Workers' comp · MD
Maryland workers' comp calculator
In Maryland the weekly ceiling for temporary total disability equals the state average weekly wage itself, reset each January 1 by the Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Rules read on official Maryland pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 66.67%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $1,537
- from January 1, 2026
- Weekly minimum
- $50
- or the wage, if lower
- Waiting period
- 3 days
- paid back past 14 days
Maryland pays temporary total disability at 66.67% of the covered employee's average weekly wage, capped at the State average weekly wage and never below $50 (Lab. & Empl. § 9-621). For injuries in calendar year 2026, the Workers' Compensation Commission lists that cap as $1,537, so a gross wage of about $2,305 reaches the maximum. An employee earning under $50 a week is paid the full wage. If the disability lasts 14 days or less, the first 3 calendar days are unpaid; longer disabilities are paid from the start (§ 9-620). A bus driver earning $780 who misses fifteen days receives $1,114. TTD runs for as long as the worker is temporarily totally disabled, with no week limit. Permanent partial disability is where Maryland is unusual: the weekly rate depends on how many weeks the award covers, from one third of the wage for minor awards to two thirds, with an extra third of weeks once an award reaches 250 weeks.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in Maryland
$733
$3,178 a month · 66.67% of the wage, tax-free
| 66.67% of $1,100 | $733 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $1,537 / $50 |
| Days paid / unpaid waiting days | 30 / 0 |
| Total for the time off | $3,143 |
Estimate of wage-loss benefits for a total disability, from the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
Permanent awards priced by their length
Maryland grades permanent partial disability (PPD) in tiers. The Commission first fixes a number of weeks, from the schedule in § 9-627 (a thumb is 100 weeks, an index finger 40) or as a percentage of the body. The length of that award then decides the weekly rate. PPD is awarded in weeks (scheduled losses such as thumb 100 weeks, index finger 40 weeks under § 9-627) at a rate that rises with the size of the award: under 75 weeks, 1/3 of AWW capped at 16.7% of SAWW ($257.00 for 2026 events); 75 to under 250 weeks, 2/3 of AWW capped at 1/3 of SAWW (§ 9-629); 250 weeks or more, weeks increased by one-third and paid at 2/3 of AWW capped at 75% of SAWW (§ 9-630).
The effect is steep. A worker earning $900 a week with a 50-week award falls in the minor category and receives one third of the wage, $300, but only up to the cap written for the event year. The same worker with a 260-week award gets two thirds of the wage, and the award grows by a third, to about 347 weeks. Certain public safety employees, such as police officers and firefighters, are excluded from the minor tier (§ 9-628).
Where the weekly cap comes from
Under § 9-603, the Maryland Department of Labor reports the State average weekly wage by December 15, and the Commission applies it to injuries from the next January 1. The 2026 maximum equals the State average weekly wage of $1,537.00 reported by the Maryland Department of Labor for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025; the Commission rounds awards to the next highest dollar (§ 9-604). The Commission’s rate page lists the 2026 cap of $1,537 for temporary and permanent total disability. A port crane operator averaging $2,600 a week computes to $1,733 and receives $1,537; over ten weeks off that is $15,370.
The three-day rule in practice
Section 9-620 withholds the first 3 calendar days only when the disability lasts 14 days or less, and a day of injury for which the employee was not paid counts as one of them. A bus driver earning $780 who is back after twelve days receives $669; at fifteen days the waiting days are paid too and the total is $1,114. Temporary partial disability pays half of the drop in earning capacity, not two thirds (§ 9-615).
Long claims bring paperwork duties for the insurer: after six months of continuous TTD it must file a vocational rehabilitation progress report, then one every 120 days, under penalty of a fine (§ 9-675). For how permanent awards and settlements add to the weekly checks, see how much workers’ comp pays.
The Maryland rules this calculator applies
| Rule | Maryland |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 66.67% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $1,537 |
| Weekly minimum | $50 |
| Applies to | injuries occurring in calendar year 2026 |
| Waiting period | 3 days, paid back when the disability lasts more than 14 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | no fixed number of weeks |
Rate. Two-thirds of the employee's average weekly wage, not more than the State average weekly wage and not less than $50 (Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 9-621(a)). source
Waiting period. If temporary total disability lasts 14 days or less, compensation is not allowed for the first 3 calendar days (medical, hospital and funeral payments excepted); longer disability is paid from the start (Lab. & Empl. § 9-620). source
Duration. TTD is paid for the period that the covered employee is temporarily totally disabled; no fixed week cap (Lab. & Empl. § 9-621(b)). source
Permanent disability. PPD is awarded in weeks (scheduled losses such as thumb 100 weeks, index finger 40 weeks under § 9-627) at a rate that rises with the size of the award: under 75 weeks, 1/3 of AWW capped at 16.7% of SAWW ($257.00 for 2026 events); 75 to under 250 weeks, 2/3 of AWW capped at 1/3 of SAWW (§ 9-629); 250 weeks or more, weeks increased by one-third and paid at 2/3 of AWW capped at 75% of SAWW (§ 9-630). source
Worth knowing in Maryland
- The 2026 maximum equals the State average weekly wage of $1,537.00 reported by the Maryland Department of Labor for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025; the Commission rounds awards to the next highest dollar (§ 9-604). source
- Maryland's PPD rate depends on award length: minor awards under 75 weeks are paid at one-third of the worker's wage, but the minor category does not apply to certain public safety employees (§ 9-628). source
- Serious disability awards of 250 weeks or more are automatically increased by one-third of the number of weeks (§ 9-630(a)). source
- After 6 months of continuous TTD, the insurer must file vocational rehabilitation progress reports with the Commission, then every 120 days; late reports can draw a fine up to $500 (§ 9-675). source
- Temporary partial disability pays 50% of the difference between the pre-injury average weekly wage and the reduced wage-earning capacity (§ 9-615(a)). source