Class Code 8061
Stores – Convenience
Class code 8061 applies to convenience store retail operations in California and is assigned a pure premium rate of $4.465 per $100 of payroll (effective Sept 1, 2026). That rate represents the expected claim cost for convenience store exposures — important for budgeting and loss-control planning for store owners and managers.
What Class Code 8061 Covers
This classification covers retail convenience stores that sell packaged food and beverages, snacks, cigarettes and lottery tickets, and that perform routine in-store activities such as cashiering, shelf stocking, refrigerated case maintenance, limited hot-food preparation (coffee, microwaves, prepackaged hot items), and customer service. It includes receiving deliveries, use of hand trucks and pallet jacks, operating floor-cleaning machines, and routine cleaning with consumer and janitorial chemicals. It generally applies to stores without major on-site manufacturing or extensive food-prep kitchens; specialized activities (e.g., commercial cooking lines, large refrigeration servicing) are usually coded separately. The code also covers night-clerk operations and stores with limited storage rooms and small walk-in coolers typical of neighborhood convenience businesses.
Who It Applies To
- Independent convenience store owners and operators (corner stores, bodegas)
- Chain convenience and quick-stop retail locations without full-service kitchens
- Store clerks, night clerks, and shift supervisors who handle sales and customer service
- Stock clerks and receiving personnel who unload and shelve deliveries
- Deli or grab‑and‑go attendants performing limited hot-food prep and food warming
Common Job Duties
- Cashiering and operating point-of-sale systems, handling currency and card transactions
- Unloading deliveries, using hand trucks, pallet jacks or small forklifts (in larger stores)
- Stocking shelves and rotating merchandise, lifting boxes and handling inventory
- Cleaning floors, restrooms, and refrigerated cases with janitorial chemicals
- Operating microwaves, coffee machines, hot-holding equipment and small fryers (limited)
- Removing trash, compacting cardboard, and maintaining storage rooms and walk-in coolers
- Monitoring store security, checking IDs, and interacting with customers including potential confrontations
Common Injury Risks
Understanding the $4.465 Rate
The pure premium rate of $4.465 per $100 of payroll represents the expected cost of future workers' compensation claims for this classification before insurer overhead and profit. To estimate premium, multiply payroll by the pure premium rate (payroll/100 × 4.465) and then apply the insurer's loss cost multiplier, any experience modification (e-mod), policy discounts, and state assessments. Final premium is affected by your payroll accuracy by classification, claims history, safety programs, and whether operations (like fuel islands or large refrigeration work) should be coded to a different class.
Cal/OSHA Compliance Requirements
California employers must maintain a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) and provide job-specific training for store hazards, including slips, manual handling and robbery prevention. Cal/OSHA requirements also include Hazard Communication training for cleaning and refrigerant chemicals, powered industrial truck (forklift) and pedestrian safety training where forklifts or pallet jacks are used, and lockout/tagout and contractor controls when equipment servicing is performed. Regular housekeeping, floor maintenance, restroom safety, and heat illness prevention for outdoor tasks (e.g., working at fuel pumps or trash collection) are practical compliance areas for convenience stores.
How Key HR Helps Employers Under Class Code 8061
A PEO like Key HR can help convenience store employers reduce workers' comp costs by ensuring accurate classification and payroll reporting, implementing an IIPP and hazard-specific training (slips, manual handling, robbery response), and managing claims and return-to-work programs to limit indemnity costs. Key HR also provides access to group purchasing for insurance, centralized claims advocacy, and HR tools that document training and incident investigations — all of which can improve your experience modification and lower future premiums.
Get a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Does class code 8061 apply if my convenience store also has fuel pumps?
If your operation includes fuel dispensing or significant petroleum handling, portions of payroll may need a gas station-specific classification. Full-service fueling operations or repair bays are usually coded separately, so disclose fuel operations at audit to ensure correct classification.
How can I lower my workers' comp costs under class code 8061?
Focus on preventing common losses: implement slip-and-fall controls, safe lifting training, secure cash-handling and robbery prevention policies, chemical safety and powered industrial truck training. Prompt claims reporting, light-duty return-to-work programs and accurate payroll reporting also help reduce your experience modification and premiums.
Are deli or coffee station employees included in 8061?
Yes, employees doing limited hot-food prep or operating coffee and microwave equipment in a convenience store are typically included in 8061. However, larger deli operations with full kitchens or commercial cooking lines may require a different classification.
Quick Facts
- Class Code
- 8061
- Classification
- Stores – Convenience
- Pure Premium Rate
- $4.465 / $100 payroll
- Effective Date
- September 1, 2026
- Source
- WCIRB Approved Filing
Manage Workers' Comp Through a PEO
Key HR provides pay-as-you-go workers' comp for California employers — no large deposits, no audits, better rates.
Get a Quoteor call (800) 922-4133Ready to Simplify Workers' Comp for Class Code 8061?
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