In California, workers' compensation wage-replacement benefits are established under the California Labor Code (Cal. Lab. Code § 4453 and § 4650) and regulated by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), Division of Workers' Compensation.

When an employee is temporarily unable to work following an industrial injury, they receive Temporary Total Disability (TTD) payments. Under California Labor Code § 4453, TTD benefits equal two-thirds (66.67%) of the employee's average weekly earnings at the time of injury, subject to statutory limits.

For injuries occurring in 2024, the maximum weekly TTD benefit is $1,619.15, and the minimum weekly benefit is $242.86. California applies a 3-day waiting period before disability indemnity begins. If temporary disability lasts beyond 14 calendar days or requires inpatient hospitalization, payments become retroactive to the first day of disability.

Under California Labor Code § 4656, temporary disability indemnity is capped at an aggregate maximum of 104 weeks within a period of 5 years from the date of injury for most conditions (certain catastrophic conditions like severe burns or amputations may qualify for up to 240 weeks).

Once recovery stabilizes at Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) or permanent and stationary status, any lasting impairment is evaluated as Permanent Partial Disability (PPD). In California, permanent disability is governed by the 2005 Permanent Disability Rating Schedule (PDRS), which adjusts physician impairment ratings using occupational variant group codes (groups 110–590), age adjustments (-5 to +5), and apportionment to non-industrial causes under Cal. Lab. Code § 4660.1.

Important Limitations: This calculator estimates temporary wage replacement (TTD). Because California permanent disability ratings require complex occupational variant and apportionment tables, permanent disability is not modeled as a simple multiplication. The calculator does not predict Compromise and Release (C&R) or Stipulated Award settlement values.