Disclaimer: 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 your state.
Wisconsin Workers’ Comp Weekly Benefit Calculator: The Complete 2025 Guide
Quick Answer: In Wisconsin, workers’ comp pays 66.67% of your Average Weekly Wage (AWW), up to the current state maximum of $1,383 per week (based on the 2025 State Average Weekly Wage). If your AWW is $1,000, your weekly benefit is $666.70. If your AWW exceeds $2,075, you hit the cap at $1,383. Your benefit is calculated under Wis. Stat. § 102.11 and governed by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
📌 From Shane: Surviving on 66.67% of Your Income
I remember the exact moment I did the math. I was sitting at my kitchen table two weeks after my injury, staring at my first workers’ comp check, and the number on it made my stomach drop. I’d been making decent money. Sixty-six percent of that was not the same story.
Nobody warns you. You assume the system catches you. It doesn’t fully catch you — it partially catches you while you scramble to fill the gap.
Here’s what I wish someone had told me on day one: that 33% gap is real and it compounds fast. Your mortgage doesn’t care about your claim number. Your car payment doesn’t know you’re in physical therapy. Budget for the actual check you’re receiving, not the income you’re used to. Cut immediately, not eventually.
The other thing nobody tells you: your employer might be calculating your AWW wrong. In my experience talking to hundreds of injured workers, undercalculation of AWW is one of the most common and costly mistakes in the system — and it’s almost never caught unless you do the math yourself. This guide gives you the tools to do exactly that.
The Exact Formula: How Wisconsin Calculates Your Weekly Benefit
Wisconsin uses a two-step calculation under Wis. Stat. § 102.11(1):
Step 1: Calculate Your Average Weekly Wage (AWW)
Step 2: Multiply AWW × 66.67%, subject to the maximum and minimum
Defining Average Weekly Wage in Wisconsin
Your AWW is calculated using your earnings during the 52 weeks immediately preceding your injury, then dividing total wages by 52.
Formula:
AWW = Total Gross Wages (Prior 52 Weeks) ÷ 52
Weekly Benefit = AWW × 0.6667
What Gets Included in AWW — and What Doesn’t
| Wage Type | Included in AWW? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regular hourly wages | ✅ Yes | Full gross amount |
| Overtime pay | ✅ Yes | Full gross included per DWD guidance |
| Shift differentials | ✅ Yes | Part of gross wages |
| Bonuses (regular/recurring) | ✅ Yes | If regular and expected |
| Bonuses (discretionary/one-time) | ⚠️ Disputed | Often excluded; depends on facts |
| Second job wages | ✅ Yes | If employer knew about second job OR both jobs caused injury exposure |
| Tips (reported) | ✅ Yes | Must be reported income |
| Seasonal gaps (less than 52 weeks worked) | ⚠️ Adjusted | Divide by weeks actually worked, not 52 |
| Vacation/holiday pay | ✅ Yes | Included if part of compensation |
| Health insurance premiums (employer paid) | ❌ No | Fringe benefits excluded |
Pre-Calculated Benefit Table: Wisconsin 2025
The table below shows your weekly benefit at the standard 66.67% rate, capped at the $1,383 maximum for 2025. Find your approximate AWW in the left column.
| Average Weekly Wage | Weekly Benefit (66.67%) | Annual Benefit (×52) |
|---|---|---|
| $300 | $200.01 | $10,400.52 |
| $400 | $266.68 | $13,867.36 |
| $500 | $333.35 | $17,334.20 |
| $600 | $400.02 | $20,801.04 |
| $700 | $466.69 | $24,267.88 |
| $800 | $533.36 | $27,734.72 |
| $900 | $600.03 | $31,201.56 |
| $1,000 | $666.70 | $34,668.40 |
| $1,100 | $733.37 | $38,135.24 |
| $1,200 | $800.04 | $41,602.08 |
| $1,300 | $866.71 | $45,068.92 |
| $1,400 | $933.38 | $48,535.76 |
| $1,500 | $1,000.05 | $52,002.60 |
| $1,600 | $1,066.72 | $55,469.44 |
| $1,700 | $1,133.39 | $58,936.28 |
| $1,800 | $1,200.06 | $62,403.12 |
| $1,900 | $1,266.73 | $65,869.96 |
| $2,000 | $1,333.40 | $69,336.80 |
| $2,075 | $1,383.00 ⬅ CAP | $71,916.00 |
| $2,100 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,200 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,300 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,400 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,500 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,600 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,700 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,800 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $2,900 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
| $3,000 | $1,383.00 (capped) | $71,916.00 |
Source: Wisconsin DWD, State Average Weekly Wage 2025 ($1,383). Maximum TTD benefit equals 100% of SAWW per Wis. Stat. § 102.11(1)(am). Minimum weekly benefit is $30 or your actual AWW if lower.
What the Law Says vs. What Actually Happens
The Law Says: Use All 52 Weeks of Gross Wages
What actually happens: Insurance adjusters routinely use only your base hourly rate × 40 hours, completely ignoring overtime that you worked consistently for 18 months straight. This is one of the most common AWW suppression tactics I’ve documented talking to injured workers.
