A 0.95 mod sounds solid on paper. Whether it actually is depends entirely on what everyone else in your trade is running — and that context is exactly what most contractors never get, because nobody hands it to them without asking.
Why 1.00 Is an Average, Not a Grade
Remember that 1.00 represents the expected average loss experience for your specific class code — not a universal benchmark across all trades. A roofing contractor’s expected losses per payroll dollar are calculated very differently than an electrician’s or a plumber’s, because the underlying risk is different. “Good” is relative to your peer group, not a flat number everyone should hit.
What Benchmarking Actually Tells You
- Whether your current mod reflects genuinely strong safety performance, or simply a short claims history that hasn’t been tested yet.
- Where you stand against similarly sized contractors in your specific trade — not commercial insurance in general.
- Whether a mod that looks fine in isolation is actually trending in a direction that will hurt you at your next renewal.
Trend Matters As Much As the Current Number
Underwriters read mod trend, not just the current figure. A mod climbing from 0.90 to 1.05 to 1.20 over three years reads very differently to a carrier than one holding steady at 1.05 — even though the most recent numbers might look similar side by side. Benchmarking against your trade over time catches a bad trend early enough to actually do something about it, rather than discovering it at renewal.
How We Benchmark Clients
As part of an annual worksheet review, we compare your mod against similar contractors in your trade and size range, and flag whether your trend line is moving the direction you’d want before it shows up as a renewal surprise.
Curious where your mod actually stands against your trade? Request a Scorecard Review — it’s a plain-English snapshot of exactly that.