What code 9521 covers
Typical duties
- Measuring windows and mounting blinds, shutters, shades and drapery hardware
- Hanging curtains and drapery and adjusting fit and operation
- Installing motorized shades and their controls
- Assembling and placing furniture and furnishings in customers’ rooms
- Upholstering and reupholstering furniture
- Light drilling into walls and frames to anchor brackets
Operations included
- Blind, shade and drapery installers
- Window-treatment companies that measure and install for customers
- Furnishings installers for model homes and offices
- Upholstery shops
What code 9521 does not cover
- Running wiring inside buildings, including low-voltage and antenna cabling: 5190 Electrical Wiring Within Buildings is the code whose wording covers that work
- Building trim, shelving or cabinetry: carpentry codes such as 5403
- Carpet, vinyl and floor tile installation: 5478
- Selling furnishings from a showroom without installing: retail codes such as 8017
Code 9521 rate and cost context
The 2026 rate for 9521 is $2.583 per $100 of payroll. It is a non-construction code, so Florida’s four-employee threshold for coverage applies rather than the one-employee rule for construction.
Ladder falls, drill and cutting injuries, and lifting strains are the common claims. Rates for 9521 have dropped every year since 2022.
| Year | Rate per $100 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $3.83 |
| 2023 | $3.52 |
| 2024 | $2.98 |
| 2025 | $2.78 |
| 2026 | $2.583 |
If you are placed in the FWCJUA
Florida’s residual market charges the voluntary rate plus a surcharge on the voluntary premium: 93% in Tier 1 and 183% in Tiers 2 and 3 for 2026. On this code that works out to about $4.99 (Tier 1) or $7.31 (Tiers 2–3) per $100 of payroll before any experience mod.
Example: estimating code 9521 premium
Take a window-treatment company with five installers and $220,000 of annual payroll in code 9521.
| Annual payroll in this code | $220,000 |
| Voluntary-market premium (rate × payroll ÷ 100) | $5,683 |
| FWCJUA Tier 1 (with 93% surcharge) | $10,967 |
| FWCJUA Tiers 2–3 (with 183% surcharge) | $16,082 |
Example only. Assumes no experience modification, schedule credits, expense constant or taxes. Minimum premium applies if the result is lower ($418 / FWCJUA $2,484).
Misclassification pitfalls for code 9521
Writing satellite and antenna installers in 9521
9521’s Florida description is house furnishing installation. If your crews mount dishes on roofs and run cable, ask the carrier which code it assigns and request the NCCI Scopes reference for it before you bind, so the audit does not reclassify you.
Blind installers who also wire motorized systems
Mounting a motorized shade is furnishing installation. Running new electrical circuits to power it is electrical work. Keep the two on separate records if your techs do both.
Showroom staff reported in 9521
Sales staff who never go to customers’ homes may belong in a store or clerical code. Do not put everyone in the installer code by default.
Uninsured installers paid per job
Window-treatment installers are often paid per window. If they work under your direction and have no coverage, the auditor adds their pay to 9521.
Codes that sit next to 9521
Payroll and audit notes for code 9521
Payroll includes hourly pay, per-window or per-job pay and bonuses. Mileage reimbursed under an accountable plan is not payroll.
If an employee both installs and works the showroom, keep time records. Without them the auditor will place the full wage in the installer code.
Keep installation work orders. They show the auditor what type of work your crews actually did.
Who usually reports code 9521
- Blind and shutter companies
- Drapery workrooms that install
- Motorized shade dealers
- Model-home merchandising and furnishing installers
- Upholstery shops
Code 9521 questions
What is workers comp class code 9521?
On Florida’s rate pages, 9521 is House Furnishing Installation NOC, used for blinds, drapery and similar furnishing installation. NCCI’s wording also includes upholstering.
Is satellite dish installation code 9521?
9521’s description does not include satellite or antenna installation. Ask your carrier which code it assigns to your exact operation and for the NCCI Scopes reference.
What is the 2026 Florida rate for code 9521?
The OIR-approved NCCI rate is $2.583 per $100 of payroll, effective January 1, 2026. FWCJUA policies add a 93% or 183% surcharge.
Do blind installers need workers comp in Florida?
Window-treatment installation is not construction, so coverage is required at four or more employees, part-time included.
Sources
- NCCI: Summary of the Florida Workers Compensation Rate Filing Recommendation Effective January 1, 2026
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Commissioner approves 6.9% workers’ compensation rate decrease effective January 1, 2026 (Nov. 17, 2025)
- Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA): Rates (2022–2026 rate tables and minimum premiums)
- FWCJUA: Bulletins (Bulletin 25-9: 2026 Tier 1, 2 and 3 surcharges)
- NCCI: Summary of the Florida Workers Compensation Rate Filing Recommendation Effective January 1, 2027 (filed Aug. 21, 2026)
- Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation: Coverage requirements for employers
- Florida Statutes: Section 440.02 — Definitions (employee, employer, construction industry)
Facts checked October 12, 2026.