What code 7720 covers
Typical duties
- Standing post at building lobbies, gates, construction sites and retail stores
- Mobile patrol of communities, lots and properties in marked vehicles
- Access control, visitor logging and badge checks
- Crowd management at concerts, games and conventions
- Armored transport and cash-handling escort
- Writing incident reports and calling law enforcement
Operations included
- Contract security guard companies, armed or unarmed
- Patrol and protective agencies
- Store detectives and hotel detectives employed by a security agency
- Event security and crowd management staff
- Supervisors who visit posts and drive between sites
What code 7720 does not cover
- Clerical office employees who qualify under the standard exception: 8810
- A property owner’s own in-house doorman or watchperson: usually the building’s code, such as 9015
- Salespeople who sell guard contracts and do not work posts: 8742
- Private investigators who do only office research, if your carrier assigns them separately
Code 7720 rate and cost context
The 2026 Florida rate for 7720 is $2.572 per $100 of payroll. Guard companies run on thin margins and large payrolls, so the rate and the minimum premium both matter for bidding.
Security payroll is labor-heavy and claims are often assaults, slips on patrol and vehicle incidents. Because the rate is the same for armed and unarmed work, firearms training is a loss-control choice rather than a classification issue.
| Year | Rate per $100 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $3.36 |
| 2023 | $3.11 |
| 2024 | $2.63 |
| 2025 | $2.83 |
| 2026 | $2.572 |
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 $4.96 (Tier 1) or $7.28 (Tiers 2–3) per $100 of payroll before any experience mod.
Example: estimating code 7720 premium
Imagine a guard company with about thirty part-time and full-time officers and $900,000 of annual payroll in code 7720.
| Annual payroll in this code | $900,000 |
| Voluntary-market premium (rate × payroll ÷ 100) | $23,148 |
| FWCJUA Tier 1 (with 93% surcharge) | $44,676 |
| FWCJUA Tiers 2–3 (with 183% surcharge) | $65,509 |
Example only. Assumes no experience modification, schedule credits, expense constant or taxes. Minimum premium applies if the result is lower ($417 / FWCJUA $2,474).
Misclassification pitfalls for code 7720
Splitting armed and unarmed guards
There is no separate unarmed code. Writing unarmed guards in a cheaper code to win a bid will be corrected at audit.
Supervisors parked in clerical
A field supervisor who checks posts or covers shifts is exposed to the same hazards and stays in 7720.
Subcontracted guard companies without certificates
When you subcontract a post to another agency, collect its certificate of insurance. Without it, the auditor can add what you paid them to your 7720 payroll.
Old site figures
Rates for 7720 have changed every year. Use the current OIR-approved figure on this page, not an older number from a quote or another site.
Codes that sit next to 7720
- Code 8810: for dispatch and office staff in a separated office who never work posts.
- Code 9015: for a building owner’s own maintenance and in-house watch staff.
- Code 8742: for sales staff who sell contracts and visit clients.
- Code 7380: is not used for patrol drivers; agency drivers are part of 7720 because its wording includes drivers.
Payroll and audit notes for code 7720
Payroll includes hourly wages, shift differentials, holiday pay and bonuses. Only the premium part of overtime is excluded, and only when your records show it separately, which matters a lot in a business with long shifts.
Florida guard companies often have heavy turnover. Report every guard who worked in the policy year; auditors reconcile the payroll to your quarterly tax filings.
Keep post orders and contract lists. They show which employees worked which sites and support any split for qualifying office staff.
Who usually reports code 7720
- Contract guard companies serving condos, offices and retail
- Patrol services for HOAs and gated communities
- Event and venue security contractors
- Armored-car and cash-logistics firms
- Construction-site security providers
Code 7720 questions
What class code is security guard workers comp in Florida?
Code 7720. NCCI assigns private security services, patrol agencies and contract guards to 7720, and Florida’s rate pages publish its rate.
Is there a different code for unarmed security guards?
No. NCCI states there is no distinction between armed and unarmed guards for this classification.
What is the 2026 rate for code 7720 in Florida?
The OIR-approved NCCI rate is $2.572 per $100 of payroll, effective January 1, 2026. In the FWCJUA, a 93% or 183% surcharge is added.
Does a security company need workers comp for part-time guards?
Florida requires non-construction employers with four or more employees to carry coverage, and part-time employees count. Most guard companies cross that line quickly.
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)
- NCCI: Scopes of Basic Manual Classifications: Code 7720
Facts checked October 12, 2026.