We do both shop work and installation. Can we use two codes?

Generally yes, when the operations are genuinely distinct and payroll is separable with verifiable records allocating hours per class. Without records, the whole payroll defaults to the highest-rated applicable code, so setting up the time tracking is what unlocks the split going forward.

Does hanging interior doors count as trim work?

Interior door hanging and mouldings are normally finish carpentry rather than structural work. Exterior doors and structural openings can be treated differently, so describe the actual scope rather than relying on the label.

Can we fix a wrong split retroactively?

Sometimes. Partial records can support a dispute for a closed period even when they aren't perfect, though carriers apply their own standards. Going forward, per-class time tracking is what makes the split routine rather than arguable.

Code comparisons

Class code 5437 vs 5645 vs 2812: trim install, framing or cabinet shop?

The short answer

Where the work physically happens decides the code: shop fabrication is 2812, field installation of cabinets and trim is 5437, structural carpentry on detached homes is 5645.

Finish carpenters get coded as framers constantly, and cabinet shops that also install get charged shop rates on field hours or field rates on shop hours. All three codes carry materially different rates.

This is also the classic interchange-of-labor trap: if the same crew fabricates in the morning and installs in the afternoon, the payroll split is only allowed with records that prove the hours.

The codes side by side

Code	What it covers	Illustrative rate
5437	Carpentry — Cabinet Work or Interior Trim Installation	$4.00 – $12.00
5645	Carpentry — Detached One- or Two-Family Dwellings	$8.00 – $25.00
2812	Cabinet Manufacturing — Wood	$3.50 – $8.00

Per $100 of payroll. National illustrative ranges — your state and carrier set the actual rates.

For this employee, where does the work happen and is it structural?

In the shop, building the product → 2812 (Cabinet Manufacturing — Wood)
Shop fabrication is manufacturing, rated separately from field installation.
At the site, installing cabinets, trim, doors or finish work → 5437 (Carpentry — Cabinet Work or Interior Trim Installation)
Notably cheaper than structural carpentry — finish crews coded 5645 or 5403 are commonly overcharged.
At the site, framing or doing structural work on detached homes → 5645 (Carpentry — Detached One- or Two-Family Dwellings)
If the work is commercial or multi-family over two units, carpentry NOC (5403) applies instead.
Both shop and field, in the same week → 5437 (Carpentry — Cabinet Work or Interior Trim Installation)
Only if you have verifiable per-class time records. Without them the entire payroll goes to the highest-rated applicable code.

When each code applies

5437 — Cabinet work / interior trim installation

Installing cabinets, interior trim, doors, mouldings and finish work at the job site
Finish carpentry that is not structural

5645 — Carpentry — detached 1–2 family dwellings

Structural carpentry on detached one- or two-family homes: framing, sheathing, roof structure

2812 — Cabinet manufacturing — wood

Fabricating cabinets and millwork in a shop, with stationary machinery
The manufacturing side of a business that also installs

What audits get wrong here

You overpay

A dedicated finish and trim crew is coded with the framers at the residential carpentry rate.

One code was assigned to the whole company at signup and nobody separated the finish crew afterwards.

You overpay

A cabinet shop's entire payroll — shop and install — is charged at the field carpentry rate.

Separately ratable operations get lumped into the governing classification when the payroll isn't visibly separated in the records.

You underpay — back-bill risk

Field installers are charged at shop rates because the business thinks of itself as a manufacturer.

Installation exposure is not shop exposure. An auditor who finds installers on the shop code will move them and back-bill.

Worked example

A finish carpenter who installs cabinets and trim and never frames, on $70,000 of annual payroll.

Charged at 5645 (Carpentry — Detached One- or Two-Family Dwellings): $5,600 – $17,500 / yr
Charged at 5437 (Carpentry — Cabinet Work or Interior Trim Installation): $2,800 – $8,400 / yr

On these illustrative ranges the outcome spans from about $2,800 a year worse to about $14,700 a year better. This is genuinely state-dependent — look up your own rates before arguing it.

Illustrative only. Not a quote, and not a prediction of what your carrier will do.

How much is actually at stake

The install-versus-framing gap on one carpenter's salary is typically a low four-figure annual amount. The bigger prize for shops is the payroll split — but that one is won or lost entirely on whether the time records exist.

What settles the argument

Classification disputes are won with records, not opinions. For this one, gather:

Time records that allocate hours per class code — this is the single requirement that makes a split possible
Job-costing reports separating fabrication from installation on each project
Shop schedules versus field schedules showing which employees work where
Job descriptions distinguishing bench and machine work from site installation
Photographs or equipment lists establishing what the shop actually does

Not sure which one your audit used? Check every employee against their assigned code in a couple of minutes.

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Frequently asked questions

We do both shop work and installation. Can we use two codes?: Generally yes, when the operations are genuinely distinct and payroll is separable with verifiable records allocating hours per class. Without records, the whole payroll defaults to the highest-rated applicable code, so setting up the time tracking is what unlocks the split going forward.
Does hanging interior doors count as trim work?: Interior door hanging and mouldings are normally finish carpentry rather than structural work. Exterior doors and structural openings can be treated differently, so describe the actual scope rather than relying on the label.
Can we fix a wrong split retroactively?: Sometimes. Partial records can support a dispute for a closed period even when they aren't perfect, though carriers apply their own standards. Going forward, per-class time tracking is what makes the split routine rather than arguable.

Other code comparisons

ClassCheck provides self-advocacy information only. This is not legal, insurance or accounting advice, and classification rules vary by state and carrier. Terms.