Workers' comp weekly benefit in District of Columbia: how much it pays

Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits can pay two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages, up to $1,852.07 a week in 2026.

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

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

Weekly benefit in the District of Columbia

What it pays

Two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages

Maximum

$1,852.07 a week in 2026

Minimum

$463.02 a week in 2026

Minimum rule

The minimum weekly benefit for total disability in 2026 is $463.02 (25% of the maximum).

Applies to

Calendar year 2026 (rates set each January 1)

How your wages are figured

Your average weekly wage is generally based on your earnings in the 52 weeks before the injury, using the employer's wage schedule. Give the insurer proof of your earnings.

Source: Form OWC-10

How long it can last

TTD is paid while the disability continues. Temporary or permanent partial disability benefits for one injury are limited to a total of 500 weeks (an extension of up to 167 weeks may be requested in some cases).

TTD pays two-thirds (66 2/3%) of your average weekly wage. For 2026 the maximum is $1,852.07 a week (the D.C. average weekly wage of insured employees) and the minimum for total disability is $463.02 a week (25% of the maximum). The rates change every January 1.

Law: D.C. Code 32-1505(b)-(d), 32-1508(2), 32-1511

Source: does.dc.gov

Changes in 2024–2026

For 2026 the maximum weekly benefit is $1,852.07 and the minimum $463.02. D.C. Law 26-42 (effective October 1, 2025) amended D.C. Code 32-1503; under 32-1503(a-1), receiving workers' compensation from another state does not bar a D.C. claim for the same injury (any D.C. award is reduced by the other state's compensation).

Law: 2025: $1,808.66 and $452.17

Benefit estimate calculator

Estimate your weekly benefit with the calculator

Sources

The official sources for the District of Columbia are listed on the District of Columbia page.

National rules that may also matter

Taxes, Social Security, leave and the ADA

Taxes on workers' compensation Workers' compensation benefits for a work injury or illness are fully exempt from federal income tax when they are paid under a workers' compensation law. Pay you get for doing light-duty work is taxable as wages. If your workers' compensation reduces your Social Security benefits, that part may be taxable as Social Security benefits. Federal employees: FECA compensation is not taxable, but continuation of pay (up to 45 days) and sick leave pay while a claim is decided are taxed as wages.

Law: IRS Publication 525 (2025), Workers' Compensation; 26 U.S.C. 104(a)(1)

Social Security disability and workers' compensation If you get Social Security disability benefits and workers' compensation at the same time, Social Security may reduce its benefit. The reduction applies when your Social Security benefits (including benefits paid to your family on your record) plus your workers' compensation are more than 80% of your 'average current earnings', or more than your family's Social Security benefit before the reduction, if that is higher. A lump-sum workers' compensation settlement can also be counted. The reduction stops when you reach full retirement age. It does not apply when the state law paying your workers' compensation reduces that benefit instead for people on Social Security, if that state rule was in place on February 18, 1981.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 424a(a), (b), (d); SSA POMS DI 52101.001, DI 52105.001

Job-protected leave (FMLA) The Family and Medical Leave Act gives eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for a serious health condition, and keeps your group health coverage. It covers private employers with 50 or more employees in at least 20 workweeks of this year or last year, all public agencies, and public and private elementary and secondary schools. You are eligible if you worked there at least 12 months, worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months before the leave, and work at a site with at least 50 employees within 75 miles. Time off for a work injury can count as FMLA leave if your employer designates it. If your doctor clears you only for light duty, you may turn down a light-duty job and stay on unpaid FMLA leave until it runs out, but you may lose workers' compensation payments.

Law: 29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 29 CFR 825.207(e); DOL Wage and Hour Division, Family and Medical Leave Act

Disability rights when you go back to work (ADA) Not every work injury is a 'disability' under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If yours is, an employer with 15 or more employees may have to make a reasonable accommodation, unless it would cause undue hardship, for example by moving minor (marginal) duties you cannot do to other workers or changing your schedule. The employer does not have to remove the essential functions of the job.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 12111(5)(A); EEOC Enforcement Guidance: Workers' Compensation and the ADA (Notice 915.002)

In these states, the state reduces some or all types of workers' compensation for people who also get Social Security disability, so Social Security does not reduce its benefit for those payments.

States that reduce workers' comp when you also get Social Security disability: Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin.