Washington Workers' Comp Calculator: L&I Time-Loss (2026)

Washington L&I time-loss pays 60% of your gross monthly wage at the time of injury, plus 5% if you are married or in a registered domestic partnership and additional percentages for dependent children, up to 75%. Payments are capped at 120% of the state average monthly wage. Permanent partial disability (PPD) is a separate fixed-dollar award that does not depend on your wage.

For injuries on or after July 1, 2026, the maximum time-loss rate is $9,981 per month, about $2,303 per week. For injuries from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 it was $9,516 per month. Workers whose rate is set at the maximum move up to each new maximum every July 1.

Yes. Effective July 1, 2026, the base minimum is 15% of the state average monthly wage, $1,247.63 per month, plus $10 for a spouse or registered domestic partner and $10 for each dependent child up to five. A low-wage rule applies when that minimum would exceed your actual wages.

Washington calculates time-loss on a monthly wage and generally pays it twice a month. To compare with weekly-benefit states, multiply the monthly amount by 12 and divide by 52. Your wage can include tips, bonuses and the value of employer-paid health care, so check the wage order L&I sends.

You are never paid time-loss for the day of injury, and the first three days after it are not paid unless your disability continues past the statutory period. Medical treatment is covered from the start of an accepted claim. Check your time-loss order for the dates L&I used.

If you return to work but earn less because of the injury, you may receive loss of earning power (LEP) benefits. LEP generally applies when the injury-related loss is more than 5% of your wage at injury. It is paid in addition to your reduced wages, not instead of them.

Washington pays permanent partial disability as a fixed dollar amount set by law for your injury date, not as wages times weeks. Amputations and losses of specified body parts have scheduled values; back, neck and many internal conditions use category ratings. Your wage does not change the PPD amount.

For injuries from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, L&I's low-back categories pay $13,548.33 for Category 2, $27,096.69 for Category 3, $40,645.02 for Category 4, $67,741.71 for Category 5, $108,386.76 for Category 6, $162,580.11 for Category 7 and $203,225.16 for Category 8. Category 1 means no ratable impairment.

Generally no. Time-loss is paid while you are temporarily unable to work and still healing. PPD is paid after you reach maximum medical improvement, usually when the claim closes. If you are permanently unable to work, a pension may be considered instead of PPD.

Yes, within limits. After the initial visit, care must come from a provider in L&I's Medical Provider Network for state-fund and self-insured claims. You can request a change of attending provider. The attending provider's reports strongly affect time-loss and the eventual impairment rating.

File an injury claim within one year of the date of injury. For an occupational disease, file within two years after a doctor gives you written notice that the condition is work related. Tell your employer as soon as possible; late notice can create disputes.

You can ask L&I to reconsider an order by protesting it, or appeal to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. Both generally must be filed within 60 days of receiving the order. Missing the deadline can make the order final.

Generally no. Industrial insurance is the exclusive remedy against a covered employer, with a narrow exception for injuries the employer deliberately intended. You may have a separate claim against a negligent third party, and L&I or the self-insured employer may have reimbursement rights from that recovery.

Benefits paid under a workers' compensation law for an occupational injury or illness are generally excluded from federal income tax. Washington has no state income tax on wages. Social Security disability offsets and returned-to-work wages can be treated differently; see IRS Publication 525.

Washington is one of a few monopolistic states: most employers must buy coverage from the L&I state fund instead of private insurers. Some large employers are approved to self-insure and pay benefits directly under L&I oversight. Benefit rules are largely the same either way.

Only in limited cases. Washington claim resolution structured settlements are available to workers age 50 or older, and they must be approved by the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. Medical benefits cannot be settled and stay open for the accepted condition. Most Washington claims close with a PPD award instead of a negotiated settlement.

A Washington claim resolution structured settlement generally pays non-medical benefits as periodic payments rather than one large check, with limits on the initial payment. The Board reviews whether the agreement is in your best interest. The law allows the parties to revoke the agreement within a short period after approval; confirm the current deadline with the Board.