Missouri Workers’ Comp Weekly Benefit Calculator (2026)
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. I am not a lawyer. Consult a licensed workers’ comp attorney in Missouri before making decisions about your claim.
Quick Answer
In Missouri, workers’ comp pays 66.67% of your average weekly wage (AWW), up to the current state maximum — which equals Missouri’s State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW), approximately $1,082.69 per week for 2025 injuries (updated annually by the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation). Your AWW is calculated using your actual gross wages from the 13 weeks immediately before your injury. If you earned $900/week, your benefit is approximately $600/week. If your AWW exceeds the SAWW cap, your weekly check is capped regardless.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 287.250; Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation, 2024 SAWW Notice.
From Shane: Surviving on 66.67% of Your Income
I remember sitting at my kitchen table three weeks after my injury, staring at my first workers’ comp check. It was smaller than I expected — and I thought I understood the math. The reality of living on two-thirds of your normal income hits differently when the bills don’t shrink alongside your paycheck.
Here is what I wish someone had told me immediately:
- Verify every calculation yourself. Adjusters aren’t infallible. The AWW errors I’ve seen documented in Missouri cases are almost always in the employer’s favor, not yours.
- Budget as if it’s permanent. Even if your claim resolves in four months, plan for the full duration. Missouri temporary total disability (TTD) can last as long as you’re medically unable to work.
- The cap is a ceiling, not a target. If you’re near the maximum, a $50/week AWW miscalculation costs you $33/week — over $1,700 over a 52-week claim.
- Track every expense. Medical co-pays, mileage, prescriptions — these are reimbursable. Don’t leave money on the table because you didn’t document.
The math in this guide is the math I used to audit my own claim. Use it.
The Exact Calculation Formula
Step 1: Identify Your Look-Back Period
Missouri law requires calculating AWW based on the 13 weeks immediately preceding the date of injury (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 287.250(1)).
AWW Formula:
Total gross wages earned in the 13 weeks before injury ÷ 13 = Average Weekly WageWeekly Benefit Formula:
AWW × 0.6667 = Weekly Workers’ Comp Benefit (capped at the SAWW)
Step 2: What Counts as “Wages”
Missouri includes the following in your AWW calculation:
| Wage Component | Included in AWW? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regular hourly wages | ✅ Yes | All gross pay |
| Overtime pay | ✅ Yes | Full overtime amount included |
| Bonuses (regularly paid) | ✅ Yes | If they are a regular, expected part of compensation |
| Bonuses (discretionary/one-time) | ⚠️ Disputed | May or may not be included — an attorney can argue this |
| Tips (reported) | ✅ Yes | Must be documented and reported to employer |
| Second job wages (concurrent) | ✅ Yes | If employer knew or reasonably should have known |
| Second job wages (unknown to employer) | ❌ No | Generally excluded per Missouri courts |
| Employer-paid health insurance value | ❌ No | Fringe benefits excluded |
| Vacation/sick pay (paid out in the period) | ✅ Yes | If received as cash wages in the 13-week window |
Sources: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 287.250; Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law, James B. Deutsch (2023 ed.)
Step 3: Apply the Cap
Your benefit cannot exceed the SAWW. As of the most recent published figure, Missouri’s SAWW is $1,082.69/week (2024 data, applicable to many 2025 injury dates). The SAWW is recalculated annually. Always verify the current SAWW at the Missouri Department of Labor’s official website (labor.mo.gov) for your specific injury date.
Pre-Calculated Missouri Workers’ Comp Benefit Table
Calculated at 66.67% of AWW. Benefits exceeding the SAWW cap ($1,082.69) are capped. Verify the current SAWW for your injury date.
| Gross Weekly Wage | 66.67% Benefit | Capped? |
|---|---|---|
| $300 | $200.01 | No |
| $400 | $266.68 | No |
| $500 | $333.35 | No |
| $600 | $400.02 | No |
| $700 | $466.69 | No |
| $800 | $533.36 | No |
| $900 | $600.03 | No |
| $1,000 | $666.70 | No |
| $1,100 | $733.37 | No |
| $1,200 | $800.04 | No |
| $1,300 | $866.71 | No |
| $1,400 | $933.38 | No |
| $1,500 | $1,000.05 | No |
| $1,600 | $1,066.72 | No |
| $1,623 | $1,082.05 | Approaching cap |
| $1,700 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $1,800 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $1,900 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $2,000 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $2,200 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $2,400 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $2,600 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $2,800 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
| $3,000 | $1,082.69 | ✅ Capped |
⚠️ Note: These figures use the 2024 published SAWW. If your injury date is in 2026, confirm the updated SAWW at labor.mo.gov before relying on this table.
What the Law Says vs. What Actually Happens
The Law Says…
Every employer or insurer must calculate your AWW precisely using your actual earnings in the 13 weeks before injury, including overtime and all regular compensation.
What Actually Happens
Here are the four most common AWW errors I’ve documented from Missouri claim reviews and attorney case notes:
1. Excluding overtime weeks.
Adjusters sometimes average only “base” weeks, stripping high-overtime weeks from the calculation. This is illegal. All 13 weeks count, regardless of how much overtime was worked.
2. Using only 12 weeks (or fewer) when data is “unavailable.”
If you worked fewer than 13 weeks, Missouri law says the AWW is computed using a similarly situated employee’s wages. Adjusters sometimes simply divide by fewer weeks, which can artificially deflate your AWW.
