Proud To Protect Injured Workers

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Proud To Protect Injured Workers

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How do you calculate compensation for lost wages?

On Behalf of | Oct 3, 2022 | Workers' Compensation |

Minnesota has strong workers’ compensation laws. According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, all employers must provide coverage for their employees, with very few exceptions. However, you might wonder what you get out of your insurance.

Continue reading to learn about how workers’ compensation covers lost wages. The maximum amount you can receive is $1,312.74 per week, while the minimum is $262.55, according to the Department of Labor and Industry.

Full-time employment

The calculation is much more straightforward if you work full-time on a regular schedule. The insurance bases your compensation on your average weekly wage. The calculation comes from your previous 26 weeks of work before the injury. For temporary total disability payments, you can expect to receive two-thirds of your average weekly wage. If your injury causes you to earn a lower salary, workers’ compensation covers two-thirds of the difference between your former and current salary.

Part-time and irregular employment

Part-time workers have a slightly more difficult calculation for their compensation. If you are part-time with regular employment schedules, add your total days worked, multiply that by your wage, and divide that number by the total weeks worked.

You must add up your earnings in the previous 26 weeks for irregular employment. Then divide this number by the number of days you performed your workplace duties. This gets you an average daily wage, which determines your weekly salary. Part-time workers with regular and irregular schedules still earn two-thirds of their average weekly wage for partial and total disability.

You can estimate your compensation for lost wages after an injury with a few simple calculations. If you work at a dangerous job site, it might be beneficial to calculate this before you need workers’ compensation.