then adjusted for your own claims record (your NCCI class code and experience mod).
Describe all of it. A roofer who also does gutter cleaning, or a café that also caters events, may need more than one code, or a code chosen for the main work with the rest declared. Pick codes for what you actually do, not for the name on your sign.
General liability and workers’ comp policies are often audited after they end. If the auditor finds work in a different class, your premium is recalculated, which can mean a bill you didn’t plan for. Ask your insurer how it treats work you didn’t list on the application.
Not every state. California uses its own four-digit system from the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB), and some other states run their own rating bureau or a state fund. Check workers’ comp requirements by state before you copy a WC code onto a form.
Gather the rest of what an insurer will ask with what you need for a business insurance quote, read the guide for your trade in business insurance by industry, then compare business insurance quotes.
Insurance agent? Check which carriers write a class with the appetite checker.
Tell us about your business once and see what insurers offer.
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