Texas Workers' Comp Calculator: Weekly Benefits (2026)

Texas temporary income benefits (TIBs) generally pay 70% of the difference between pre-injury average weekly wage and current earnings. Certain workers earning less than $10 per hour qualify for 75% during the first 26 weeks for injuries on or after September 1, 2015. At $1,200 AWW with no current earnings, the ordinary uncapped estimate is $840 weekly. Eligibility, minimums, and injury-date maximums also apply.

Texas impairment income benefits (IIBs) pay three weeks for each percentage point of the whole-person impairment rating, at 70% of average weekly wage subject to IIB-specific limits. A 10% rating means 30 weeks; at $1,200 AWW the illustration is $840 × 30 = $25,200 before applicable adjustments. Texas does not calculate IIBs from generic arm, leg, or spine schedule weeks.

For injuries October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, DWC lists a $1,271 weekly TIB maximum, an $890 weekly IIB maximum, and a $191 minimum for both. For injuries October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, the limits are $1,314 TIB, $920 IIB, and $197 minimum. The injury date controls; a 2026 calendar-year label alone does not identify the correct limit.

Texas does not offer the ordinary full-and-final buyout of all future workers' compensation benefits used in some states. DWC-approved settlements of disputed income benefits must meet statutory conditions, and medical benefits cannot be settled. A permitted IIB commutation is different from a full claim buyout and can affect SIB eligibility. A nonsubscriber negligence lawsuit is a separate kind of claim.

Texas workers' compensation medical benefits cannot be settled. Do not add a generic future-medical multiplier to an IIB estimate or treat that sum as a Texas settlement offer. Covered treatment remains subject to the claim's medical-benefit rules, authorization, and disputes.

A 5% rating means 15 IIB weeks, 10% means 30 weeks, and 15% means 45 weeks. At an assumed $1,200 AWW and $840 weekly IIB rate, the examples are $12,600, $25,200, and $37,800. These are gross IIB illustrations, not average settlements or guaranteed payments; prior payments and applicable adjustments affect the remaining balance.

TIBs generally stop at maximum medical improvement, when earnings recover to the pre-injury average weekly wage, or at the applicable statutory limit. Statutory MMI is generally 104 weeks after income-benefit eligibility begins, subject to exceptions. IIB eligibility follows MMI and an impairment rating; MMI does not automatically end medical care.

IIBs address permanent impairment and generally do not require ongoing wage loss, unlike TIBs. Returning to work does not itself eliminate an otherwise payable IIB award. Confirm the rating, payment history, and eligibility with DWC or the carrier.

SIBs may be available after IIBs for workers with an impairment rating of at least 15% who meet additional requirements, including qualifying earnings loss caused by the injury, work-search or other applicable requirements, and no lump-sum commutation of IIBs. A 15% rating alone does not guarantee SIBs; eligibility is reviewed for each qualifying period.

Texas generally gives 90 days after written notice of the first MMI and impairment determination to dispute it, with statutory exceptions. Request DWC guidance promptly rather than assuming a second medical opinion preserves the deadline. A designated doctor may address disputed medical findings.

Report the injury to your employer promptly; the general notice deadline is 30 days. File DWC Form-041 with the Division of Workers' Compensation, generally within one year of injury. Occupational disease and statutory exceptions can change the deadlines. An employer's report does not replace your own claim filing.

TIB eligibility generally begins after more than seven days of injury-related wage loss. If disability lasts at least 14 days, the first seven days may also be payable. This is an eligibility rule, not a guarantee of the first check's arrival date, and it does not mean you should delay medical care.

A Texas nonsubscriber claim is not a workers' compensation benefit claim under that employer's policy. A negligence lawsuit may be possible and can involve different damages, but liability must be assessed separately. Do not use an IIB chart to value that lawsuit.

Benefits paid under workers' compensation law for occupational injury or sickness are generally excluded from federal income tax. Texas has no individual state income tax. Returned-to-work wages and Social Security coordination can have different tax consequences; consult IRS Publication 525 for the applicable exclusions.

Use the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation for official income-benefit guides, injury-date rate tables, dispute forms, and settlement guidance. These calculators provide general estimates, not legal advice or a DWC benefit determination.