How Your Workers' Comp Weekly Check Is Calculated (2026)

If you’re hurt on the job and can’t work, your weekly workers’ comp check isn’t a flat amount and it isn’t automatically two-thirds of your last paycheck. It’s built from three numbers: your average weekly wage (AWW), your state’s compensation rate, and your state’s maximum and minimum weekly caps.

This guide walks through each piece using our workers’ comp settlement calculator and our 50-state table of maximum weekly benefits, with every dollar figure tied to an official state source, plus two worked examples showing how the same wage plays out differently from state to state.

What Counts as Your Average Weekly Wage (AWW)

Your AWW isn’t simply your hourly rate times 40 — it’s a snapshot of what you actually earned before you got hurt, and every state defines it in its own statute.

California figures your wages using “all forms of income you receive from work: wages, food, lodging, tips, commissions, overtime and bonuses,” under Labor Code Section 4453, according to the state’s own fact sheet on temporary disability benefits (California DWC, Fact Sheet C).

Florida uses a 13-week lookback: under Fla. Stat. § 440.14(1)(a), if you worked “substantially the whole of 13 weeks” before your injury, your AWW is “one-thirteenth of the total amount of wages earned” in that period. Florida law also lets lost wages from a second job count toward your AWW, but only if you document that loss to the claims administrator (§ 440.14(5)).

The upshot: overtime, tips, bonuses, and (in some states, like Florida) a second job can raise your AWW, but you generally have to report them, or your check may be calculated on a lower number than you actually earned.

The Compensation Rate: Usually 66 2/3% of AWW

Once your AWW is set, most states pay a fixed percentage of it as your weekly temporary total disability (TTD) benefit. The most common rate is two-thirds:

California: 66 2/3% of average weekly earnings, subject to the statutory min/max (California DIR, 2026 TTD rate announcement).
Florida: 66 2/3% of AWW, subject to the statutory min/max (Florida CFO, Maximum Compensation Rate Table).
Pennsylvania: 66 2/3% of AWW, subject to the statewide average weekly wage maximum (Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor & Industry, SAWW page).

Not every state uses two-thirds, though. Michigan pays 80% of your after-tax (spendable) AWW rather than 66 2/3% of gross AWW (Michigan LEO, 2026 Weekly Benefit Tables). Other states use their own percentages too, so check your state’s formula rather than assuming two-thirds applies everywhere.

Maximum and Minimum Weekly Caps (and Why They Change Every Year)

No matter how high your AWW is, your check can’t exceed your state’s maximum weekly benefit. Many states set that ceiling as a percentage of the state average weekly wage (SAWW) — a figure recalculated each year (or fiscal year) from actual wage data. When the SAWW rises, the cap rises with it.

California ties its maximum directly to the California SAWW under Labor Code § 4453(a)(10); the 2026 maximum reflects a 4.99% increase in the SAWW over the prior year (California DIR news release, 2026 TTD adjustment).
New York sets its maximum at two-thirds of the New York State Average Weekly Wage (NYSAWW); the rate effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 is based on the 2025 NYSAWW of $1,922.25 (NY Workers’ Compensation Board, Subject Number bulletin).

The “effective period” matters as much as the dollar figure. Some states update on January 1, others on July 1 or October 1, and a few (like Georgia, whose $800 maximum and $50 minimum are fixed by statute) change only when the legislature acts (Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation, Summary of Provisions).

How the Weekly Maximum Varies by State (2026)

The 2026 maximum weekly TTD benefit in the nine states with a dedicated calculator page. Full minimums, maximums, and effective periods for all states live on our 50-state maximum weekly benefits table.

State	2026 Maximum Weekly Benefit	Effective Period	Source
California	$1,764.11	Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026	dir.ca.gov
Texas	$1,271.00	Oct. 1, 2025 – Sep. 30, 2026	tdi.texas.gov
Florida	$1,358.00	Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026	myfloridacfo.com
New York	$1,281.50	Jul. 1, 2026 – Jun. 30, 2027	wcb.ny.gov
Illinois	$2,045.63	Jul. 15, 2026 – Jan. 14, 2027	iwcc.illinois.gov
Pennsylvania	$1,394.00	Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026	pa.gov
Ohio	$1,281.00	Calendar year 2026	dam.assets.ohio.gov
North Carolina	$1,446.00	Calendar year 2026	ic.nc.gov
Arizona	$943.23*	Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026	azica.gov

*Arizona sets its cap as a maximum monthly wage ($6,131.00) rather than a weekly figure; $943.23 is the standard weekly-equivalent conversion, not a number the state itself labels “weekly.”

