Updated July 2, 2026
How much does workers comp pay each week in 2026?
Most states pay a weekly workers comp benefit equal to about two-thirds of a worker's average weekly wage, subject to a state-set maximum and, in some states, a minimum. That two-thirds figure is the model this site's calculators use by default. It is not a single national number: the five states verified below range from a $1,222.42 weekly maximum in New York to $1,764.11 in California for 2026, a spread of more than 40%. Because the gap is this wide, treat any number that does not name a state and a source as a rough placeholder, not a fact you can act on.
| State | Max weekly benefit | Min weekly benefit | Effective period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $1,764.11 | $264.61 | Jan 1, 2026 onward | CA Dept. of Industrial Relations, Nov 21, 2025 |
| New York | $1,222.42 | n/a | Jul 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026 | NY Workers' Compensation Board |
| Texas | $1,271.00 | $191.00 | Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026 | TX Dept. of Insurance, Div. of Workers' Comp |
| Florida | $1,358.00 | $20.00 | Jan 1, 2026 onward | FL CFO, Div. of Workers' Compensation |
| Pennsylvania | $1,394.00 | n/a | Jan 1, 2026 onward | PA Dept. of Labor and Industry |
This sample includes only states where we could verify the current maximum (and minimum, where the state publishes one) directly against that state's own workers compensation agency this session, on July 2, 2026. Each row cites the agency and the date of the source document. We did not include every state: a state is left off this table, not estimated, when we could not confirm a 2026 figure against a primary source in the time available. We will expand the sample in future updates rather than fill gaps with unsourced numbers.
The calculators on this site (Settlement, Lost Wages, Weekly Benefit, and Disability Rating) use a generic two-thirds-of-wage model with an illustrative $1,200 weekly cap as their default constant. That constant is the site's own placeholder for a "typical" state cap, not any single state's actual maximum. Enter your own state's verified maximum from the table above into the wage field to get closer to your state's real number, or ask a claims adjuster or attorney for your state's current published rate.
Why the same injury pays differently by state
Two workers with an identical injury and an identical paycheck can receive very different weekly checks depending on which state they were hurt in. The two-thirds rate is common, but the maximum that caps it is not: it moves with each state's own average weekly wage and its own update schedule, which is why New York and California, both high-cost states, still land more than $500 apart on their weekly ceiling. See Workers Comp by State for the fuller state-by-state discussion and how workers comp benefits are calculated for the underlying formula.
Run your own numbers
Use the state maximum closest to your situation as the wage cap in the calculator, then compare against the adjuster's number.