How is the workers' comp weekly rate calculated?

Most states pay a percentage of the worker's average weekly wage, typically two-thirds (66.67 percent), for temporary total disability. The result is then capped at the statutory maximum and floored at the statutory minimum, so very high and very low earners are adjusted to those limits.

What is the difference between TTD, TPD, and PPD?

Temporary total disability (TTD) is paid while the worker cannot work at all. Temporary partial disability (TPD) covers a portion of lost wages when the worker returns at reduced earnings. Permanent partial disability (PPD) compensates a lasting impairment, often as the weekly rate times a scheduled number of weeks.

How does the maximum and minimum cap work?

Each state sets a maximum weekly benefit, often tied to the statewide average wage, and a minimum floor. If the calculated percentage of wage exceeds the maximum, the worker receives the maximum; if it falls below the minimum, they receive the minimum. The tool applies both clamps automatically.

How is temporary partial disability figured?

TPD generally pays a percentage, often the same two-thirds, of the difference between the pre-injury average weekly wage and the worker's reduced post-injury earnings. The tool computes this from the post-injury wage you enter, capping it at the same statutory maximum.

What is the Workers' Compensation Benefit Estimator?

Applies the state percentage of average weekly wage (commonly two-thirds) and the state maximum and minimum weekly caps to estimate temporary total, temporary partial, and permanent partial disability rates. For comp attorneys, adjusters, and injured workers. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Workers' Compensation Benefit Estimator

Name: Workers' Compensation Benefit Estimator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Workers’ compensation weekly benefits are driven by the average weekly wage, a state percentage, and statutory caps. This estimator applies that percentage, clamps the result to the state maximum and minimum, and shows temporary total, temporary partial, and permanent partial figures so you can project a claim’s value quickly.

How it works

The base rate is a percentage of the average weekly wage, bounded by the state caps. Partial and permanent rates build on that base:

TTD       = clamp(AWW × rate%, min cap, max cap)
TPD       = min(rate% × (AWW − post-injury wage), max cap)
PPD/week  = TTD rate (subject to the schedule)
PPD total = PPD weekly rate × scheduled weeks for the impairment

Clamping to the maximum and minimum is what makes the estimate realistic: high earners are limited to the state ceiling and low earners are raised to the floor.

Worked example

A worker with a $900 average weekly wage in a state that pays two-thirds, with a $1,100 maximum and $250 minimum, calculates as follows:

TTD rate: $900 × 0.6667 = $600/week. This is below the $1,100 cap and above the $250 floor, so the TTD rate is $600 per week.
TPD scenario: The worker returns to light duty at $400 per week. The wage loss is $900 − $400 = $500. TPD pays two-thirds of $500 = $333 per week.
PPD scenario: A 15% impairment to the hand might be scheduled for, say, 40 weeks. The PPD total award would then be $600 × 40 = $24,000.

Always confirm the current-year caps and the exact average-weekly-wage rule for the governing state, since both can change annually.

The three benefit types explained

Temporary total disability (TTD)

TTD is paid when an injured worker is completely unable to work while recovering. It continues until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI) — the point at which the treating physician determines that further recovery is unlikely. TTD does not compensate for pain or suffering; it replaces a portion of lost wages.

The two-thirds rate is the most common across US states, though some states use a different percentage. The statutory maximum is typically set as a percentage of the statewide average weekly wage, meaning it changes each year as wages rise.

Temporary partial disability (TPD)

When a worker can return to some work — often in a light-duty capacity with restrictions — but earns less than the pre-injury wage, TPD makes up a portion of the difference. The same percentage (commonly two-thirds) is applied to the wage loss rather than the full wage. TPD continues until the worker either returns to full duty or reaches MMI.

Permanent partial disability (PPD)

Once an injured worker reaches MMI but has a lasting impairment, they may receive a PPD award. Most states use one of two methods:

Scheduled awards assign a specific number of weeks to each body part or function. A complete loss of a hand, for example, might be scheduled at 150 weeks; a 15% impairment of that hand would then yield 15% × 150 = 22.5 weeks of the PPD rate.

Unscheduled (whole-person) awards are used for injuries that affect the whole body or earning capacity, such as back injuries or head trauma. These are calculated differently and often require vocational evaluation.

How the average weekly wage is calculated

The average weekly wage (AWW) is not simply last week’s pay. Most states calculate it as the average gross earnings over a defined period before the injury — commonly the 52 weeks immediately preceding the date of injury, or the 13 weeks before injury. The calculation includes base wages and, in many states, regular overtime, bonuses, and the value of employer-provided benefits. Getting the AWW right is important because it is the foundation for all three benefit types.

Notes

This is an estimate using a single rate percentage and your entered caps. Actual benefits depend on each state’s exact average-weekly-wage rule, current-year caps, cost-of-living adjustments, offsets for disability payments from other sources, and the impairment rating methodology. Verify against the governing state’s workers’ compensation statute or consult a licensed claims adjuster or workers’ compensation attorney.