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Reference · State of Connecticut

Connecticut trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in Connecticut, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.

  • Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
  • Payroll and licenses state agencies
  • Checked and
Plumbing median
$37.16/h+21.2% vs the U.S.14th of 51
HVAC median
$36.83/h+25.6% vs the U.S.5th of 51
Electrical median
$37.28/h+22.7% vs the U.S.10th of 51
New-employer SUTA
1.90%on the first $27,000
Payroll programs
1 programCT Paid Leave
Sales tax on labor
Dependsrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in Connecticut

Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

  • PlumbingU.S. median $30.67

    plumbers: 10th percentile $21.96, 25th $27.68, median $37.16, 75th $45.40, 90th $49.52 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.

  • HVACU.S. median $29.33

    HVAC techs: 10th percentile $21.77, 25th $29.02, median $36.83, 75th $41.66, 90th $48.15 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.

  • ElectricalU.S. median $30.38

    electricians: 10th percentile $22.92, 25th $27.91, median $37.28, 75th $45.71, 90th $50.13 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

  • 25th–75th percentile
  • State median
  • U.S. median
Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in Connecticut, BLS OEWS May 2025
PercentilePlumbingHVACElectrical
10th$21.96$21.77$22.92
25th$27.68$29.02$27.91
Median$37.16$36.83$37.28
75th$45.40$41.66$45.71
90th$49.52$48.15$50.13
Mean$36.25$35.38$37.21
U.S. median$30.67$29.33$30.38
vs U.S.+21.2%+25.6%+22.7%
Rank14th5th10th
Jobs5,4103,8007,710

Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.

Payroll costs the state adds

What Connecticut charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

Connecticut Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance Tax Division

Wage base
$27,000 per employee a year
New-employer rate
1.90%
Construction
No separate rate published

Charged with it

  • Fund solvency tax 1.0% — the state does not say whether the rate shown includes it. The state adds it to experience-based rates.

Per tech, a year 1.90% × $27,000 = $513At the new-employer rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($37.16 × 2,080 h = $77,293). The calculator uses the rate alone.

State pages read

Workers’ compensation

Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission

Who must carry it
Any employeeWith few exceptions, every Connecticut employer must carry workers’ compensation; the Act defines an employer as anyone using the services of one or more employees for pay (C.G.S. § 31-275(10)). cga.ct.gov · portal.ct.gov
Where to buy it
Private insurersCoverage comes from licensed insurance companies, approved self-insurance, or licensed group (mutual) self-insurance organizations; the Commission itself does not sell insurance. portal.ct.gov
Owners
A sole proprietor is covered only by accepting the Act. Corporate officers, LLC members and partners may elect to be excluded using the Commission’s coverage election forms (Forms 6B, 6B-1 and 75); a corporate officer opts out by written notice to the employer and the administrative law judge (C.G.S. § 31-275(9)). portal.ct.gov
Construction
Before issuing a building permit, the local building official must require proof of workers’ compensation coverage for all employees who will work on the site (C.G.S. § 31-286b). A principal employer is liable for compensation to a contractor’s or subcontractor’s workers doing part of its business on premises it controls (§ 31-291). cga.ct.gov

Statute and agency pages read

CT Paid Leave

CT Paid Leave (Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program)

In effect in 2026 Connecticut Paid Leave Authority (quasi-public agency; site states "An official State of Connecticut website")

Total rate
0.50%
Employer pays
No employer contribution (employee-funded)
Wage cap
The Social Security wage base
Employees
Employer must withhold and remit quarterly

Employer’s own cost, share of wages 5 employees: None20 employees: None

Employer may apply for an approved private plan with same or better benefits.

New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the new-employer rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.

What a shop in Connecticut needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with Connecticut’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Example shopBreak-evenRate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $37.16$126.83$140.93→ $145
HVACwage $36.83$126.12$140.14→ $145
Electricalwage $37.28$127.09$141.21→ $145

Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on Connecticut: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

Who does the billable work?

Example shop in Connecticut: 3 techs at the state’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · Connecticut

Charge at least $140.93 per billable hour; break-even $126.83.

