DWC announces temporary total disability rates for 2026

The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announces that the 2026 minimum and maximum temporary total disability (TTD) rates will increase on January 1, 2026.  The minimum TTD rate will increase from $252.03 to $264.61, and the maximum TTD rate will increase from $1,680.29 to $1,764.11 per week.

Labor Code Section 4453(a) (10) requires the maximum and minimum weekly earnings upon which TTD is based be increased by an amount equal to percentage increase in the State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) as compared to the prior year.  The SAWW is defined as the average weekly wage paid to employees covered by unemployment insurance as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for California for the 12 months ending March 31 in the year preceding the injury. In the 12 months ending March 31, 2025, the SAWW increased from $1,704 to $1,789 - an increase of 4.98826%.

The calculation of the 2026 SAWW increase is as follows:

• (2025 SAWW – 2024 SAWW)/2024 SAWW
• $1789 - $1704 = 85/1704 = 4.98826%

The calculation of minimum TTD rate for 2026 is as follows:

• Minimum earnings for 2025 x SAWW increase x 2/3 = minimum TTD rate for 2026
• $378.05 x 1.0498826 = $396.91 minimum TTD earnings x 2/3 =$264.61 minimum rate for 2026

The calculation of maximum TTD rate for 2026 is as follows:

Maximum earnings for 2025 x SAWW increase x 2/3 = maximum TTD rate for 2026

• $2520.43 x 1.0498826 = $2,646.16 maximum TTD earnings x 2/3 = $1764.11 maximum rate for 2026

Under Labor Code Section 4659(c), workers with a date of injury on or after January 1, 2003 who are receiving life pension (LP) or permanent total disability (PTD) benefits are also entitled to have their weekly LP or PTD rate adjusted based on the SAWW.

SAWW figures can be verified at U.S. Department of Labor's Unemployment Insurance Data website.  However, due to the recent federal government shutdown, the 1st Quarter Unemployment Insurance Data Summary – which contains the SAWW – has yet to be posted. Questions regarding the SAWW can be sent to DOL's Unemployment Insurance Data Inbox at ui-reports@uis.doleta.gov. Note that information received from Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) figures are subject to revision.  See https://www.bls.gov/cew/revisions/.

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