Workers' comp · HI
Hawaii workers' comp calculator
Hawaii keeps its three waiting days unpaid for good, and pays TTD on the wages of every covered job a worker held.
Rules read on official Hawaii pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 66.67%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $1,240
- from January 1, 2026
- Weekly minimum
- $310
- or the wage, if lower
- Waiting period
- 3 days
- unpaid
Hawaii pays temporary total disability at 66.67% of the employee's average weekly wages, up to $1,240 a week for injuries in calendar year 2026 (HRS § 386-31). The Disability Compensation Division computes that maximum as 100% of the state average weekly wage: an average annual wage of $64,471.82 divided by 52. The statute sets the minimum at 25% of the maximum, which we compute as $310; a worker who earned less receives 100% of the wage. Benefits are paid from the fourth day of disability, and unlike most states, Hawaii's statute never pays back the first 3 days. The first check is due by the tenth day after the employer learns of the disability. TTD continues until the director orders otherwise or the worker can resume work, with two weeks' written notice before termination. A housekeeper earning $900 a week who is out 30 days receives $2,314.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in Hawaii
$733
$3,178 a month · 66.67% of the wage, tax-free
| 66.67% of $1,100 | $733 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $1,240 / $310 |
| 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 Disability Compensation Division (DCD), Department of Labor and Industrial Relations rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
Three days that stay unpaid
Most workers' compensation acts give back the waiting days once an absence runs long. HRS § 386-31(b) does not: the employer pays TTD for the duration of the disability, but not including the first 3 calendar days. A Waikiki housekeeper earning $900 who is out 6 days receives $257; out 30 days, $2,314, still for 27 days only. On the other hand, a worker who cannot finish a regular shift because of the injury is treated as totally disabled for that day, so a half-day accident can start the count.
Wages from every covered job
Workers employed by two covered employers at the time of injury receive concurrent temporary total disability benefits. The notice does not spell out the arithmetic, and the Division can confirm it for a given claim. If both wages are counted together, a worker holding a $600 resort job and a $400 retail job would be paid on $1,000: $667 a week, instead of $400 on the resort wage alone. In a state where many households stack two or three jobs, the difference is large.
The ceiling and the quarter floor
The DCD notice of December 10, 2025 sets $1,240 for 2026 and reminds employers that the WC wage base is the maximum divided by 0.6667. A Maui construction foreman at $2,200 computes to $1,467 and is paid $1,240; the ceiling applies from about $1,860. The floor is 25% of the maximum, or $38 if that were higher; the notice does not print it, so $310 is our arithmetic. A part-time lei maker earning $240 a week is below it and receives the full $240.
Prompt payment, and the other disability program
The first payment is due within ten days of notice, and stopping TTD because the employee can work requires written notice to the employee and the director two weeks ahead, with the right to a hearing. An employer that fails to pay TTD promptly can be ordered to pay up to $2,500 into the special compensation fund, in addition to other penalties (HRS § 386-31(b)).
The same Division runs Temporary Disability Insurance for injuries and illnesses that are not work-related, paying 58% of wages up to $871 a week in 2026. A claim belongs to one program or the other; a worker unsure whether an injury is job-related can ask the Division which form to file.
The Hawaii rules this calculator applies
| Rule | Hawaii |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 66.67% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $1,240 |
| Weekly minimum | $310 |
| Applies to | calendar year 2026 (state average annual wage $64,471.82 / 52 = $1,240.00) |
| Waiting period | 3 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | no fixed number of weeks |
Rate. 66 2/3% of the employee's average weekly wages, not more than the state average weekly wage rounded to the nearest dollar (HRS § 386-31(a)-(b)). source
Waiting period. TTD is paid for the duration of the disability but not including the first three calendar days; weekly benefits start from the fourth day of disability. The statute provides no retroactive payment of the first three days. The first payment is due no later than the tenth day after the employer is notified of the disability (HRS § 386-31(b)). source
Duration. TTD is paid for the duration of the disability and may only be terminated by order of the director or when the employee is able to resume work, with two weeks' written notice (HRS § 386-31(b)). source
Permanent disability. After TTD ends, permanent partial disability benefits may be awarded under the schedule of HRS § 386-32 and are paid regardless of the employee's earnings or employment status at the time (HRS § 386-31(b)(1)(B)). source
Worth knowing in Hawaii
- Hawaii's 2026 WC maximum ($1,240.00) equals 100% of the state average weekly wage, computed as the state average annual wage of $64,471.82 divided by 52. source
- Hawaii also requires Temporary Disability Insurance for off-the-job injury or illness, paying 58% of AWW up to $871.00 per week in 2026, administered by the same Disability Compensation Division. source
- An employee unable to complete a regular daily work shift because of a work injury is deemed totally disabled for that day (HRS § 386-31(b)). source
- Workers employed by two covered employers at the time of injury receive concurrent temporary total disability benefits. source
- An employer that fails to pay TTD promptly can be ordered to pay up to $2,500 into the special compensation fund, in addition to other penalties (HRS § 386-31(b)). source