Workers’ Comp Class Code 8601: Architects and Engineers
Class code 8601 is the California workers’ comp classification for consulting engineers and architects who design and advise but do not build. It carries one of the lower advisory rates on the WCIRB’s list, caps the payroll counted for each employee, and stops where a firm starts performing or supervising construction.
Design and advice: what class code 8601 includes
The full title of 8601(1) is Engineers – consulting – mechanical, civil, electrical or mining engineers or architects – not engaged in actual construction or operation – including Clerical Office Employees, Clerical Telecommuter Employees and Outside Salespersons. Architects are named in it, so architecture and engineering practices share one code in California.
In everyday terms, it covers engineering or architectural consultants who advise construction companies, land developers or contractors for a fee. Materials testing done as part of the firm’s own consulting work is included, and so is land surveying for others before or during construction. Fee-based construction management firms belong here as well, provided they neither perform nor supervise the construction.
Where class code 8601 stops
Supervision is the dividing line. A firm that supervises construction trades falls outside 8601(1). Contractors’ executive-level supervisors have their own class, explained in our page on class code 5606, which the 2026 filing says applies to contractors; a fee-based construction manager that stays out of directing the work remains in 8601(1).
Engineering done for the employer’s own manufacturing or construction is a separate case. It goes to the class of that operation or to a Standard Exception class rather than to 8601. Two other suffixes share the number: 8601(2) for oil or gas geologists or scouts, and 8601(4) for forest engineers.
Office staff and the 8601 payroll cap
Because the 8601(1) wording includes clerical office employees, clerical telecommuters and outside salespersons, a firm’s receptionist, bookkeeper and business development staff stay in 8601 instead of moving to 8810 or 8742. Under the USRP rule on “including” language, that payroll cannot be split out even when those staff work at a separate location.
8601(1) is also one of the professional classes with a ceiling on the payroll counted for each employee. From September 1, 2026, each person’s full pay counts up to $171,600 a year, up from $165,100, with the cap prorated for policies shorter than a year. A principal earning $210,000 is reported at $171,600. The same cap increase applies to 8601(2) and 8601(4), and covered executive officers, partners and LLC members are reported on actual pay between $66,300 and $171,600.
Common misclassification for design firms
Problems usually follow a change in what the firm does. A practice that adds construction management and starts directing trades on site has moved past the 8601(1) wording. A design-build company’s in-house engineers may belong in its construction class, since engineering for the employer’s own construction is classified with that work. And where an employee divides time between consulting and a higher-rated operation without original time records showing the split, the whole salary goes to the higher-rated class. The insurer sets the code when it writes the policy and confirms it at the premium audit, so mention new services before renewal rather than after.
Checking your 8601 classification with the WCIRB
Look at the policy information page and the last audit report for the code and the payroll reported in it, including whether high earners were capped. If you think the firm is in the wrong class, write to the WCIRB within 12 months after the policy expires, naming the insurer and explaining the problem. When the WCIRB moves a firm to a lower-rated class, the change applies from the start of the policy in force when the insurer was notified and can reach a policy that expired no more than 12 months earlier. The California class code guide walks through the complaint and appeal stages.
What 8601 means for the premium
The WCIRB’s approved advisory pure premium rate for 8601 from September 1, 2026 is 0.365 per $100 of payroll, well under the $1.65 statewide average benchmark. An engineer paid $95,000 accounts for $346.75 at that rate, and the capped principal above accounts for $626.34. Insurers are not bound by the WCIRB figure: it is a dated loss-cost benchmark, and the premium you are offered starts from the insurer’s own filed rates and the firm’s experience mod.
When we request workers’ comp quotes for a design firm, we describe its services, any site work and each person’s payroll against the cap, and the insurer decides after reviewing them. Professional liability and the other policies these firms carry are on our pages for architects and engineers.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Are architects in class code 8601 in California?
Yes. The 8601(1) title names architects alongside mechanical, civil, electrical and mining engineers, provided the firm is not engaged in actual construction or operation.
What is the payroll cap for class code 8601?
From September 1, 2026, each employee’s pay counts up to $171,600 a year, up from $165,100, prorated for policies shorter than a year.
Is a construction management firm in 8601 or a contractor code?
A fee-based construction management firm that does not perform or supervise construction is included in 8601(1). Once the firm supervises construction trades, it no longer fits 8601(1).
Does my architecture firm’s office staff go in 8810 or 8601?
8601. The 8601(1) wording includes clerical office employees, clerical telecommuters and outside salespersons, so their payroll stays in 8601 and cannot be split out to 8810, even at a separate office.