How is 'more than half the time' measured?

Generally by where the employee performs their work over the policy period. Carriers and states differ on the specifics, so keep records showing the pattern rather than relying on a general description of the arrangement.

Does hybrid work qualify for 8871?

Only if the away-from-premises share is more than half. An employee in the office three days a week is normally 8810.

Is 8871 available everywhere?

It exists across the NCCI system, but availability and treatment vary by state, and several states use their own rating bureau entirely. Confirm your state before relying on it.

What disqualifies clerical treatment altogether?

Any regular non-clerical duty — helping in the warehouse, handling stock, going to job sites, driving for the business. The standard exception is strict, and it is the first thing an auditor tests.

Code comparisons

Class code 8810 vs 8871: office clerical or remote clerical?

The short answer

Both codes require duties that are exclusively clerical. Given that, the only question left is location: more than half the time away from the employer's premises points to 8871, otherwise 8810.

This is the pair people search after a bookkeeper or admin went permanently remote. The answer is usually straightforward — and the saving is usually small.

The bigger money is one step earlier: whether the employee qualifies for a clerical code at all, instead of sitting in the business's trade or governing code at ten to a hundred times the rate.

The codes side by side

Code	What it covers	Illustrative rate
8810	Clerical Office Employees NOC	$0.10 – $0.35
8871	Clerical Telecommuter Employees	$0.05 – $0.25

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

Are the duties exclusively clerical, and where are they performed?

Exclusively clerical, mostly from home → 8871 (Clerical Telecommuter Employees)
Usually rated slightly below office clerical. Document the arrangement — it is easy to prove and easy to lose.
Exclusively clerical, mostly at the office → 8810 (Clerical Office Employees NOC)
Hybrid staff who are in the office half the week or more stay in 8810.
Not exclusively clerical — they also dispatch, handle stock or visit sites → 8810 (Clerical Office Employees NOC)
Neither clerical code applies cleanly. Any regular operational duty can disqualify the standard exception entirely, which is a much bigger issue than the 8810/8871 choice.

When each code applies

8810 — Clerical office employees NOC

Duties are exclusively clerical: bookkeeping, correspondence, records, computer work
The work area is physically separated from operational areas
The employee is at the employer's premises for most of their time

8871 — Clerical telecommuter employees

The same exclusively clerical duties
Performed away from the employer's premises more than half the time

What audits get wrong here

You overpay

A fully remote bookkeeper is still coded 8810 years after going remote.

Nobody revisits a code that isn't causing problems. The correction is small but it is also almost free to make.

You overpay

Office staff at a roofing, framing or HVAC business are charged the trade rate instead of a clerical code.

Auditors sometimes deny the standard exception to genuinely clerical staff of high-hazard businesses. This is where the real money is — the gap can be 10x to 100x, not a few percent.

You underpay — back-bill risk

An office manager who also runs parts to the job site is coded 8871.

Regular operational duties disqualify the clerical exception. Remote work does not change that test.

Worked example

A bookkeeper working from home four days a week for a contracting business, on $60,000 of annual payroll.

Charged at 8810 (Clerical Office Employees NOC): $60 – $210 / yr
Charged at 8871 (Clerical Telecommuter Employees): $30 – $150 / yr

On these illustrative ranges the outcome spans from about $90 a year worse to about $180 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

Be realistic about this one: both codes are already cheap, so moving from 8810 to 8871 on one salary is typically tens to low hundreds of dollars a year. Worth correcting, not worth a fight. If you are searching this pair, the check actually worth running is whether anyone clerical is stuck in your trade code.

What settles the argument

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

A written remote-work agreement or offer letter stating the arrangement
Timekeeping, VPN or system login records showing where the work happens
A job description listing clerical duties only, with no operational tasks
For 8810: a floor plan or photos showing the office is physically separated from the shop or yard

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Frequently asked questions

How is 'more than half the time' measured?: Generally by where the employee performs their work over the policy period. Carriers and states differ on the specifics, so keep records showing the pattern rather than relying on a general description of the arrangement.
Does hybrid work qualify for 8871?: Only if the away-from-premises share is more than half. An employee in the office three days a week is normally 8810.
Is 8871 available everywhere?: It exists across the NCCI system, but availability and treatment vary by state, and several states use their own rating bureau entirely. Confirm your state before relying on it.
What disqualifies clerical treatment altogether?: Any regular non-clerical duty — helping in the warehouse, handling stock, going to job sites, driving for the business. The standard exception is strict, and it is the first thing an auditor tests.

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.