Employers Preferred Insurance Company’s average rate increase by +16.43% — effective 10/1/2026
10/06/2026
Employers Preferred Insurance Company has filed new California workers’ compensation base rates with the California Department of Insurance for policies effective October 1, 2026.
How are average rates changing?
| Issuing Company | Average Rate
10/1/2025 | Average Rate
10/1/2026 | % Change |
|---|
| Employers Preferred Insurance Company | 5.72 | 6.66 | +16.43% |
*Average rate calculation does not include per capita or per race rates (7707 – Firefighters – volunteers, 7722 – Police, Sheriffs – volunteers, or 8278 – Jockeys).
Does the average change apply to every policy?
Not necessarily. A carrier’s average rate change provides useful context, but individual class rates may move differently. The effect on a specific policy depends on the classifications and exposures involved.
The examples below show how some of Employers Preferred Insurance Company’s individual advisory rates are changing compared with the prior policy period.
| Class – Description | Advisory Rate
10/1/2025 | Advisory Rate
10/1/2026 | % Change |
|---|
| 9080 - Restaurants – full service | 3.53 | 4.08 | +15.58% |
| 8834 - Physicians’ Practices/Outpatient Clinics | 1.27 | 1.41 | +11.02% |
| 8017 - Stores–retail | 3.76 | 4.08 | +8.51% |
| 5190 - Electrical Wiring–low wage | 5.48 | 5.46 | -0.37% |
| 8388 - Rubber Tire Dealers | 5.84 | 5.74 | -1.71% |
| 8820 - Law Firms | 0.32 | 0.31 | -3.13% |
What does this mean for an individual account?
The average rate increase is only a starting point. To understand the potential effect on a specific policy, review the applicable classifications and compare how those rates changed.
With WorkCompare, users can generate a Pre-Quote Estimate to evaluate how current rate changes may affect potential pricing before formal quotes arrive.