Workers' comp weekly benefit in Illinois: how much it pays

Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits can pay two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages, up to $2,045.63 a week (July 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027).

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 Illinois

What it pays: Two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages
Maximum: $2,045.63 a week (July 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027)
Minimum: $400 a week (July 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027)
Minimum rule: The minimum is $400 a week for a worker with no spouse or children, and higher with a spouse or children ($460 with 1, $520 with 2, $580 with 3, $600 with 4 or more). If your average weekly wage is lower than the minimum, you receive your average weekly wage instead.
Applies to: Accidents from July 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027
How your wages are figured: Your average weekly wage is generally your actual gross (before-tax) earnings in the job where you were hurt during the 52 weeks before the injury, not counting overtime and bonuses, divided by 52. If you lost 5 or more calendar days of work in that period, or worked less than 52 weeks, or had more than one job, it is figured differently.
How long it can last: TTD is paid while you cannot work, until you return to work or reach maximum medical improvement.

TTD pays two-thirds (66 2/3%) of your gross average weekly wage. For accidents from July 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027 the maximum is $2,045.63 a week. The minimum is $400 a week with no spouse or children, rising by family size to $600 a week with 4 or more; if your wage is lower than the minimum, you get your wage. The Commission updates the rates every January 15 and July 15.

Law: 820 ILCS 305/8(b), 305/10

Source: iwcc.illinois.gov

Changes in 2024–2026

The TTD maximum rose to $2,008.60 for accidents from January 15, 2026 and to $2,045.63 for accidents from July 15, 2026. The TTD minimums rose when the Illinois minimum wage reached $15.00 an hour on January 1, 2025 (for example, $400 a week for a worker with no spouse or children). Public Act 104-792 (House Bill 5228, 2026) changed utilization review (reviewer qualifications, physician review of appeals, how long an approval lasts) and requires an employer's examining doctor who questions proposed treatment to report within 90 days.

Benefit estimate calculator

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

Sources

The official sources for Illinois are listed on the Illinois 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.