New Jersey Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in New Jersey
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: DWC
- Average rate
- $2.16 per $100 of payrollRank #2 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), above the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- NJCRIBNew Jersey Compensation Rating & Inspection Bureau (NJCRIB) · independent rating bureau · Private insurers
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
New Jersey requires every employer not covered by a federal program to carry workers' comp or be approved to self-insure. Policies come from more than 400 private licensed insurers.
Rates in effect January 1, 2024 · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, 2024 study (June 2025) · Nothing you enter leaves your browser
2024 study rate for all industries in New Jersey. Edit it if your policy shows a different rate.
For the class you're pricing. Insurers rate each class code's payroll separately.
Printed on your experience rating worksheet or renewal. New or small employers that don't qualify for experience rating are rated at 1.00.
Estimated premium
$21,600
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$21,600
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $2.16 per $100 of payroll.
At an EMR of 1.00, your claims history neither raises nor lowers this premium.
Every claim from now on counts toward your next three renewals. IncidentLog makes the first step — a complete, same-day incident report — take about 90 seconds from a job-site QR code.
Create a free accountEstimate before schedule credits or debits, premium discounts, expense constants, state assessments and minimum premiums — your insurer's quote will differ.
Who must carry workers' comp in New Jersey?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
It applies to every employer not covered by a federal program.
Official agency
New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC)
Market: Private insurers
New Jersey workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in New Jersey, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | New Jersey | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.17 | $0.11 | +55% |
| Retail store (8017) | $2.99 | $1.20 | +149% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $2.54 | $1.09 | +133% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $2.54 | $1.09 | +133% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $4.41 | $1.79 | +146% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $4.67 | $2.03 | +130% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $1.31 | $0.82 | +60% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $4.75 | $2.37 | +100% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $5.25 | $2.70 | +94% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $25.89 | $8.71 | +197% |
| Roofing (5551) | $6.41 | $9.64 | −34% |
| Trucking (7219) | $5.15 | $5.72 | −10% |
New Jersey doesn't use NCCI class codes; the study maps each class to the closest New Jersey equivalent. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in New Jersey
Take $500,000 of payroll at New Jersey's $2.16 index rate: $10,800 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $9,180/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $13,500/yr
- Difference
- +$4,320/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $12,960. The mod is built from claims, and the cheapest claim is the injury caught early.
IncidentLog lets crews report an injury or near miss from a job-site QR code in about 90 seconds, so you hear about it the same shift and see patterns on your OSHA 300 log before they become claims.
Create a free accountNew Jersey workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in New Jersey?
Yes. New Jersey requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee. It applies to every employer not covered by a federal program. Source: New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation.
How are workers' comp rates set in New Jersey?
Employers buy coverage from private insurance companies. New Jersey doesn't use NCCI: the Oregon DCBS study lists an independent bureau, the New Jersey Compensation Rating & Inspection Bureau (NJCRIB), as its rating organization. Your own premium then depends on your class codes, your payroll and your experience modification rate (EMR).
What is the average workers' comp rate in New Jersey?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts New Jersey's all-industry index rate at $2.16 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on January 1, 2024, 198% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks New Jersey #2 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#1 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (3 quotes)
“In cases of dispute over entitlement to benefits, a worker may file either a formal Claim Petition or an Application for an Informal Hearing with the Division of Workers' Compensation.”
Employer requirements — New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“New Jersey law requires that all New Jersey employers, not covered by Federal programs, have Workers’ Compensation coverage or be approved for self-insurance.”
Employer requirements — New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“You can obtain workers’ compensation insurance coverage from any of the more than 400 private licensed insurance companies authorized to sell workers’ compensation policies in New Jersey.”
Employer requirements — New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
An estimate for planning, not a quote, legal or insurance advice. IncidentLog is not an insurer or broker. Median rate across all industries: $1.09 per $100.