Workers’ Comp Class Code 9008: Janitorial Services
Class code 9008 is the California classification for contract janitorial companies, and it reaches further than nightly office cleaning. Window crews, restoration clean-up and construction site cleaning can all belong in it, while house cleaning and stand-alone carpet work do not. Knowing where those lines fall keeps your audit close to your estimate.
What class code 9008 covers
The class is for janitorial services provided by contractors at commercial or industrial buildings and facilities. Work done as part of that service stays in it: restocking restroom supplies, carpet cleaning, changing light bulbs and touch-up painting.
A business that cleans only its own premises does not use 9008. Under the single-enterprise rule, its cleaners are reported in the class of the business itself, the same way a restaurant’s janitors go to the restaurant class. Our California workers’ comp class code guide walks through that rule.
Specialty cleaning that also lands in 9008
Several specialty services are included whether the location is commercial, industrial or residential:
- window cleaning
- mold abatement
- exterior post-construction clean-up
- fire, smoke or water damage clean-up
- buffing or polishing metal, glass or stone
The September 1, 2026 filing also states that cleaning construction job sites for others on a fee basis is 9008, not 5610, the class for contractors who subcontract all construction.
Where janitorial stops: 9096, 2584 and property management
General interior cleaning of occupied or vacant homes belongs to 9096, residential cleaning services. Carpet, rug or upholstery cleaning sold on its own, rather than as part of a janitorial contract, is 2584. And 9008 does not apply at a location where the employer also provides property management.
Cleaning done by a property’s own management or operating staff belongs to the property management and operation group instead; see our page on class code 9015, building operation.
Crews that clean both offices and homes
A company that does commercial janitorial work and residential house cleaning has two operations, and the rules for multiple enterprises decide the reporting. Separate classes are clean when the operations are physically separated and staff do not move between them. When the same people work both, payroll can be divided only with complete records, and an employee without original time records separating the hours is reported in the higher-rated class.
Here that is the residential class. The WCIRB’s September 1, 2026 advisory rates put 9096 at 9.338 per $100 of payroll against 7.628 for 9008, so sloppy time records on mixed crews cost real money.
Confirming your janitorial code
The class appears on your declarations page and is confirmed at the premium audit. If the WCIRB or your insurer corrects it, the date the change takes effect follows set rules. A higher-rated class reaches back to the start of the error only when the correction is published or noticed within three months; otherwise it starts from publication.
A lower-rated correction applies from the start of the policy in force when the insurer was told, and can reach a policy that expired up to 12 months earlier. A genuine change in operations, such as adding a residential line, takes effect on the date of the change, so tell your insurer when you start.
How 9008 affects your premium
The 7.628 figure is a loss-cost benchmark, not a price. Applied to $150,000 of janitorial payroll it comes to about $11,442 of expected loss cost, before any insurer adds its expenses or adjusts for your record. The Department of Insurance’s 2026 proceedings show how far charged rates can sit from filed ones: the average rate insurers charged in 2025 was $1.56 per $100 of payroll, about 37.1 percent below the industry average filed manual rate of $2.48 as of January 1, 2026. Your experience mod and the insurer’s own pricing apply on top.
When we request workers’ compensation quotes for a cleaning company, we break out commercial, specialty and residential payroll so the insurer can review and decide. Our cleaning business insurance page covers liability, bonds and the rest of the program.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Is window cleaning class code 9008?
Yes. Window cleaning is one of the specialty services included in 9008 at commercial, industrial or residential locations.
Is post-construction clean-up 9008 or a construction code?
Exterior post-construction clean-up and fee-based construction site cleaning for others are 9008. The 2026 filing confirms site cleaning is not 5610.
Do residential cleaning jobs use 9008?
General interior cleaning of homes is 9096, residential cleaning services. A company doing both must keep records that separate the two.
Is carpet cleaning separate from janitorial?
Carpet cleaning done as part of a janitorial service stays in 9008. Stand-alone carpet, rug or upholstery cleaning is 2584.