Returning to lighter, lower-paid work while you recover? Estimate the temporary partial disability benefit that may make up part of the difference.
Enter your weekly wages for an instant estimate. Nothing is stored.
Sometimes a work injury doesn't keep you off the job entirely — instead, your doctor releases you to "light duty" with restrictions, and you go back to work in a role that pays less or offers fewer hours than your old position. When that happens, you've lost part of your earning power, and workers' compensation may make up a portion of the gap. This benefit is commonly called temporary partial disability, or TPD.
The math is usually straightforward in concept:
Start with what you earned before the injury (your average weekly wage) and subtract what you're earning now on light duty. The difference is your weekly wage loss.
Most states replace about two-thirds of that lost wage, mirroring the two-thirds rate used for total disability. So if you're losing $300 a week, a representative benefit would be around $200 a week.
States set a maximum weekly benefit and a limit on how many weeks partial-disability payments can continue. Those limits — and the exact fraction used — vary, which is why two workers with the same wage loss can receive different amounts in different states.
It's a workers' comp benefit for when you can work but earn less than before because of your injury — for example, on light duty or reduced hours. It typically pays a fraction of the difference between your old and new wages.
Workers' comp generally replaces about two-thirds of lost wages rather than the full amount, since benefits are usually not taxed. The exact fraction is set by state law and can differ from the representative ⅔ used here.
It's typically an average of your earnings over a set period before the injury, and may include overtime and certain other pay. How it's calculated varies by state, so the figure used for your benefits may differ from a simple paycheck amount.
Partial-disability benefits generally continue while you remain on reduced earnings due to the injury, up to a maximum number of weeks set by your state. Once you return to your full wage or hit the cap, the benefit usually ends.
This calculator provides a general, simplified estimate for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not reflect any specific state's workers' compensation rules. No attorney-client relationship is formed by using this tool.
FirmLift Interactive Tool · Demonstration