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ACC Work Levy Rate for CU 53110

Car retailing (including associated vehicle servicing) — Retail Trade

Levy Rate (per $100)
Work levy (CU 53110) $0.38
Working Safer levy (flat, all CUs) $0.08
Combined ACC Work Account levy $0.46

Rates are GST-exclusive, for the 2026-27 levy year (1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027). Does not include the ACC earner's levy, CoverPlus Extra, or Experience Rating discounts/loadings.

Worked examples for CU 53110

Liable earnings Work levy Working Safer levy Total
$50,000 $190.00 $40.00 $230.00
$100,000 $380.00 $80.00 $460.00
$250,000 $595.24 $125.31 $720.55

Is $0.38 per $100 a high rate?

ACC sets a separate Work levy rate for each of its 536 classification units, priced on the injury risk and claims history of that activity rather than the size of the business. For 2026-27 those rates run from $0.02 to $5.29 per $100 of liable earnings, with a median of $0.67. CU 53110 sits in the second-cheapest quarter: 175 classification units are charged less and 358 are charged more.

Comparison Rate (per $100) Work levy on $100,000
CU 53110 — Car retailing (including associated vehicle servicing) $0.38 $380.00
Median of all 536 CUs $0.67 $670.00
Median of the 39 Retail Trade CUs $0.51 $510.00

On $100,000 of liable earnings that is $290.00 a year less Work levy than the median classification unit. CU 53110 is one of 3 classification units on this same rate , spread across 2 industry sectors.

What a different classification would cost

ACC assigns your CU from your declared business activity, so a business doing more than one thing can reasonably sit in more than one unit — and the choice is not cost-neutral. Within Retail Trade the levy runs from $0.18 (CU 52510, Pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and toiletry goods retailing) to $1.45 (CU 52592, Firewood, coal, and coke retailing) — $1,270.00 a year apart on $100,000 of liable earnings. These are the Retail Trade units closest to CU 53110 on a different rate:

Classification unit Rate vs CU 53110 on $100,000
CU 52100 Department stores $0.43 +$50.00 a year
CU 52331 Houseware retailing $0.43 +$50.00 a year
CU 52340 Electrical, electronic, and gas appliance retailing $0.43 +$50.00 a year
CU 52590 Retailing (not elsewhere classified) $0.43 +$50.00 a year
CU 52341 Computer and computer peripherals retailing $0.25 −$130.00 a year
CU 52342 Electrical and electronic goods retailing (not elsewhere classified) $0.25 −$130.00 a year

Shown to help you sanity-check the CU on your ACC invoice against what your business actually does. You cannot choose your classification unit — ACC assigns it, and describing your activity inaccurately to get a lower rate is a false declaration.

Calculate your exact ACC Work levy

The figures above are worked examples. Use our calculator with CU 53110 pre-selected to see your exact levy for your own liable earnings.

Open ACC Work Levy Calculator →

Other classification units in Retail Trade

Browse all Retail Trade classification units →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ACC Classification Unit 53110?

CU 53110 is "Car retailing (including associated vehicle servicing)", one of ACC's 536 Classification Units in the Retail Trade sector. ACC assigns businesses and self-employed people to this CU based on their declared business activity or BIC code.

What is the ACC Work levy rate for CU 53110?

For the 2026-27 levy year (1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027), CU 53110 has a Work Account levy rate of $0.38 per $100 of liable earnings, GST-exclusive. On top of that, every CU also pays the flat Working Safer levy of $0.08 per $100 — a combined rate of $0.46 per $100.

Is this the same as the ACC earner's levy?

No. The earner's levy is a single flat rate every employee and self-employed person pays for non-work injury cover — it's the same regardless of CU. The Work levy calculated here is an additional levy employers and self-employed people pay, and it varies by classification unit.

Is $0.38 per $100 a high ACC levy rate?

It sits in the second-cheapest quarter of ACC's 536 classification units: 175 charge less and 358 charge more. The median CU rate for 2026-27 is $0.67 per $100, and rates run from $0.02 to $5.29 — a spread that reflects injury risk and claims history by industry, not the size of the business.

What does being in the wrong CU cost?

Within Retail Trade alone, rates run from $0.18 (CU 52510, Pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and toiletry goods retailing) to $1.45 (CU 52592, Firewood, coal, and coke retailing). On $100,000 of liable earnings that is a difference of $1,270.00 a year in Work levy — which is why it is worth checking the CU on your ACC invoice actually matches what your business does.

How do I confirm my own CU?

ACC assigns your CU based on your declared business activity or BIC code — check a recent ACC invoice, or use ACC's CoverPlus Extra estimator for a business-specific confirmation. If your work doesn't match "Car retailing (including associated vehicle servicing)", search our full CU list for a closer match.

Sources

Calculations assume the 2026-27 levy year, GST-exclusive rates, and no Experience Rating discount/loading or CoverPlus Extra. Confirm your own CU on a recent ACC invoice or via ACC's CoverPlus Extra estimator — this page is a reference estimate, not a substitute for your ACC assessment.

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