Workers' comp weekly benefit in South Dakota: how much it pays

Temporary total disability pays two-thirds of your average weekly earnings. Pay is up to $1,152 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 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 South Dakota

Maximum: $1,152 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
Minimum: $576 a week (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
Minimum rule: The minimum is $576 a week (for injuries from July 1, 2026), but if you earned less than $576 a week, your benefit cannot be more than 100% of your take-home pay (your earnings after federal and state income tax and Social Security/Medicare deductions).
Applies to: Injuries from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 (the state average weekly wage set each June applies to injuries in the fiscal year starting July 1)
How your wages are figured: Benefits are based on your average weekly wage. Overtime is counted only at the straight-time rate.
How long it can last: Temporary total disability continues while your medical practitioner keeps you from working, until you can return to work or your condition stops improving.

Temporary total disability pays two-thirds of your average weekly earnings. For injuries from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the most you can get is $1,152 a week and the least is $576 a week, except that a lower-paid worker cannot get more than 100% of their after-tax earnings. The limits change every July 1, and the rate for your injury date applies for as long as benefits are paid.

Law: SDCL §§ 62-4-3, 62-4-3.1

Source: dlr.sd.gov

Changes in 2024–2026

For injuries from July 1, 2026 the weekly minimum is $576 and the maximum $1,152; the permanent total disability cost-of-living increase effective July 1, 2026 is 2.5%.

Source: DLR rates page

Benefit estimate calculator

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

Sources

The official sources for South Dakota are listed on the South Dakota 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.