Workers' comp · NJ
New Jersey workers' comp calculator
New Jersey replaces a larger share of the paycheck than most states, while letting the employer choose the doctor.
Rules read on official New Jersey pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 70%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $1,199
- from January 1, 2026
- Weekly minimum
- $320
- floor
- Waiting period
- 7 days
- paid back past 7 days
New Jersey pays temporary total disability at 70% of the injured worker's average weekly wage, not more than 75% and not less than 20% of the Statewide Average Weekly Wage (N.J.S.A. 34:15-12). For 2026 injuries the Division of Workers' Compensation sets the range at $320 to $1,199 a week; the same $1,199 caps permanent partial, permanent total and dependency benefits. A wage of about $1,713 reaches the maximum. A worker must be unable to work for more than 7 days, counting weekends and holidays, before benefits are owed; once that happens they are paid back to the first day. A port checker earning $1,100 who is out eight days receives $880, but nothing for an absence of exactly 7 days. Benefits continue while the worker is under active medical care and unable to work, usually until a return to work or maximum medical improvement. Permanent partial disability follows a schedule of weeks for named body parts and a 600-week scale for the rest of the body.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in New Jersey
$770
$3,337 a month · 70% of the wage, tax-free
| 70% of $1,100 | $770 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $1,199 / $320 |
| Days paid / unpaid waiting days | 30 / 0 |
| Total for the time off | $3,300 |
Estimate of wage-loss benefits for a total disability, from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Workers' Compensation rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
Seventy percent, and the employer picks the doctor
New Jersey's 70% rate is above the two thirds most states pay, and the floor of $320 is high, so a part-time aide earning $350 a week receives $320, more than 70% of her wage. In exchange, the law gives the employer and its insurer the right to select the physicians who treat the injury (N.J.S.A. 34:15-15). A worker unhappy with that care cannot simply switch at the insurer's expense; the remedy is a Motion for Medical and/or Temporary Disability Benefits before a judge of compensation.
The Division’s rate table sets one maximum, $1,199 in 2026, for temporary disability, permanent partial, permanent total and death benefits. New Jersey's 2026 maximum of $1,199 (up from $1,159) reflects the $1,598.66 statewide average weekly wage for 2024, recalculated each year from the wage two years earlier (NJDOL press release, December 29, 2025). A chemist earning $2,300 a week computes to $1,610 and receives $1,199, or $11,990 over ten weeks.
The eighth day
New Jersey's waiting period is all or nothing. Medical care and permanent disability benefits are owed regardless of lost time, but temporary disability starts only when the worker has been out more than 7 days, and the days do not have to be consecutive. Our port checker earning $1,100 receives $0 for a 7-day absence and $880 for an eight-day one, because the waiting days are then paid retroactively.
Scheduled and non-scheduled losses
When a lasting impairment remains, New Jersey pays permanent partial disability weekly, starting after temporary disability ends. PPD is a percentage of a 'scheduled' loss (arm 330 weeks, leg 315 weeks, hand 260/300 weeks, eye 200 weeks, etc.) or a 'non-scheduled' loss of the body as a whole based on 600 weeks, paid weekly after temporary disability ends; the weekly PPD rate ranges from a $35 minimum to the $1,199 maximum in 2026 (Schedule of Disabilities effective 1/1/2026; N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(c)). The weekly PPD rate itself depends on the size of the award, which is why the official chart lists a separate dollar total for each percentage.
Two other rules shape claims here. If the injury was caused by a third party, the employer or carrier generally recovers two thirds of its payments, less $750, from any settlement (N.J.S.A. 34:15-40). And a formal claim petition must be filed within two years of the injury or the last payment of compensation, whichever is later. The New Jersey child support page explains how benefits count as income, and how much workers’ comp pays covers settlements.
The New Jersey rules this calculator applies
| Rule | New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 70% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $1,199 |
| Weekly minimum | $320 |
| Applies to | injuries in calendar year 2026 |
| Waiting period | 7 days, paid back when the disability lasts more than 7 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | no fixed number of weeks |
Rate. 70% of the average weekly wage, not more than 75% of the Statewide Average Weekly Wage and not less than 20% of the SAWW (Division of Workers' Compensation, Temporary total disability benefits; N.J.S.A. 34:15-12). source
Waiting period. The worker must be unable to work for seven days (including weekends and holidays, not necessarily consecutive) before temporary disability benefits are payable; benefits are then retroactive to the first day. No waiting period applies to medical or permanent disability benefits (Division of Workers' Compensation, Injured Worker FAQ). source
Duration. TTD is paid while the worker is unable to work and under active medical care; it usually ends on release to work in some capacity or at maximum medical improvement (Division of Workers' Compensation, Temporary total disability benefits). source
Permanent disability. PPD is a percentage of a 'scheduled' loss (arm 330 weeks, leg 315 weeks, hand 260/300 weeks, eye 200 weeks, etc.) or a 'non-scheduled' loss of the body as a whole based on 600 weeks, paid weekly after temporary disability ends; the weekly PPD rate ranges from a $35 minimum to the $1,199 maximum in 2026 (Schedule of Disabilities effective 1/1/2026; N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(c)). source
Worth knowing in New Jersey
- New Jersey's 2026 maximum of $1,199 (up from $1,159) reflects the $1,598.66 statewide average weekly wage for 2024, recalculated each year from the wage two years earlier (NJDOL press release, December 29, 2025). source
- The employer and its insurance carrier select the treating physicians; a worker who disputes care can file a Motion for Medical and/or Temporary Disability Benefits (N.J.S.A. 34:15-15, Division FAQ). source
- If the worker recovers from a negligent third party, the employer or carrier generally gets a credit of two-thirds of its compensation payments less $750 (N.J.S.A. 34:15-40, Division FAQ). source
- The Second Injury Fund pays permanent total benefits when a work injury combines with pre-existing disabilities; the employer pays only the work-related portion (Division of Workers' Compensation). source
- A formal claim petition must be filed within two years of the injury or the last compensation payment, whichever is later (Division FAQ). source