Missing work due to an injury disrupts your life and threatens your financial stability. Illinois workers’ compensation provides temporary total disability (TTD) benefits to replace lost wages while you recover. Knowing how the state calculates these payments ensures you receive every dollar you deserve under the law.
Calculating your average weekly wage
Calculating your average weekly wage (AWW) forms the foundation of your entire disability claim. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission determines this figure by taking your total earnings from the employer over the 52 weeks prior to the injury and dividing that sum by 52.
Certain factors directly impact this baseline calculation:
- Gross earnings before tax deductions
- Overtime pay if you worked required overtime regularly
- Earnings from a second job if your primary employer knew about the employment
- Time lost from work due to prior unpaid leave or illness
Taking steps to compile accurate pay stubs and tax records guarantees that all income sources factor into the final wage calculation. Leaving out secondary job earnings or regular overtime hours lowers your baseline wage and permanently reduces your weekly checks.
Determining your final TTD payout
After your average weekly wage is set, the TTD payment can be calculated. In Illinois, TTD benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage.
For example, if your average weekly wage is $1,200, your TTD payment would be about $800 per week.
Illinois also has minimum and maximum TTD rates. These rates can change every six months based on the state’s average weekly wage. As a result, a worker with high earnings may receive less than two-thirds of their actual weekly wage because of the maximum rate.
Workers with lower wages may receive the minimum payment set by state law. TTD payments generally continue while the worker remains unable to return to work because of the injury, subject to Illinois workers’ compensation rules.
Protecting your financial recovery
TTD payments can play an important role when an injury keeps you from working. Reviewing your pay records and weekly benefit checks can help identify possible errors in the wage calculation.
Getting legal help with a workers’ compensation claim may also help you check whether the insurance company used the right wage amount and benefit rate.
