Classification

Workers compensation classification codes are the backbone of fair pricing and policy administration across Pennsylvania. They define the nature of workplace exposures and ensure employers are rated consistently based on the actual type of work performed. PCRB maintains and administers the Pennsylvania classification system, helping agents assign codes accurately, enabling employers to understand and validate their classifications, and ensuring carriers apply consistent rules across all policies.

AdobeStock_301818779

Helping You Get It Right, Every Time

Whether you’re an agent assigning a code, an employer reviewing your premium, or a carrier submitting a policy, understanding the correct classification is critical to ensuring fairness and accuracy in workers compensation insurance. 

At PCRB, we maintain Pennsylvania’s workers compensation classification system, a structured, rule-based set of codes that help determine the appropriate premium based on the type of work being performed. 

Our goal is to make this system clear, consistent, and easy to navigate, so you can:

  • Select the right classification with confidence
  • Avoid misclassifications
  • Support accurate pricing, experience rating, and compliance across the board

The classification system doesn’t just serve the industry—it serves you, by making the process more predictable, equitable, and transparent. 

worker-pointing-at-sky
about-image-background-1

Key Tools & Resources

mainover
bgover

Why Classifications Matter

Workers’ compensation classification codes are a fundamental component of the premium determination process. Each classification is designed to reflect the nature of an employer’s business operations and the relative level of risk associated with those operations. Accurate classification supports the integrity and fairness of the workers’ compensation system.

Stakeholders rely on classification codes to:

  • Determine premium accurately by aligning rates with the exposure and hazards inherent in specific types of businesses.
  • Promote uniform application of rules by ensuring that employers with similar operations are classified consistently across the system.
  • Facilitate regulatory oversight and market analysis through the use of standardized, reliable data.
image (14)
image (15)

FAQs – Classification

Classifications are a way of grouping together various types of businesses and identifying experience attributable to those various types of businesses. In Pennsylvania there are approximately 330 different business classifications approved for use in workers compensation insurance.

Latest News

Approval Of PCRB Filing No. 348-Basic Manual Housekeeping Revisions to Sections 1 and 2, Effective April 1, 2026