Workers' comp · TN
Tennessee workers' comp calculator
Tennessee lets temporary benefits climb above the state average wage, while permanent benefits stop at the average itself.
Rules read on official Tennessee pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 66.67%
- Gross average weekly wage before taxes
- Weekly maximum
- $1,426.70
- from July 1, 2025
- Weekly minimum
- $194.55
- floor
- Waiting period
- 7 days
- paid back past 13 days
The Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation sets temporary total disability (TTD) at two thirds of the average weekly wage, computed from gross earnings, overtime and bonuses included, over the 52 weeks before the injury. The most recent rates we could read are for injuries from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026: a weekly maximum of $1,426.70 for temporary benefits, which is 110% of the state average weekly wage of $1,297, and a minimum of $194.55. Permanent benefits stop at 100% of that average. The rates for injuries on or after July 1, 2026 were not readable on tn.gov when we checked on October 8, 2026, so this page and the calculator use the 2025-26 figures. A worker earning $780 a week receives $520. TTD starts on the eighth day of disability and is paid back to the first day if the disability lasts 14 days; the first payment is due within 15 days of notice of the injury.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in Tennessee
$733
$3,178 a month · 66.67% of the wage, tax-free
| 66.67% of $1,100 | $733 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $1,426.70 / $194.55 |
| 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 Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation (Department of Labor and Workforce Development) rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
The 2026-27 rates we could not read
Tennessee resets its rates every July 1. The Bureau’s compensation rates table that we were able to read, through an archived copy dated March 2026, ends with the period July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026; tn.gov refused our requests for the current version and for the PDF of maximum and minimum rates. We say so plainly: for an injury after June 30, 2026, the real maximum is very likely a little higher than $1,426.70, and the Bureau or the adjuster can confirm it. Everything else on this page follows the statute and the Bureau's own explanations, which do not change with the yearly figures.
110% for healing, 100% for the rating
Tennessee's rate table carries two ceilings: temporary benefits may reach 110% of the state average weekly wage, $1,426.70, while permanent benefits stop at 100%, $1,297. A Memphis logistics manager earning $2,300 receives $1,427 while off work, and less per week once a permanent award is paid. The cap is reached from about $2,140 of weekly pay. The table also shows a maximum total benefit, 450 weeks at the permanent maximum, and burial expenses up to $10,000.
Eight days, fourteen days, fifteen days
Three clocks run at once. Benefits begin on the eighth day of disability. The first seven days are paid if the disability reaches fourteen days. And the first payment is due no later than fifteen calendar days after notice of the injury. A Nashville warehouse picker earning $780 who is out nine days receives $149; out fifteen, $1,114. The Bureau suggests using sick leave or vacation for the unpaid week when the disability is shorter.
Light duty at lower pay
When the treating physician allows restricted work and the employer pays less for it, the difference is covered at two thirds as temporary partial disability. The Bureau's own example: a worker who earned $600 and makes $200 on light duty receives $267 a week. If the employer cannot meet the restrictions, TTD continues. For settlements, see how much workers’ comp pays; for comp income in a support case, the Tennessee child support calculator.
The Tennessee rules this calculator applies
| Rule | Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 66.67% of gross average weekly wage before taxes |
| Weekly maximum | $1,426.70 |
| Weekly minimum | $194.55 |
| Applies to | injuries from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 (SAWW $1,297); the July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 figures could not be retrieved |
| Waiting period | 7 days, paid back when the disability lasts more than 13 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | no fixed number of weeks |
The Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation (Department of Labor and Workforce Development) 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. Two-thirds (66.67%) of the average weekly wage, computed from gross earnings (including overtime and bonuses) in the 52 weeks before the injury divided by 52; maximum for temporary benefits = 110% of the state average weekly wage (Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-207; Bureau rate table). source
Waiting period. TTD benefits start on the eighth day of disability; if the disability lasts 14 days, benefits are back-paid to the first day (Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-205). source
Duration. TTD continues while the authorized treating physician keeps the worker off work, until maximum medical improvement or a return-to-work event; no separate week cap is stated by the Bureau, but total benefits are limited by the maximum total benefit ($583,650 for 2025-26 injuries = 450 weeks x the permanent maximum). source
Permanent disability. Permanent partial disability is paid at 66 2/3% of the AWW, capped at 100% of the state average weekly wage ($1,297.00 for 2025-26 injuries), based on the impairment rating applied to 450 weeks for the body as a whole (Bureau rate table: 'Body as Whole 450 wks'; Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-207). source
Worth knowing in Tennessee
- Tennessee's maximum for temporary benefits is 110% of the state average weekly wage, higher than the maximum for permanent benefits (100%). source
- Temporary disability payments must be paid no later than 15 calendar days after notice of injury; late or unpaid benefits may be penalized. source
- Burial expenses are covered up to $10,000 and medical benefits are unlimited (Bureau rate table). source
- Temporary partial disability on light duty is 66 2/3% of the difference between the light-duty gross wage and the pre-injury AWW, within the same max/min. source