WIC code (WorkCover Industry Classification)
A WIC code is the WorkCover Industry Classification your insurer assigns by your main activity. It sets your workers-comp premium rate. Wrong code, wrong premium.
Ask Chalkline about this →A WIC code (WorkCover Industry Classification) is the classification a workers-compensation insurer assigns to your business based on its predominant activity. It is the code that sets your workers-comp premium rate (see workers compensation).
How it works:
- Each WIC has a premium rate that is actuarially assessed each year from the claims experience of all employers in that classification. Riskier classifications carry higher rates.
- There are several hundred classifications (around 538 in the NSW system), grouped into industry divisions (verified 2026-05-24, icare NSW).
- Your business is assigned the WIC that matches what you mainly do.
Construction examples: house construction is WIC 411100; plumbing services is WIC 423100 (rates vary by state and year, so check your insurer’s current schedule).
Why it matters:
- The WIC code drives the premium, so the right code means you pay the rate that matches your actual activity.
- Wrong code, wrong premium: assigned to a higher-rate code than your work warrants and you overpay; assigned too low and you can be re-rated, and back-charged, on audit.
- Check your WIC code at each renewal against the insurer’s classification descriptions, especially if your mix of work has changed.
WIC codes are state-based: NSW (icare), Queensland (WorkCover Queensland), and so on, each with its own classification list and rates.
Also known as: WorkCover Industry Classification, workers comp class code.
Not to be confused with the Water Industry Competition (WIC) Act in NSW, an unrelated use of the same acronym.
Related
See also
Last updated: 2026-05-24. Verified: 2026-05-24. Quarterly review for currency.