Waiting Periods and Retroactive Pay

Most states don’t pay you for the first few days out of work — the waiting period. But if disability drags on, many states pay you back for those first days too — retroactive pay — and the trigger point varies:

Illinois: no TTD for the first three lost workdays — “unless the employee misses 14 or more calendar days due to the injury,” in which case those first three days become payable (Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, official handbook).
Texas: benefits aren’t paid for the first week “unless your injury caused you to lose all or some of your pay (disability) for 14 days or more” (Texas Dept. of Insurance, Temporary Income Benefits).
New York: “lost wage benefits are not paid for the first seven days of the disability, unless it extends beyond fourteen days,” after which “you may receive lost wage benefits from the first work day you were unable to work” (NY Workers’ Compensation Board, Lost Wage Benefits).

Fourteen days shows up often as the retroactive trigger, but the initial waiting period (three days in Illinois vs. seven in Texas and New York) is not the same everywhere.

How Long Payments Last: Week Caps vs. “Until MMI”

States also differ on how long TTD checks can run before they stop or convert to a different benefit type.

Florida caps TTD at 104 weeks: “66 2/3 percent of the average weekly wages shall be paid to the employee during the continuance thereof, not to exceed 104 weeks,” per Fla. Stat. § 440.15(2)(a).
Illinois has no fixed week cap. Under 820 ILCS 305/8(b), “the employer pays TTD benefits to an injured employee until the employee has returned to work or has reached maximum medical improvement (MMI),” whichever comes first, according to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission’s own handbook (IWCC handbook).

That difference matters for a settlement estimate, not just a weekly check: a hard week cap gives you a known ceiling on total TTD paid, while an MMI-based state ties the end date to your medical recovery — harder to predict up front.

Worked Example: Two States, Two Outcomes

These are hypothetical figures to illustrate the math — use the workers’ comp settlement calculator for your own numbers.

Example 1 — California, AWW of $1,500/week

Compensation rate: 66 2/3%
$1,500 × 2/3 = $1,000.00/week
California’s 2026 maximum is $1,764.11, so this worker is paid the full two-thirds amount — $1,000/week — because it falls under the cap.

Example 2 — Florida, AWW of $3,000/week

Compensation rate: 66 2/3%
$3,000 × 2/3 = $2,000.00/week before the cap
But Florida’s 2026 maximum is $1,358.00/week (Florida CFO Maximum Compensation Rate Table), so this worker’s check is capped at $1,358.00/week — well below the two-thirds figure their wage would otherwise produce.

The lesson: two-thirds is the starting formula, but the state maximum is what actually determines your check once your wage climbs high enough.

Highest and Lowest Weekly Caps in the Country (2026)

From states where the weekly maximum is stated directly (not converted from a monthly figure):

Highest: Iowa, $2,431.00/week, effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 (Iowa DIAL, Current Rate Information).
Lowest: Mississippi, $654.63/week, effective January 1, 2026 (Mississippi Dept. of Finance & Administration, 2026 Quick Reference Guide).

A few states — Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming — set their caps as a monthly wage, so their figures aren’t directly comparable without conversion; we’ve excluded them from this ranking for that reason. Full figures and effective periods for all 50 states plus D.C. are on our maximum weekly benefits table.

FAQ

How is workers’ comp weekly pay calculated?

Your state figures your AWW from pre-injury earnings, applies a set percentage — commonly 66 2/3% — to get your weekly rate, then checks that rate against your state’s maximum and minimum caps.

What is the maximum workers’ comp weekly benefit in 2026?

It depends entirely on the state. Verified 2026 maximums range from $654.63/week in Mississippi to $2,431.00/week in Iowa among states that state a weekly figure directly. See our 50-state maximum weekly benefits table for your state’s exact number.

Does overtime count toward my average weekly wage?

In many states, yes. California’s fact sheet on temporary disability lists overtime, bonuses, tips, and commissions as forms of income used to calculate wages (California DWC Fact Sheet C), but not every state includes every category the same way.

What happens if I have a second job?

Some states let you include lost wages from a second job in your AWW. Florida allows this under § 440.14(5), but you have to document the lost earnings to the claims administrator — it isn’t automatic.

How long can I receive weekly TTD checks?

Florida caps TTD at 104 weeks under § 440.15(2)(a). Illinois has no fixed limit — under 820 ILCS 305/8(b), payments continue until you return to work or reach maximum medical improvement (MMI).

This article is for general information only and is not legal, medical, or financial advice. Workers’ compensation laws, rates, and effective periods change; verify current figures with your state’s workers’ compensation agency or a licensed attorney in your state before relying on any number here for a real claim.

How Your Workers’ Comp Weekly Check Is Calculated (2026)