Workers' comp · MA
Massachusetts workers' comp calculator
Massachusetts replaces a smaller share of pay than almost any state, then lets the check climb higher than almost any other.
Rules read on official Massachusetts pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 60%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $2,007.20
- from October 1, 2026
- Weekly minimum
- $401.44
- floor
- Waiting period
- 5 days
- paid back past 20 days
Massachusetts pays temporary total incapacity benefits under M.G.L. c. 152, § 34 at 60% of the employee's gross average weekly wage, not the two thirds most states use. The Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) resets the band every October 1 at 100% and 20% of the state average weekly wage: for injuries on or after October 1, 2026 the maximum is $2,007.20 and the minimum $401.44 a week. Only a wage above about $3,345 a week reaches the cap. Compensation starts on the sixth day; the first 5 days are paid only if the incapacity reaches 21 calendar days. Section 34 benefits stop after 156 weeks. A nurse earning $1,900 who misses twenty-five days receives $1,140 a week and $4,071 in all. When the worker can return at lower pay, § 35 partial benefits pay up to 75% of the § 34 rate for as long as 260 weeks, and permanent and total incapacity under § 34A comes with yearly cost-of-living adjustments.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in Massachusetts
$660
$2,860 a month · 60% of the wage, tax-free
| 60% of $1,100 | $660 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $2,007.20 / $401.44 |
| Days paid / unpaid waiting days | 30 / 0 |
| Total for the time off | $2,829 |
Estimate of wage-loss benefits for a total disability, from the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
Sixty percent, with a ceiling near the top of the country
The lower rate and the higher ceiling pull in opposite directions. A worker earning $1,900 a week receives $1,140 in Massachusetts, less than two thirds would give. Yet the $2,007.20 maximum leaves almost every wage uncapped: the ceiling is reached only at a gross weekly wage near $3,345. The DIA table of minimum and maximum rates also shows that the figure moved from $1,922.48 for injuries between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 to $2,007.20 from October 1, 2026; the date of injury fixes which one applies.
Day six and day twenty-one
The waiting period is five days, longer than in most of New England, and it is only made up if the incapacity lasts 21 calendar days, which need not be consecutive. That gap shows clearly with the nurse: out eighteen days, she is paid for 13 days, $2,117; out twenty-five days, she is paid for all of them, $4,071. The difference, $1,954, is far more than a week of wages would suggest.
The 156-week limit and what comes after
Section 34 runs out after 156 weeks of payments, about three years. A carpenter earning $1,400 who never recovers enough to work collects $840 a week and $131,040 before § 34 ends. Three paths follow. If he can do some work, § 35 partial incapacity pays 60% of the difference between the old wage and what he can earn, capped at 75% of the § 34 rate, $630 a week in his case, for up to 260 weeks. If he cannot work at all, § 34A permanent and total benefits pay two thirds of the wage with annual cost-of-living adjustments. Separately, § 36 adds a one-time payment for permanent loss of function or for scarring on the face, neck or hands.
Before December 24, 1991, § 34 ran for 260 weeks, so old claims still follow the earlier limits. Surviving spouses receive two thirds of the deceased worker's wage, and each eligible child receives $60 a week if the spouse remarries. For an overview of settlements and lump sums, see how much workers’ comp pays.
The Massachusetts rules this calculator applies
| Rule | Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 60% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $2,007.20 |
| Weekly minimum | $401.44 |
| Applies to | injuries on or after October 1, 2026 (injuries October 1, 2025 - September 30, 2026: max $1,922.48, min $384.50) |
| Waiting period | 5 days, paid back when the disability lasts more than 20 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | 156 weeks |
Rate. 60% of gross average weekly wage, up to the state average weekly wage at the time of injury (DIA, Temporary Total Incapacity benefits, M.G.L. c. 152, § 34); maximum = 100% and minimum = 20% of the SAWW (M.G.L. c. 152, § 1(10)-(11)). source
Waiting period. Compensation begins on the sixth day of incapacity; the first five days are not compensated unless the worker is disabled for 21 calendar days or more (DIA, Temporary Total Incapacity benefits; M.G.L. c. 152, § 29). source
Duration. Since 12/24/91, § 34 temporary total benefits run for up to 156 weeks (DIA minimum and maximum compensation rates page). source
Permanent disability. Partial incapacity (§ 35) is paid when the worker can still work but loses earning capacity; it is limited to 75% of what the worker's temporary total benefit would be and lasts up to 260 weeks. Permanent loss of function and disfigurement of the face, neck or hands (§ 36) is paid as a one-time payment in addition to other benefits (DIA, Types of benefits). source
Worth knowing in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts resets its maximum and minimum every October 1; the rates are set by the Commissioner of the Division of Unemployment Assistance as 100% and 20% of the state average weekly wage (M.G.L. c. 152, § 1). source
- Massachusetts pays TTD at 60% of the average weekly wage, below the two-thirds used by most states, but its maximum ($2,007.20 from October 1, 2026) is among the highest in the country. source
- Permanent and total incapacity benefits are two-thirds of the average weekly wage (minimum 20% of SAWW, maximum the SAWW) and carry annual cost-of-living adjustments (DIA). source
- Before December 24, 1991, § 34 temporary total benefits ran for up to 260 weeks instead of 156 (DIA). source
- If a surviving spouse remarries, each eligible child receives $60 a week (DIA, survivors' benefits). source