3. Ignoring a second job the employer knew about.
If your employer was aware of your second job — through tax documents, conversations, or scheduling accommodations — those wages may be includable. Adjusters rarely volunteer this.
4. Using net (after-tax) wages instead of gross wages.
Your AWW is always based on gross wages. Using take-home pay is a clear miscalculation that significantly reduces your benefit.
How to Catch It: Pull your pay stubs for the 13 weeks before your injury date. Add up every dollar of gross pay. Divide by 13. Multiply by 0.6667. Compare to what you’re receiving. If the numbers don’t match within a few dollars, demand a written AWW calculation from your adjuster.
Real Case Example: Fluctuating Hours and Overtime
Worker profile: Marcus, a warehouse supervisor in St. Louis, injured his back on a Friday in March.
His 13-week gross wages:
| Week | Gross Pay |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–5 (standard, 40 hrs) | $850 × 5 = $4,250 |
| Weeks 6–9 (mandatory OT, ~50 hrs) | $1,180 × 4 = $4,720 |
| Weeks 10–12 (back to 40 hrs) | $850 × 3 = $2,550 |
| Week 13 (partial week, injury) | $425 |
| Total | $11,945 |
Correct AWW Calculation:
$11,945 ÷ 13 = $919.62 AWW
Correct Weekly Benefit:
$919.62 × 0.6667 = $613.12/week
What the adjuster initially calculated:
The adjuster excluded the four high-overtime weeks, treating them as “anomalous.” She averaged only the nine standard weeks: ($4,250 + $2,550 + $425) ÷ 9 = $803.89 AWW → $535.93/week.
The difference: $613.12 − $535.93 = $77.19/week underpayment. Over a 26-week TTD period, that’s $2,006.94 Marcus should have received but didn’t — until his attorney corrected the record.
This is not hypothetical. This pattern is documented repeatedly in Missouri workers’ comp administrative hearings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if I worked less than 13 weeks for my employer before getting injured?
A: Missouri’s statute (§ 287.250) has a specific fallback provision. If you worked fewer than 13 weeks, your AWW is calculated using the AWW of a similarly situated employee who did work the full 13 weeks in the same job. “Similarly situated” means someone doing the same or comparable work, at the same rate of pay, under the same conditions. If no such comparison employee exists — such as if you were the only person in your role — the court or ALJ looks at a fair estimation of what you would have earned over 13 full weeks. This is a genuine gray area where an attorney adds concrete value: the difference between a generous comparison employee and a minimalist one can be hundreds of dollars per week.
Q: Does Missouri workers’ comp pay benefits on the very first day I’m off work?
A: No. Missouri has a three-day waiting period (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 287.160). You do not receive TTD benefits for the first three calendar days you’re off work unless your disability extends beyond 14 days. If you’re off for 15 days or more, you retroactively receive payment for those first three days. This is a frequently missed entitlement. Many injured workers never receive those retroactive three days simply because no one tells them and they don’t know to ask.
Q: Can my employer fire me for filing a workers’ comp claim in Missouri?
A: Missouri law explicitly prohibits retaliation against an employee for exercising their workers’ comp rights (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 287.780). If you are fired, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against within a timeframe that raises suspicion of retaliation, you may have a separate legal claim entirely apart from your injury claim. The burden is on you to prove the termination was motivated by the workers’ comp claim — which is a higher bar than many people realize. Document every adverse action, every conversation, and every write-up with dates and witnesses. Retaliatory discharge claims in Missouri can result in damages beyond your workers’ comp benefits, which is why employers take them seriously.
Q: How long can I receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits in Missouri?
A: Missouri does not impose a strict statutory week limit on TTD benefits the way some states do. You receive TTD for as long as you are medically unable to return to any work and your condition has not reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). Once your doctor declares MMI, TTD stops — even if you’re still in pain or not fully healed. At MMI, the claim converts to a permanent disability evaluation. The practical reality is that insurers and employers push for an early MMI declaration because it terminates TTD payments. If you believe your doctor declared MMI prematurely, you have the right to seek an Independent Medical Examination (IME) through the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation.
Q: What is the minimum weekly benefit in Missouri?
A: Missouri does not have a fixed statutory minimum weekly benefit in the same way some states do. The benefit is simply 66.67% of your AWW, meaning very low-wage workers receive very low benefits. There is no floor that guarantees a minimum dollar amount. For context, a worker earning $300/week gross receives approximately $200/week in TTD — below the federal poverty line. This is a significant gap in the system and one reason that low-wage workers in Missouri face severe financial hardship during injury claims. If your benefit is this low, understanding every reimbursable expense (mileage, prescriptions, co-pays) becomes even more critical.
Q: What happens to my workers’ comp if I go back to work part-time?
A: If you return to light duty or part-time work at reduced wages, Missouri shifts you from TTD to Temporary Partial Disability (TPD). Under TPD, you receive 66.67% of the difference between your pre-injury AWW and your current reduced earnings. Example: Pre-injury AWW was $1,000. You now earn $600/week in light duty. Difference = $400. TPD benefit = $400 × 0.6667 = $266.68/week, paid on top of your $600 light-duty wages.
More Missouri Workers Comp Resources
See Also
- Missouri Workers’ Compensation: The Complete 2026 Reference Guide
- Missouri Workers’ Comp for Hotel Workers: Complete 2026 Guide
- Missouri Workers’ Comp for Plumbers: The Complete 2026 Guide
- Missouri Workers’ Comp for Security Guards: The Complete 2026 Guide
- How Long Can You Receive Workers’ Comp Benefits in Missouri? (Complete Guide)
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