Round up to $145 (+$4.07)

See it drawn to scale
Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Rate build-up for the example, drawn to scaleColumn from $0 to $140.93 per billable hour, drawn to scale: wage $63.52, taxes & benefits $16.70, overhead $32.87, truck $13.74, profit 10% $14.09. Break-even line at $126.83. Rounded up to $145.12345$0Labor$80.22Break-even$126.83Your rate$140.93Round up to$145
  1. Wage$77,292.80 ÷ 1,216.8 h$63.52
  2. Taxes & benefits26.29% of pay$16.70
  3. Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
  4. Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
  5. Profit 10%of the price$14.09
Break-even
$126.83
Profit per hour
$14.09
Revenue a year
$514,436

$126.83 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $140.93rounded up to $145

Already showing the example.

Price your tasks at $145 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours
1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage
$46.93per paid hour
Labor
$80.22per billable hour
Overhead
$32.87per billable hour
Truck
$13.74per billable hour
Labor burden
26.29%over gross pay

What moves your rate

  • Every billable hour sold under $126.83 loses money.
  • At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $117.77, $9.06 an hour less.
  • Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $124.09.
Show the math
  1. Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
  2. Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
  3. Gross pay per tech$37.16 × 2,080 h = $77,292.80
  4. Employer taxes and comp$4,792.15 SS + $1,120.75 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $513.00 SUTA + $2,063.72 comp = $8,531.62
  5. Benefits$77,292.80 × 15.25% = $11,787.15
  6. Labor per billable hour$97,611.57 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $80.22
  7. Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
  8. Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
  9. Break-even$80.22 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $126.83
  10. Rate at 10% profit$126.83 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $140.93

Change the numbers

State and trade
Trade

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for Connecticut3 figures
Wage Plumbing
$37.16/hr
Connecticut median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate New employer
1.90%
New-employer rate; no separate construction rate found · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026
SUTA wage base Per tech
$27,000
Connecticut · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

Connecticut: pay, payroll taxes and licensesSee all 50 states and DC
Crew and pay

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Average base pay. Filled: Connecticut median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop
Payroll taxes and benefits+26.29% of pay

Filled: Connecticut new-employer rate, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026. Your notice wins.

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: Connecticut, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$46.93per paid hour · burden 26.29%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $140.93 per billable hour · break-even $126.83. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What Connecticut’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.

Labor
DependsContractor services to existing commercial, industrial and income-producing property are generally taxed; work on owner-occupied homes of one to three units is not. Repairing units such as furnaces and air conditioners is taxed on any property.Installing plumbing, heating, air conditioning or wiring in an owner-occupied home or in new construction isn’t taxed. Rental homes count as income-producing property.
Materials
Depends on the job or contractContractors pay tax on the materials they install; for taxable repairs of units they may buy integral parts on a resale certificate and charge tax to the customer.
Also
Every contractor needs a sales and use tax permit, even for work that isn’t taxed.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.

Plumbing

State license

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing (Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board)

P-1 Unlimited Plumbing Contractor

No person shall engage in, practice or offer to perform the work of any occupation under chapter 393 unless first licensed (C.G.S. 20-334). Only individuals can apply; company applications are not accepted.

FeeAmount
Contractor application fee (non-refundable)one-time$150
Initial contractor license fee (after passing exam)one-time (first year)$150
Contractor renewal feeper year$150

Licenses expire annually (October 31). Exam fees are paid separately to the exam vendor; the amount is not stated on the DCP page. A license is valid statewide without further municipal licensing (C.G.S. 20-338).

