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

Tell your employer within 30 days (the date of the accident). File your claim within 1 year.

Temporary total disability (TTD) income benefits can pay two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages, up to $800 a week (on or after July 1, 2023).

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 Georgia, temporary total disability benefits pay part of your wages while your authorized doctor says you cannot work because of a job injury. Your employer's insurance carrier handles the claim, and an Administrative Law Judge of the State Board of Workers' Compensation decides disputes.

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 Georgia

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.

Benefit estimate calculator

This estimate uses the rule in Georgia's data: a share of your average weekly wage, up to the state maximum.

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

Gross pay per week, as the insurer would figure it. Include regular overtime and tips if they were part of your pay.

Enter your pay

We apply the rule in the law. 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

Georgia
Other formats

Your checklist

Deadlines in Georgia

Tell your employer
30 days
File your claim
1 year
Waiting period

Weekly income benefits start only if you lose more than 7 days of work.

All the details →

Weekly benefit in Georgia

What it pays
Two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages
Maximum
$800 a week (on or after July 1, 2023)
Minimum
$50 a week (on or after July 1, 2023)
Minimum rule

The minimum is $50 a week. If your average weekly wage is below $50, you receive your full average weekly wage.

Applies to
Injuries on or after July 1, 2023 (no rate change in 2024, 2025 or 2026)

Law: O.C.G.A. § 34-9-261 (as amended by HB 480, 2023)

Source: sbwc.georgia.gov

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Who is your doctor in Georgia?

Who chooses
You choose from a list
Network
Panel of Physicians or Board-certified WC/MCO posted by the employer

Your employer must post a Panel of Physicians with at least six doctors (including an orthopedic doctor and no more than two industrial clinics) or the name of a Board-certified Workers' Compensation Managed Care Organization (WC/MCO). You choose your doctor from that posted list. In a true emergency, you can get temporary care anywhere, then you must use a doctor from the list.

You may make one change to another doctor on the posted panel (or to another eligible WC/MCO doctor) without your employer's permission. Any further change needs the agreement of your employer or insurer, or a Board order. Treatment from a doctor not on the list is unauthorized and may not be paid.

Source: Form WC-200b

Law: O.C.G.A. § 34-9-201; SBWC Rule 201

Source: sbwc.georgia.gov

Who is covered in Georgia

Size of employer

Every business that regularly employs three or more people in Georgia, including regular part-time and regular seasonal workers, must have workers' compensation insurance. You are covered from your first day on the job.

Not covered
  • Businesses that regularly employ fewer than three people
  • Sole proprietors and partners (they are employers, but may choose to cover themselves)
  • Up to five corporate officers or LLC members who sign a waiver; they still count toward the three-employee rule
  • Federal employees, longshore workers, railroad workers and seamen are covered by federal programs, sometimes in addition to state law
If your employer has no insurance

An employer that must carry workers' compensation and does not can be fined by the Board, and willfully failing to carry it is a misdemeanor. You can still file Form WC-14 with the Board. You can report an employer without coverage to the Board's Enforcement Division at 404-657-7285.

Check your employer's insurance

Law: O.C.G.A. §§ 34-9-1, 34-9-2, 34-9-120, 34-9-121

Source: sbwc.georgia.gov

If your claim is denied or delayed in Georgia

First step

If your claim is denied or you are not paid, file Form WC-14 with the Board and check 'Request for Hearing' (or 'Request for Mediation' to have a Board mediator help with a specific issue), and send copies to your employer and the insurance carrier.

Form
Form WC-14 (Notice of Claim / Request for Hearing / Request for Mediation)

All the details →

Lawyers' fees and other benefits in Georgia

A lawyer is not needed to file a claim. If you hire one, the fee is set by your agreement with the lawyer but must be approved by the State Board if it is more than $100, and the Board will not approve a fee greater than 25% of your weekly benefits or settlement.

Georgia workers' compensation also pays authorized medical care (up to 400 weeks for non-catastrophic injuries on or after July 1, 2013), mileage to medical visits, temporary partial disability if you return to lower-paying work (up to $533 a week for up to 350 weeks), permanent partial disability based on your doctor's rating, vocational rehabilitation for catastrophic injuries, and death benefits to dependents (up to $800 a week, plus burial expenses up to $7,500).

Free help in Georgia

State agency

Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation

Phone
1-800-533-0682
Address
270 Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30303-1299
Find an office

Free help

Good to know in Georgia

  • Coverage is required only for employers with three or more regular employees, counting regular part-time workers and corporate officers (SBWC).
  • You must choose your doctor from the panel your employer posts; going to a doctor not on the list is unauthorized treatment and may not be paid.
  • If you refuse a drug test after an on-the-job injury without a good reason, the law presumes the injury was caused by alcohol or drugs (SBWC Bill of Rights).

Changes in 2024–2026

No benefit rate changes in 2024, 2025 or 2026: the $800 weekly maximum and $50 minimum for total disability have applied to injuries since July 1, 2023. New Board Rules took effect October 15, 2026, adding Rule 410 under which the Board now runs the Drug-Free Workplace certification program.

Source: SBWC benefits chart, revised 07/01/25

Questions about workers' comp in Georgia

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

Report any accident on the job to your employer, your employer's representative, your foreman or your immediate supervisor right away, and no later than 30 days after the accident.

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

To protect your rights, file Form WC-14 with the State Board of Workers' Compensation within 1 year from the date of the accident.

How much does workers' comp pay in Georgia?

Temporary total disability (TTD) income benefits can pay two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages, up to $800 a week (on or after July 1, 2023).

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

Your employer must post a Panel of Physicians with at least six doctors (including an orthopedic doctor and no more than two industrial clinics) or the name of a Board-certified Workers' Compensation Managed Care Organization (WC/MCO).

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

If your claim is denied or you are not paid, file Form WC-14 with the Board and check 'Request for Hearing' (or 'Request for Mediation' to have a Board mediator help with a specific issue), and send copies to your employer and the insurance carrier.

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