Hurt at work in Alaska? Deadlines, weekly benefit and how to file

Tell your employer in writing within 15 days. File your claim within 2 years.

Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits can pay 80% of your spendable earnings (pay after taxes), up to $1,627 a week in 2026.

Your employer's insurer, not the state, usually decides first. If they deny or delay, the free help listed here can explain your options.

In Alaska, TTD pays part of your lost wages while you cannot work because of a work injury, until you are medically stable or can return to work. Your employer's insurance company or self-insured employer (through its adjuster) pays or denies benefits; disputes are decided by the Alaska Workers' Compensation Board.

What are my deadlines?How much will I get?Who is my doctor?Claim denied?

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Deadlines are strict. If you are near one, call the state agency or free help today.

Free tools for Alaska

Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent until you download, copy or print a document.

Deadline helper

Worked out in your browser. Nothing you enter here is saved or sent.

If you are not sure of the exact day, use the earliest day you think it could be.

Enter the date of injury

We add the number from the law to your date. Nothing is saved.

Written notice to your employer

A letter that tells your employer, in writing, that you were hurt or made sick by your work.

Where the reply should be sent.

Required when you mail it. Not needed if you hand it in person.

In your own words, in English. Keep it short and factual. Do not guess why it happened.

It goes into the letter as you type it.

Other formats

Claim checklist: what to gather and do

A printable list of papers to keep and steps to take.

What you already have

Alaska
Other formats

Your checklist

Deadlines in Alaska

Tell your employer
15 days
File your claim
2 years
Waiting period

No disability compensation is paid for the first 3 days of disability unless you are ultimately disabled more than 28 calendar days.

All the details →

Weekly benefit in Alaska

What it pays
80% of your spendable earnings (pay after taxes)
Maximum
$1,627 a week in 2026
Minimum
$358 a week in 2026
Minimum rule

For 2026 injuries the minimum is $358 a week. If your spendable weekly wage is below $358 (and you gave proof of your wages), you get your spendable weekly wage instead. If you have not given proof of earnings, the insurer must pay at least $110 a week.

Applies to
Injuries in calendar year 2026

Law: AS 23.30.175(a), 23.30.185, 23.30.220

Source: labor.alaska.gov

We do not offer a calculator for Alaska: its rule has parts that a simple estimate cannot show. Read the rule above and ask the state agency.

All the details →

Who is your doctor in Alaska?

Who chooses
You choose

You may choose your own licensed medical doctor, surgeon, chiropractor, osteopath, dentist or optometrist. Tell your employer which doctor you chose within a reasonable time after the first treatment. If you cannot choose because of an emergency, or tell the employer you do not want to, the employer designates the doctor.

You may change your attending physician once without your employer's consent, but you must notify the insurer before the change. A referral by your doctor to a specialist is not a change. A second change needs the insurer's written consent; otherwise you may have to pay the bills and the Board may not consider that doctor's opinions. If you move more than 50 miles away, you may choose a substitute physician.

Law: AS 23.30.095(a)-(b)

Source: labor.alaska.gov

Who is covered in Alaska

Size of employer

Nearly all Alaska employees are covered. Employers must carry workers' compensation insurance or be approved to self-insure.

Not covered
  • Commercial fishermen (some fish processing workers on floating processors are covered)
  • Independent contractors, contract entertainers and certain contract sports officials
  • Part-time babysitters, cleaning persons, and harvest help or similar part-time or transient help
  • Certain taxicab drivers and transportation network (rideshare) drivers
  • Qualified real estate licensees working under a written non-employee contract
  • Most unpaid volunteers (some volunteer firefighters, EMTs, police and disaster workers are covered)
  • Sole proprietors, partners, nonprofit executive officers and LLC members unless they choose coverage
  • Federal employees and most maritime workers (covered under federal law, sometimes in addition to state law)
Contractors

Independent contractors are not covered. If you have questions about whether you are covered, contact the Division.

If your employer has no insurance

If your employer was uninsured on the date of injury, contact the Division right away. File a claim against the employer and the Workers' Compensation Benefits Guaranty Fund within 2 years of the injury. You may also place a lien on the employer's business property, recorded within 1 year after the injury.

Source: Form 07-6106; Form 07-6179

Workers' Compensation Benefits Guaranty Fund

Check your employer's insurance

Law: AS 23.30.045, 23.30.082, 23.30.230

Source: labor.alaska.gov

If your claim is denied or delayed in Alaska

First step

If the insurer sends you a Controversion Notice, file a Claim for Benefits with the Division along with a medical summary. Contact a Division office for free help with the process; Division staff explain procedures and deadlines.

Form
Workers' Compensation Claim (Form 07-6106)

All the details →

Fired or punished for filing in Alaska

An employer may not discriminate in hiring, promotion or retention against an employee who in good faith filed a claim for, or received, workers' compensation benefits.

The law
AS 23.30.247
What you may get

Damages assessed by the court.

Where to file

A private civil lawsuit in court.

Law: AS 23.30.247

Source: akleg.gov

Lawyers' fees and other benefits in Alaska

Attorney fees for a claim are not valid unless approved by the Board. When the insurer denied (controverted) the claim and you win, the Board may order the employer or insurer to pay your attorney fees in addition to your benefits.

Alaska also pays medical care (up to two years after the injury, longer by Board order), temporary partial disability, permanent partial impairment (whole-person value $273,000 for injuries since January 1, 2023), permanent total disability, reemployment benefits or a job dislocation benefit, and death benefits ($12,000 funeral and $8,000 to the surviving spouse and children, plus weekly benefits).

Free help in Alaska

State agency

Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Workers' Compensation (and the Alaska Workers' Compensation Board)

Phone
1-877-783-4980
Address
1111 W. 8th St., Rm 305, Juneau, AK 99801 (mail: P.O. Box 115512, Juneau, AK 99811-5512); Anchorage office: 3301 Eagle Street, Suite 304, Anchorage, AK 99503
Find an office

Free help

Good to know in Alaska

  • You must serve a copy of every document you file with the Division (except a claim) on every other party, with written proof of service, or the Board may refuse to consider it (Division, Workers' Compensation and You).
  • If you live outside Alaska, your weekly rate is adjusted for cost of living.
  • Insurers usually do not have to pay for repeated treatments like physical therapy more often than a set schedule (three times a week in the first month, then less) unless your doctor sends a written treatment plan within 14 days (Division).

Changes in 2024–2026

For injuries on or after January 1, 2025, the deadline to report a work injury to the employer was shortened from 30 days to 15 days. For 2026 injuries the maximum weekly rate is $1,627 and the minimum $358 (Bulletin 25-06, Alaska average weekly wage $1,356). Bulletin 26-01 adopted the 2025 edition of the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, for impairment ratings.

Law: AS 23.30.100(a)

Questions about workers' comp in Alaska

How long do I have to tell my employer about a work injury in Alaska?

For injuries on or after January 1, 2025, report your work injury or illness to your supervisor in writing within 15 days.

How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Alaska?

Reporting the injury is not the same as filing a claim. If you need the Board to decide a dispute, file a written Claim for Benefits with the Division.

How much does workers' comp pay in Alaska?

Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits can pay 80% of your spendable earnings (pay after taxes), up to $1,627 a week in 2026.

Can I choose my own doctor for a work injury in Alaska?

You may choose your own licensed medical doctor, surgeon, chiropractor, osteopath, dentist or optometrist. Tell your employer which doctor you chose within a reasonable time after the first treatment.

Can my employer fire me for filing a workers' comp claim in Alaska?

An employer may not discriminate in hiring, promotion or retention against an employee who in good faith filed a claim for, or received, workers' compensation benefits.

What if my workers' comp claim is denied in Alaska?

If the insurer sends you a Controversion Notice, file a Claim for Benefits with the Division along with a medical summary.

Not about a work injury?

Not about a work injury? Unpaid wages → Wage Claim Map · Hurt in a car crash → Accident Claim Map · A medical bill → Medical Bill Map · Unemployment benefits → Unemployment Claim Map · Other problems → robinclaim.com

Nearby states

Sources