Hurt at work in Maryland? Deadlines, weekly benefit and how to file
Tell your employer within 10 days. File your claim within 60 days (the date of the accidental injury).
Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits can pay two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages, up to $1,537 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 Maryland, temporary total disability pays part of your lost wages while your work injury keeps you completely unable to work. Your employer or its insurer pays benefits, and if your claim is contested a commissioner of the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission decides it at a hearing.
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 Maryland
Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent until you download, copy or print a document.
Deadline helper
Benefit estimate calculator
This estimate uses the rule in Maryland's data: a share of your average weekly wage, up to the state maximum.
Written notice to your employer
A letter that tells your employer, in writing, that you were hurt or made sick by your work.
Claim checklist: what to gather and do
A printable list of papers to keep and steps to take.
Deadlines in Maryland
- Tell your employer
- 10 days
- File your claim
- 60 days
- Waiting period
No wage benefits are paid for the first 3 calendar days of disability if it lasts 14 days or less.
Weekly benefit in Maryland
- What it pays
- Two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages
- Maximum
- $1,537 a week in 2026
- Minimum
- $50 a week in 2026
- Minimum rule
The weekly benefit is at least $50. If your average weekly wage was less than $50, you are paid your full average weekly wage.
- Applies to
- Injuries occurring in calendar year 2026
Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. §§ 9-602, 9-603, 9-604, 9-621
Source: wcc.state.md.us
Who is your doctor in Maryland?
- Who chooses
- You choose
In Maryland you can choose your own doctor. The claim law refers to a doctor 'chosen by the covered employee', and if a doctor you chose treated you, you file that doctor's report with your claim. Your employer or its insurer pays for covered doctor visits and treatment. The employer or insurer may also send you to a doctor it picks for an exam.
If you and the employer or insurer disagree about medical treatment, you can raise the issue with the Commission by filing an Issues form, and a commissioner decides it at a hearing.
Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. §§ 9-660, 9-709(a)(1)(ii); Maryland case law (Department of Legislative Services, Fiscal and Policy Note, SB 250, 2006)
Source: wcc.state.md.us
Who is covered in Maryland
- Size of employer
With few exceptions, every Maryland employer with one or more employees, full-time or part-time, must have workers' compensation coverage. Workers are presumed to be covered employees unless the employer proves otherwise.
- Special rules
- Domestic workers in a private home: Covered for a household if you earn at least $1,000 in cash from that household in a calendar quarter.
- Farm workers: Farm workers (including migrant farm workers) are covered if the farmer has at least 3 full-time employees or an annual payroll of at least $15,000 for full-time employees.
- Not covered
- Sole proprietors and partners, unless they elect coverage
- Licensed real estate salespersons and associate brokers paid only by commission under a written agreement who are independent contractors for tax purposes
- Domestic workers earning less than $1,000 in cash in a quarter from the household (unless they elect coverage)
- Volunteer workers for local government units in some counties
- Workers covered by a federal compensation law instead
- Contractors
You are presumed to be a covered employee if you work for someone under a contract of hire. To avoid coverage, the employer must prove you are an independent contractor under the common law or fall under a specific exemption. A minor is covered even if employed unlawfully.
- If your employer has no insurance
If your employer had no insurance, you can still file a claim with the Commission; the Uninsured Employers' Fund can be made a party. If the employer does not pay an award within 30 days, the award can be paid from the Uninsured Employers' Fund.
Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. §§ 9-202, 9-209, 9-210, 9-222, 9-223, 9-227, 9-1002
Source: wcc.state.md.us
If your claim is denied or delayed in Maryland
- First step
If you get no benefits, or not the benefits you believe you are owed, ask for a hearing before the Commission by filing an Issues form listing the questions in dispute.
Fired or punished for filing in Maryland
An employer may not fire you solely because you filed a workers' compensation claim.
- The law
- Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 9-1105
- What you may get
A violation is a criminal misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 1 year in jail, or both. The statute does not itself set out back pay or reinstatement.
- Where to file
The statute is enforced as a criminal offense; it does not set up a complaint process with the Commission.
Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 9-1105
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov
Lawyers' fees and other benefits in Maryland
You may hire a lawyer or represent yourself. A fee for legal services in a workers' compensation claim needs the Commission's approval; the Commission sets the fee, which is deducted from your award and paid separately by the employer or insurer to the attorney. Do not pay anyone else to help with your claim.
Maryland workers' compensation also pays medical care, temporary partial disability (50% of lost earning capacity), permanent partial and permanent total disability, serious disability benefits, vocational rehabilitation, death benefits and funeral expenses.
Free help in Maryland
State agency
Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission
- Phone
- 1-800-492-0479
- Address
- 10 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21202-1641
Free help
Good to know in Maryland
- Maryland's claim filing period is short: file with the Commission within 60 days after the accident; after 2 years a claim is completely barred.
- The Commission does not accept claim forms, documents or claim information by fax or e-mail.
- The employer or insurer must repay you for wages lost while attending an exam it requested.
Changes in 2024–2026
The maximum weekly benefit rose to $1,537 for 2026 injuries (from $1,456 in 2024 and $1,493 in 2025).
Questions about workers' comp in Maryland
How long do I have to tell my employer about a work injury in Maryland?
Report the accident to your employer immediately. The law requires notice, spoken or written, within 10 days after an accidental injury.
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Maryland?
File your claim with the Commission within 60 days after the accident. The Commission may excuse a late claim if the employer or insurer was not harmed by the delay or there was another sufficient reason.
How much does workers' comp pay in Maryland?
Temporary total disability (TTD) benefits can pay two-thirds of your gross (before-tax) wages, up to $1,537 a week in 2026.
Can I choose my own doctor for a work injury in Maryland?
In Maryland you can choose your own doctor. The claim law refers to a doctor 'chosen by the covered employee', and if a doctor you chose treated you, you file that doctor's report with your claim.
Can my employer fire me for filing a workers' comp claim in Maryland?
An employer may not fire you solely because you filed a workers' compensation claim.
What if my workers' comp claim is denied in Maryland?
If you get no benefits, or not the benefits you believe you are owed, ask for a hearing before the Commission by filing an Issues form listing the questions in dispute.
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
- WCC: FAQ for Employees
- WCC: FAQs about Maryland Workers' Compensation Law
- WCC: Workers' Compensation Rates (2026)
- WCC: Benefits
- WCC: General FAQ (hearings, appeals)
- WCC: Claim form instructions
- WCC: Forms
- Md. Code, Labor & Employment Title 9 (mgaleg.maryland.gov), e.g. § 9-709
- Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 9-621