The Law Says: Include Wages from a Second Job (If the Employer Had Knowledge)
What actually happens: Adjusters almost never ask about secondary employment. If you worked a second job and your employer knew, or if the work at both jobs contributed to the repetitive stress injury, those wages belong in your AWW. You have to raise this yourself.
The Law Says: If You Worked Less Than 52 Weeks, Divide by Weeks Worked
What actually happens: New employees who were injured after 6 months often have their AWW calculated by dividing their total wages by 52 anyway — artificially lowering the number by nearly half.
How to Catch It
- Get your pay stubs for the 52 weeks before your injury. Add up every line of gross pay.
- Divide by 52 (or weeks actually worked if under one year).
- Multiply by 0.6667.
- Compare to what the insurer sent you in writing.
If those numbers don’t match within a few dollars, request the insurer’s AWW calculation worksheet in writing. They are required to provide it.
Real Case Example: Fluctuating Hours and Overtime
Worker Profile: Maria, a manufacturing line worker in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Injured January 15, 2025.
Her earnings, prior 52 weeks:
– Regular wages: $42,000
– Overtime (consistent weekly overtime, averaged 8 hrs/week at 1.5×): $9,600
– Shift differential: $1,200
– Total gross wages: $52,800
Correct AWW Calculation:
$52,800 ÷ 52 weeks = $1,015.38 AWW
$1,015.38 × 0.6667 = $676.96 weekly benefit
What the insurer initially calculated:
The insurer used only her base hourly rate ($20/hr × 40 hrs/week = $800 AWW) and ignored overtime and shift differential entirely.
$800 × 0.6667 = $533.36 weekly benefit (insurer's number)
The gap: $676.96 − $533.36 = $143.60 per week underpaid.
Over a 12-week recovery, that’s $1,723.20 in lost benefits — money Maria would never have recovered if she hadn’t run her own calculation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does workers’ comp in Wisconsin cover partial disability at the same 66.67% rate?
A: No — and this distinction matters enormously. Wisconsin has two separate benefit tracks. Temporary Total Disability (TTD) pays 66.67% of your AWW when you cannot work at all. Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) applies when you return to work at reduced hours or reduced pay due to restrictions. TPD pays 66.67% of the difference between your pre-injury AWW and your current reduced wage. For example: if your AWW was $1,000 and you’re now earning $600 per week in a light-duty position, your TPD benefit is 66.67% × ($1,000 − $600) = $266.68/week. The insurer pays that amount in addition to your reduced wages. Insurers frequently misapply this formula by using your current light-duty hours at your pre-injury rate rather than your actual current earnings. Always verify the calculation using your actual paystubs from the light-duty period, not theoretical numbers.
Q: What is the waiting period before my weekly benefits start in Wisconsin?
A: Wisconsin imposes a 3-day waiting period under Wis. Stat. § 102.43(2). You do not receive TTD benefits for the first three calendar days of disability unless your disability extends beyond 7 days. If you are disabled for 8 or more days, the insurer must retroactively pay benefits back to day one, including those first three days. This retroactive obligation is frequently not honored voluntarily — many injured workers never receive that first-week back-payment because they don’t know to ask. If your disability lasted more than 7 days, request written confirmation from the insurer that the waiting period was waived and those first three days were included in your payment. The insurer has 14 days from the employer’s notice of injury to begin payments or file a denial under Wis. Admin. Code § DWD 80.02.
Q: How does working a second job affect my Wisconsin workers’ comp benefit?
A: Under Wisconsin law, wages from concurrent employment may be included in your AWW calculation, but the rules are specific. If your primary employer knew you held a second job at the time of injury, those wages can be included. Additionally, if the injury itself resulted from or was substantially aggravated by the physical demands of both jobs combined — common in repetitive motion and cumulative trauma cases — both wage streams may be included regardless of employer knowledge. The burden is on you to document and present this claim. Bring your secondary employer’s pay records, a written statement about your job duties at both positions, and any evidence that your employer was aware. This argument is most powerful in repetitive stress, hearing loss, and occupational disease claims where the cumulative exposure across jobs matters.
Q: Can Wisconsin workers’ comp reduce my benefits if I receive Social Security Disability?
A: Yes. Wisconsin allows an offset when a worker receives both TTD/TPD workers’ comp benefits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Under Wis. Stat. § 102.44(5), your combined workers’ comp and SSDI payments cannot exceed 80% of your pre-injury AWW. If they do, the workers’ comp insurer can reduce your weekly benefit by the excess amount. This offset does not apply to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), only SSDI. It also does not apply to permanent disability payments in all circumstances. If you are approaching or receiving SSDI while on workers’ comp, notify your attorney immediately — the coordination of these two benefit streams is complex and the calculation errors can run thousands of dollars in either direction. Social Security itself has a parallel offset provision under 42 U.S.C. § 424a, which
More Wisconsin Workers Comp Resources
See Also
- Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation: The Complete 2026 Reference Guide
- Wisconsin Workers’ Comp Guide for Plumbers: Benefits, Rights & How to Fight Back
- Wisconsin Workers’ Comp for Roofers: The Complete Guide (2026)
- Wisconsin Workers’ Comp for HVAC Technicians: The Complete Guide
- How Long Can You Receive Workers’ Comp Benefits in Wisconsin? (Complete Duration Guide)
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