Keeping the license

Renewal
All Connecticut plumbing and pipefitting licenses expire every year on October 31; renewal costs $150 for contractors and $120 for journeypersons. portal.ct.gov
Continuing ed.
Plumbing and piping contractors and unlimited journeypersons need 5 hours of continuing education every two years, limited journeypersons 3 hours; contractors complete it between August 1 of an even year and July 31 two years later. P-6, P-7, PP-1 and PP-2 holders have no CE requirement for now. portal.ct.gov
Reciprocity
The Department of Consumer Protection states Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction; out-of-state license holders apply as “equivalent out of state license” applicants and must still pass the exam. portal.ct.gov

Sources read

HVAC

State license

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing (Heating, Piping, Cooling and Sheet Metal Work Examining Board)

S-1 Unlimited Heating, Piping, and Cooling Contractor (or limited D-1 Warm Air, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration contractor)

No person shall engage in, practice or offer to perform the work of any occupation under chapter 393 unless first licensed (C.G.S. 20-334). Only individuals can apply; company applications are not accepted.

FeeAmount
Contractor application fee (non-refundable)one-time$150
Initial contractor license fee (after passing exam)one-time (first year)$150
Contractor renewal feeper year$150

Licenses expire annually (August 31). Exam fees are paid separately to the exam vendor; the amount is not stated on the DCP page. A license is valid statewide without further municipal licensing (C.G.S. 20-338).

Keeping the license

Renewal
All Connecticut heating, cooling and sheet metal work licenses expire every year on August 31; renewal costs $150 for contractors and $120 for journeypersons. portal.ct.gov
Continuing ed.
No continuing-education requirement applies to heating, piping, cooling and sheet metal licenses: the CE statute (Gen. Stat. 20-334d) covers electricians and plumbers only, and the Department of Consumer Protection’s continuing-education pages list no heating-cooling program. cga.ct.gov · portal.ct.gov
Reciprocity
The Department of Consumer Protection states Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction for heating and cooling licenses. portal.ct.gov

Sources read

Electrical

State license

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing (Electrical Work Examining Board)

E-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor

No person shall engage in, practice or offer to perform the work of any occupation under chapter 393 unless first licensed (C.G.S. 20-334). Only individuals can apply; company applications are not accepted.

FeeAmount
Contractor application fee (non-refundable)one-time$150
Initial contractor license fee (after passing exam)one-time (first year)$150
Contractor renewal feeper year$150

Licenses expire annually (September 30). Exam fees are paid separately to the exam vendor; the amount is not stated on the DCP page. A license is valid statewide without further municipal licensing (C.G.S. 20-338).

Keeping the license

Renewal
All Connecticut electrical licenses expire every year on September 30; renewal costs $150 for contractors and $120 for journeypersons. portal.ct.gov
Continuing ed.
Electricians need 4 hours of board-approved continuing education every year, completed by June 30; none is required before the first renewal. portal.ct.gov
Reciprocity
The Department of Consumer Protection states Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction for electrical licenses. portal.ct.gov

Sources read

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration
Connecticut’s home improvement contractor registration with the Department of Consumer Protection (Home Improvement Act, Gen. Stat. 20-418 ff.) does not apply to holders of a current occupational license, such as a plumbing, heating-cooling or electrical license, as long as they do only the work their license covers. A shop that also sells other residential remodeling work must register. cga.ct.gov
Bond
Chapter 393 sets no surety bond for plumbing, heating-cooling or electrical licenses. Under the Home Improvement Act a $15,000 bond is required only when the commissioner orders it after a disciplinary hearing (Gen. Stat. 20-422, 20-426a). cga.ct.gov
Insurance
Before an unlimited or limited contractor’s license is issued under Gen. Stat. 20-334a, the licensee must show the Department of Consumer Protection that it will comply with workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance requirements. The $20,000 general liability minimum in the Home Improvement Act (Gen. Stat. 20-421, since July 1, 2022) applies only to registered home improvement contractors. cga.ct.gov

Board and statute pages read

State or city license?

State license only Who licenses the trades in Connecticut

Plumbing, heating-cooling and electrical licenses are issued by the state only, and a state license is valid in every Connecticut town without any further local exam or license (Gen. Stat. 20-338). cga.ct.gov

State and city pages read

What Connecticut law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.

