Workers' comp · NH
New Hampshire workers' comp calculator
New Hampshire combines one of the highest weekly ceilings in the country with a rule that no check may exceed what the worker took home.
Rules read on official New Hampshire pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 60%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $2,309
- from July 1, 2025
- Weekly minimum
- $461.74
- or the wage, if lower
- Waiting period
- 3 days
- paid back past 13 days
New Hampshire pays temporary total disability at 60% of the employee's gross average weekly wage, or 30% of the state average weekly wage if that is more, capped at 150% of the state average weekly wage and at 100% of the worker's own after-tax earnings (RSA 281-A:28). The latest table published by the Department of Labor gives $2,309 as the maximum and $461.74 as the minimum for injuries from July 1, 2025; a July 1, 2026 update was not yet posted when we checked on October 8, 2026, so the calculator uses those figures. A worker whose wage is at or below the minimum receives the full wage, limited to 90% of after-tax pay. The cap takes effect near $3,848 a week. The first 3 days are unpaid unless disability lasts 14 days. A tester earning $1,600 who misses two weeks receives $1,920. Permanent impairment is paid in a single award: percentage of loss times the weeks for the body part times the weekly rate.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in New Hampshire
$660
$2,860 a month · 60% of the wage, tax-free
| 60% of $1,100 | $660 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $2,309 / $461.74 |
| 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 New Hampshire Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
The take-home cap
New Hampshire is generous at the top, with a maximum at 150% of the state average weekly wage, and strict in the middle. RSA 281-A:28 says the weekly rate may never exceed 100% of the employee's after-tax weekly earnings, as defined in RSA 281-A:15. For most workers 60% of gross pay is already below take-home pay, but a worker with large pre-tax deductions, or one lifted to the 30% minimum, can run into it. The calculator applies the percentage and the dollar limits; it cannot see your tax withholding, so compare the result with your net pay.
The minimum works differently from most states. A ski-lift operator earning $700 a week would get $420 at 60%, but the statute pays the greater of that and 30% of the state wage, so the check is $462. A part-timer earning $380 is below that floor and receives the whole wage, $380, as long as it stays under 90% of after-tax pay.
Why the 2026 figure is missing
The Department of Labor issues new maximum and minimum rates to carriers each July 1, and the state average weekly wage is set by the Department of Employment Security for the previous calendar year. The compensation rate table on the department's site, revised June 9, 2025, ends with the July 1, 2025 line. If you were hurt after July 1, 2026, ask the insurer for the rate notice that applies to your date of injury; it may differ from the one shown here.
Waiting days and the alternative duty shortcut
RSA 281-A:28 withholds the first 3 days of disability unless it continues 14 days or longer. A software tester earning $1,600 back after ten days receives $960; at 14 days, $1,920. New Hampshire adds an exception: if the worker returns to temporary alternative duty within five days of the injury, compensation is paid from the first day, even if the light-duty job pays full wages (RSA 281-A:23-b). Employers with five or more employees must develop such alternative work and must reinstate the worker to the former job within 18 months.
The average weekly wage normally uses the 26 weeks before the injury, but the worker may ask for any period up to 52 weeks if that gives a better result. Permanent impairment awards (RSA 281-A:32) use the AMA Guides, fifth edition, and a whole-person schedule of 350 weeks when more than one body part or the spine is involved. The New Hampshire child support page shows how benefits count as income, and how much workers’ comp pays covers settlements.
The New Hampshire rules this calculator applies
| Rule | New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 60% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $2,309 |
| Weekly minimum | $461.74 |
| Applies to | injuries July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 (latest period published by NH DOL as of 2026-10-08) |
| Waiting period | 3 days, paid back when the disability lasts more than 13 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | no fixed number of weeks |
The New Hampshire Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division had not published a 2026 figure when we checked on October 8, 2026: the calculator uses the latest official maximum and minimum, effective July 1, 2025.
Rate. 60% of the employee's gross average weekly wage, or 30% of the state average weekly wage if greater, never more than 150% of the SAWW and never more than 100% of the employee's after-tax weekly earnings (RSA 281-A:28, II); an employee earning 30% of SAWW or less receives full wages, capped at 90% of after-tax earnings (RSA 281-A:28, I). source
Waiting period. No compensation for the first 3 days of disability unless the disability continues for 14 days or longer (RSA 281-A:28). The waiting period is also waived if the worker returns to temporary alternative duty within 5 days of the injury (RSA 281-A:23-b, NH DOL). source
Duration. TTD is paid while the employee is totally disabled and has not reached maximum medical improvement; no fixed week cap in RSA 281-A:28. Temporary partial benefits are limited to 262 weeks for injuries on or after 2/8/94, less weeks of total disability paid (NH DOL). source
Permanent disability. Permanent impairment awards (RSA 281-A:32) are a single payment: percentage of loss (AMA Guides 5th edition) x the statutory number of weeks for the body part (e.g. arm 210 weeks; whole person 350 weeks) x the compensation rate. Paid in addition to weekly compensation once the worker is at a medical endpoint (NH DOL). source
Worth knowing in New Hampshire
- New Hampshire's maximum (150% of SAWW, $2,309.00 from July 1, 2025) is among the highest in the US, but every rate is also capped at 100% of the worker's after-tax earnings (RSA 281-A:28; NH DOL rate table). source
- Average weekly wage uses the 26 weeks before the injury, but the worker may ask to use anywhere from 26 to 52 weeks, whichever is most beneficial (NH DOL). source
- Employers with 5 or more employees must develop temporary alternative work, and must reinstate an injured employee to the former position within 18 months (RSA 281-A:23-b, 281-A:25-a; NH DOL). source
- Carriers have 30 days to pay or deny a medical bill; failure can bring a fine of up to $2,500 (NH DOL). source
- Workers concurrently employed by two or more NH-covered employers receive benefits based on combined earnings (NH DOL). source