Roofers: Stop Paying
Workers Comp Audit Bills

Roofing is classified under NCCI class code 5551 (Roofing — all types), which carries one of the highest workers' comp rates in Florida — typically $18–$22 per $100 of payroll. On a crew of five roofers earning $50,000 each, that translates to $45,000–$55,000 in annual workers' comp premium. The high rate reflects the elevated risk of falls, equipment injuries, and heat-related illness. PEOs that specialize in construction can often access master policy rates that are lower than what an individual roofing company can obtain.

Yes. When you access workers' comp through a PEO, your employees are covered under the PEO's master policy. Premium is calculated and collected each payroll cycle based on actual wages paid — there is no estimated exposure at the start of the year and no reconciliation audit at the end. The audit cycle that generates surprise bills for traditional policyholders does not exist in a PEO arrangement.

Yes. PEOs that specialize in construction cover roofing contractors doing residential, commercial, and industrial work. The appropriate class code (5551 for most roofing work) is applied to each employee based on their actual duties. If your business includes employees who do non-roofing work — such as office staff, estimators, or material handlers — those employees can be rated under lower-cost codes, reducing your overall premium.

Through a PEO, your roofing employees can access group health insurance (medical, dental, vision), life insurance, 401(k) retirement plans, and employee assistance programs. These benefits are typically unavailable to small roofing companies independently — PEOs negotiate group rates by pooling employees from many client companies. Offering health insurance and retirement benefits helps roofing contractors attract and retain skilled workers in a competitive labor market.

Pay-as-you-go workers' comp calculates your premium each payroll cycle based on actual wages paid, rather than an annual estimate. For roofing contractors with seasonal or project-based workforce fluctuations, this means your premium automatically adjusts when you add workers for a big job and drops when the job is done. There is no large upfront deposit and no year-end audit. This billing method is available both through PEOs and through some traditional carriers with payroll integration.

A staffing agency recruits and places workers with your company on a temporary basis — the workers are the agency's employees. A PEO co-employs your existing workforce — the roofers you have already hired — for HR, payroll, and benefits purposes. You continue to direct and supervise the work. The key distinction is that a PEO does not recruit or supply workers; it manages employer responsibilities for workers you already have.

No. In a PEO arrangement, you retain full control over hiring, firing, work assignments, job site supervision, and day-to-day operations. The PEO handles administrative employer functions — payroll, taxes, HR compliance, and benefits — but has no authority over how you run your jobs. Your workers continue to report to you and follow your direction.

PEO pricing for roofing contractors typically includes an administrative fee of 2–8% of gross payroll, plus the embedded workers' comp premium at the PEO's master policy rate. For most roofing companies, the all-in cost is comparable to or lower than the combined cost of a traditional workers' comp policy (including the deposit and audit exposure), payroll processing, and HR administration. Bright Coast Insurance can run a side-by-side cost comparison for your specific payroll.