Mechanic’s lien

Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-33 to 49-40aChapter 847 – Liens

You, hired by the owner
No notice to startNo notice is needed before or during the job from a contractor hired by the owner; the original contractor records the lien certificate and then must serve a true and attested copy on the owner within 30 days after lodging it (§ 49-34). The original contractor may lodge an affidavit with the town clerk within 15 days after starting work, which entitles it to copies of subcontractors’ notices of intent (§ 49-35). cga.ct.gov
Subs and suppliers
Notice requiredAnyone other than the original contractor (or a sub whose written contract the owner assented to in writing) must serve a written notice of intent to claim a lien on the owner and on the original contractor after starting work and no later than 90 days after last furnishing labor or materials (§ 49-35). cga.ct.gov
File the lien
90 daysRecord the sworn lien certificate with the town clerk within 90 days after you stop performing services or furnishing materials, and serve a copy on the owner within 30 days after recording (§ 49-34). The same 90 days applies to subcontractors and suppliers. cga.ct.gov
Enforce it
1 yearStart a foreclosure action and record a lis pendens within one year after the lien was recorded (or within 60 days after a court rules on an owner’s application to discharge or reduce the lien, if later); otherwise the lien is discharged by law (§ 49-39). cga.ct.gov
Homes
The lien chapter has no separate homeowner rules, but under the Home Improvement Act a home improvement contract is not valid or enforceable against the owner unless it is in writing, signed by both sides, and states the contractor’s registration number, the owner’s cancellation rights, and start and completion dates (§ 20-429). cga.ct.gov

Statutes read

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment
Statute sets deadlinesOn private jobs the owner must pay the contractor within 30 days after a written payment request, and the contractor must pay subs and suppliers within 25 days after the owner pays it (§ 42-158j). If payment is late, send notice by registered or certified mail; 10 days after it is received, interest runs at 1% per month. The law does not cover contracts of $25,000 or less, HUD-funded jobs, or buildings with four or fewer residential units (§ 42-158i). cga.ct.gov
Retainage
Capped at 5%On private jobs covered by the Construction Contracts chapter, retainage may not exceed 5% of each progress payment, and the owner must pay all retainage within 30 days after issuing the certificate of final completion or equivalent written acceptance (§ 42-158k). cga.ct.gov

Statutes read

Heating and cooling season in Connecticut

Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for Bridgeport airport, month by month.

Heating degree days
5,140
Cooling degree days
955
Nights ≤ 32 °F
92
Days ≥ 90 °F
9
Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at Bridgeport airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
MonthHeatingCoolingNights ≤ 32 °F
Jan1,042025
Feb893022
Mar780016
Apr45222
May18229–
Jun25163–
Jul0330–
Aug1294–
Sep45123–
Oct28214–
Nov57007
Dec868020

Heating carries the load at Bridgeport airport: 5,140 heating degree days a year against 955 cooling degree days, peaking in January (1,042).

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are June and September (188 and 168 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 92 a year, ten or more a month in December through March. Days reaching 90 °F: about 9 a year, the most in July.

Weighted by where Connecticut’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 6,055 heating and 600 cooling degree days — 19th for heating and 33rd for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).

Station: Bridgeport airport (USW00094702), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 1,042 degree days. Read .

Sources

Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.

  1. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  2. Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  3. Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  4. Unemployment insurance tax rates (portal.ct.gov)Connecticut Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance Tax Division · read October 28, 2026
  5. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  6. CT Paid Leave (Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program)Connecticut Paid Leave Authority (quasi-public agency; site states "An official State of Connecticut website") · read October 28, 2026
  7. IP 2018(2), Building Contractors’ Guide to Sales and Use TaxesConnecticut Department of Revenue Services · issued December 19, 2018 · read October 24, 2026
  8. Sales & Use Tax InformationConnecticut Department of Revenue Services · reviewed September 25, 2026 · read October 24, 2026
  9. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-33 to 49-40a — Chapter 847 – LiensOfficial state code · read November 4, 2026
  10. Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsConnecticut Workers' Compensation Commission · read November 4, 2026
  11. U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Bridgeport airport (USW00094702)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026
  12. Population-weighted daily heating and cooling degree day normals, 1981–2010 (states and CONUS)NOAA National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center · read November 4, 2026