Workers' comp · WA
Washington workers' comp calculator
Washington pays time loss by the month, at a percentage that depends on whether you are married and how many children you support.
Rules read on official Washington pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Benefit rate
- 60%
- Gross monthly wage at the time of injury
- Weekly maximum
- $2,303.31
- from July 1, 2026
- Weekly minimum
- $287.91
- floor
- Waiting period
- 3 days
- paid back past 6 days
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) pays time-loss compensation as a monthly percentage of wages that varies with family status. For injuries on or after July 1, 2026, the rate starts at 60% for an unmarried worker with no children and climbs in steps to 75% for a married worker with five or more children, under a schedule rewritten by the 2025 Legislature. The maximum is 120% of the state's average monthly wage, $9,981 a month, about $2,303 a week; the minimum is 15% of that average, $1,247.63 a month, plus $10 for a spouse and each child. The calculator applies the 60% rate of a single worker without children. The first 3 days after the injury are a waiting period, paid only if you are still off work on day 7. No taxes are withheld from time loss. Workers injured before July 1, 2025 received a 4.9% increase on July 1, 2026.
Weekly temporary total disability benefit in Washington
$660
$2,860 a month · 60% of the wage, tax-free
| 60% of $1,100 | $660 |
| Weekly maximum / minimum | $2,303.31 / $287.91 |
| 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 Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) rates. Medical care is paid separately; partial disability, permanent impairment ratings and settlements follow other rules. How this is calculated.
Your household sets your rate
The replacement rate follows family size. The RCW 51.32.060 schedule that L&I applies to injuries from July 1, 2026:
| Household at the time of injury | Share of wages |
|---|---|
| unmarried, no children | 60% |
| unmarried with one child, or married with none | 65% |
| unmarried with two children, or married with one | 67% |
| unmarried with three, or married with two | 69% |
| unmarried with four, or married with three | 71% |
| unmarried with five, or married with four | 73% |
| unmarried with six or more, or married with five or more | 75% |
The calculator above uses the first line, 60%, so it understates the check for anyone married or supporting a child. A Spokane carpenter earning $6,000 a month, single with no children, is shown $831 a week. Married with two children, he would receive 69%, about $955 a week. Injuries before July 1, 2026 use an older schedule: 65% for a married worker plus 2 points per child up to 75%, 60% for an unmarried worker plus 2 points per child up to 70%.
Monthly figures, weekly view
L&I publishes its limits by the month and by the day, not by the week. The Self-Insurance benefits schedule for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 gives a monthly maximum of $9,981, derived from an annual state average wage of $99,810; the weekly figures here are those amounts times 12 and divided by 52. A tower crane operator in Seattle earning $16,000 a month receives the cap, $2,215 a week. The minimum of $1,247.63 a month gains $10 for a spouse or registered domestic partner and for each child.
Day seven since 2024
The carpenter off five days receives $237. Off eight days, all of them are paid: $949. Before June 6, 2024, the first 3 days were paid only after fourteen days off. The first check should arrive within 14 days of L&I learning from the doctor that you cannot work; checks come twice a month after that.
A state fund and a no-fault bargain
Time loss is paid either by L&I or, for a self-insured employer, by the employer itself under the same law. In Washington an injured worker cannot sue the employer or coworkers for a work injury; suits are possible only against third parties. Partial wage loss on light duty is covered as loss of earning power, and permanent partial disability is paid as a fixed award: Permanent partial disability is paid as fixed dollar awards from a statutory schedule (amputations and loss of function listed with dollar amounts, e.g. leg above the knee, arm at or above the deltoid insertion) and, for unspecified disabilities, by impairment category, not as weekly payments (RCW 51.32.080). The schedule amounts are adjusted for later injury dates.
See how much workers’ comp pays for settlements, and the Washington child support page for time loss counted as income.
The Washington rules this calculator applies
| Rule | Washington |
|---|---|
| Temporary total disability rate | 60% of gross monthly wage at the time of injury |
| Weekly maximum | $2,303.31 |
| Weekly minimum | $287.91 |
| Applies to | injuries on or after July 1, 2026 (through June 30, 2027); state average wage for 2025 = $99,810 a year; weekly equivalents of the monthly limits ($9,981.00 a month × 12 ÷ 52) |
| Waiting period | 3 days, paid back when the disability lasts more than 6 days |
| Limit on temporary total benefits | no fixed number of weeks |
Rate. Time-loss compensation is paid monthly as a percentage of the worker's wages under the RCW 51.32.060 schedule (RCW 51.32.090(1)). For injuries on or after July 1, 2026: unmarried with no children 60%; unmarried with one child or married with no children 65%; unmarried with two children or married with one child 67%; unmarried with three children or married with two 69%; unmarried with four children or married with three 71%; unmarried with five children or married with four 73%; unmarried with six or more or married with five or more 75% (RCW 51.32.060(1)). For injuries before July 1, 2026: married 65%, +2 points per child up to 75% (five children); unmarried 60%, +2 points per child up to 70% (RCW 51.32.060(2)). source
Waiting period. No compensation for the day of injury or the three days following unless the disability continues for seven consecutive calendar days from the date of injury (RCW 51.32.090(7)). L&I notes that for injuries before June 6, 2024 the three days were paid only if the worker was still off work on the 14th day. source
Duration. Payments continue so long as the total disability continues and stop when earning power is restored (RCW 51.32.090(1), (3)); no week cap. Partial restoration of earning power gives loss-of-earning-power benefits of 80% of the wage difference if the loss exceeds 5% (RCW 51.32.090(3)). source
Permanent disability. Permanent partial disability is paid as fixed dollar awards from a statutory schedule (amputations and loss of function listed with dollar amounts, e.g. leg above the knee, arm at or above the deltoid insertion) and, for unspecified disabilities, by impairment category, not as weekly payments (RCW 51.32.080). The schedule amounts are adjusted for later injury dates. source
Worth knowing in Washington
- Washington pays time-loss as a monthly benefit whose percentage depends on marital status and number of children, not as a flat two-thirds of weekly wages (RCW 51.32.060); the schedule was revised for injuries on or after July 1, 2026 (2025 c 168). source
- No taxes are withheld from time-loss compensation; L&I states the IRS treats it as a disability benefit, not earned income. source
- Benefits for workers injured before July 1, 2025 rose 4.9% on July 1, 2026, following the 4.9% rise in the state average wage; workers injured on or after July 1, 2011 receive no COLA until the second July after injury (RCW 51.32.075). source
- In Washington an injured worker cannot sue the employer or coworkers for a work injury; suits are possible only against third parties. source
- Loss-of-earning-power benefits are capped so that payments plus present wages do not exceed 150% of the state's average monthly wage: $12,476.25 for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. source