Workers' comp · CA
California workers' comp calculator
California raises a minimum that it pays even to workers who earned less, and counts temporary disability against a 104-week clock.
Rules read on official California pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 66.67%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $1,764.11
- from January 1, 2026
- Weekly minimum
- $264.61
- floor
- Waiting period
- 3 days
- unpaid
In California, temporary total disability pays 66.67% of the gross wages you lose, including overtime, tips, bonuses and earnings from a second job (Labor Code § 4653). For injuries on or after January 1, 2026, the Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC), Department of Industrial Relations set the weekly maximum at $1,764.11 and the minimum at $264.61, both raised by the change in the state average weekly wage (Labor Code § 4453(a)(10)). Unlike most states, California pays the minimum even to a worker whose two-thirds figure is lower. Benefits start when the doctor says you cannot do your usual work for more than 3 days or you are hospitalized overnight, and they are paid every two weeks. For injuries since January 1, 2008, TD is limited to 104 weeks of payments within five years of the injury, or 240 weeks for a short list of severe conditions. A warehouse picker earning $1,100 a week receives $733 a week, tax-free.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in California
$733
$3,178 a month · 66.67% of the wage, tax-free
| 66.67% of $1,100 | $733 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $1,764.11 / $264.61 |
| Days paid / unpaid waiting days | 27 / 3 |
| Total for the time off | $2,829 |
Estimate of wage-loss benefits for a total disability, from the Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC), Department of Industrial Relations rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
A floor paid to everyone
California's minimum is a true floor. The DWC fact sheet says any employee with earnings is entitled to TTD at two thirds of wages, within the minimum and maximum, and the minimum is recalculated each January 1. A part-time farmworker averaging $300 a week computes to $200 but receives $265, more than two thirds of the wage. At the top, a Bay Area software technician at $3,400 a week computes to $2,267 and is held to $1,764.11; the cap starts to bite at about $2,646 a week. The 2026 maximum ($1,764.11) and minimum ($264.61) TTD rates rose 4.98826% with the state average weekly wage, which increased from $1,704 to $1,789 for the 12 months ending March 31, 2025 (Labor Code § 4453(a)(10)).
The DWC announcement gives the 2026 band. An injury in December 2025 is paid on the 2025 band, so the date on the DWC 1 claim form matters as much as the size of the paycheck.
The 104-week clock and the 240-week exceptions
For injuries since 2008, TD stops after 104 weeks of payments within five years of the date of injury, even if the worker is still off. A picker out two and a half years would be paid for 728 days at most, about $76,270. A few long-term conditions, such as severe burns or chronic lung disease, can be paid for up to 240 weeks within five years. The DWC fact sheet on temporary disability suggests filing a State Disability Insurance claim with the EDD in parallel, so that SDI can continue once TD runs out.
Delay, presumption and penalty
The first TD payment is due within 14 days after the employer learns of the injury and the disability. If a claim is not accepted or denied within 90 days of giving the claim form to the employer, the injury is presumed work-related, and up to $10,000 of treatment must be provided while the claim is investigated. A late TD or PD payment is automatically increased by 10 percent on a self-assessed basis by the claims administrator.
From rating to voucher
When the doctor finds permanent effects, the impairment number is converted into a percentage under the Permanent Disability Rating Schedule, adjusted for occupation and age and, for injuries since 2013, multiplied by 1.4. A rating from 1% to 99% is permanent partial disability, paid over a fixed number of weeks starting within 14 days after TD ends. For injuries on or after January 1, 2013, workers not offered return to work receive a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit voucher of up to $4,000, $6,000, $8,000 or $10,000 depending on the permanent partial disability percentage.
The California rules this calculator applies
| Rule | California |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 66.67% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $1,764.11 |
| Weekly minimum | $264.61 |
| Applies to | injuries on or after January 1, 2026 (TTD rates are also adjusted for later years of disability) |
| Waiting period | 3 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | 104 weeks |
Rate. Two-thirds of gross (pre-tax) wages at the time of injury, including tips, commissions, overtime, bonuses, food and lodging and earnings from other jobs, subject to the statutory minimum and maximum (DWC Fact Sheet C; Labor Code § 4653). source
Waiting period. TD payments begin when the doctor says the worker can't do his or her usual work for more than three days or the worker is hospitalized overnight; payments are due every two weeks and the first payment is due within 14 days after the employer learns of the injury and disability (DWC Fact Sheet C; Guidebook ch. 5; Labor Code § 4650, § 4652). source
Duration. For injuries on or after January 1, 2008, TD is limited to 104 weeks of payments within five years from the date of injury; for certain long-term injuries (e.g. severe burns, chronic lung disease) up to 240 weeks within five years (Labor Code § 4656(c)). source
Permanent disability. Permanent disability is rated from the doctor's impairment number using the Permanent Disability Rating Schedule, adjusted for occupation and age and, for injuries on or after January 1, 2013, multiplied by a 1.4 factor; a 1-99% rating is permanent partial disability paid over a fixed number of weeks, starting within 14 days after TD ends (Labor Code §§ 4658, 4660.1). source
Worth knowing in California
- The 2026 maximum ($1,764.11) and minimum ($264.61) TTD rates rose 4.98826% with the state average weekly wage, which increased from $1,704 to $1,789 for the 12 months ending March 31, 2025 (Labor Code § 4453(a)(10)). source
- If a claim is not accepted or denied within 90 days of giving the claim form to the employer, the injury is presumed work-related, and up to $10,000 of treatment must be provided while the claim is investigated. source
- A late TD or PD payment is automatically increased by 10 percent on a self-assessed basis by the claims administrator. source
- For injuries on or after January 1, 2013, workers not offered return to work receive a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit voucher of up to $4,000, $6,000, $8,000 or $10,000 depending on the permanent partial disability percentage. source
- TD benefits are not subject to federal, state or local income tax, Social Security tax or union dues. source