On July 1, 2026, the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation raised the maximum weekly benefit rates that injured workers can receive. These Missouri workers' compensation rates for 2026 are tied to the statewide average weekly wage (SAWW), and they reset every July 1. If you were hurt on the job in Missouri, the date of your injury decides which rate applies — so the new numbers matter the moment they take effect.
Before entering private practice, attorney Chris Miller worked inside the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation. Below is a plain-English breakdown of the new benefit rates, how Missouri sets them, and what they mean for your weekly check. No fee unless we win.
The New 2026 Missouri Workers' Comp Rates
For work injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2026 (through June 30, 2027), the maximum weekly workers' compensation benefits in Missouri are:
Temporary Total Disability
$1,294.71 / week — 105% of the SAWW, under RSMo § 287.170. Up from $1,280.84.
Permanent Total Disability
$1,294.71 / week — 105% of the SAWW, under RSMo § 287.200.
Permanent Partial Disability
$678.18 / week — 55% of the SAWW, under RSMo § 287.190. Up from $670.92.
Death Benefits
$1,294.71 / week — 105% of the SAWW, under RSMo § 287.240.
The mileage reimbursement rate for travel to authorized medical treatment rose to 69.5 cents per mile. Three fixed limits did not change: the burial benefit remains $5,000, the minimum weekly rate stays $40.00, and disfigurement is capped at 40 weeks. You can confirm the current figures on the Division's Disability Schedule and Benefit Limits (WC-110).
How Much Did the Rates Go Up?
Compared with the prior period (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026), the maximums rose by about 1.1%. Temporary total and permanent total disability climbed from $1,280.84 to $1,294.71 per week, permanent partial disability rose from $670.92 to $678.18, and the mileage rate increased from 67.0 to 69.5 cents. The increase reflects growth in the statewide average weekly wage, which now sits near $1,233.06.
How Missouri Sets Workers' Compensation Rates
Missouri law ties these rates to the SAWW — a figure the Missouri Department of Labor calculates each year from statewide wage data. Temporary total disability and permanent total disability are capped at 105% of the SAWW, while permanent partial disability is capped at 55%.
Because the SAWW is a statewide number, these caps are the same everywhere in Missouri. They are not set by an insurance company, by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, or by your employer. You can read more on our Missouri workers' comp rates page.
Date of injury controls. The rate in effect on the day you were hurt applies for the life of your claim. An injury in June 2026 uses the old maximums; an injury on or after July 1, 2026 uses the new ones — even though the insurance company would often prefer the lower figure.
How Your Actual Weekly Rate Is Calculated
The maximums are ceilings, not the amount most workers receive. Your weekly temporary total disability benefit is generally two-thirds (66⅔%) of your average weekly wage before the injury, up to the maximum. Because these benefits are not taxed, the take-home amount is often closer to your normal pay than the percentage suggests.
Permanent partial disability works differently: it is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, capped at the lower PPD maximum of $678.18, and paid for a set number of weeks based on the body part injured and your disability rating. Getting the average weekly wage and the rating right is where a lot of money is won or lost, and it is one of the most common places insurers underpay.
Is the insurance company using the right rate?
Before private practice, Chris Miller was a government attorney at the Missouri Department of Labor and administered the Division of Workers' Compensation — the state agency behind these benefits. He knows how the numbers are supposed to work, and he checks them for injured workers. No fee unless we win. Free consultation.
Talk to Chris Miller →Workers' Comp Rates vs. Insurance Premiums
The phrase "workers' compensation rates" means two different things. For employers, it refers to workers' comp insurance premiums — what a business pays a carrier for coverage, driven by class codes, payroll, and claims history. For injured workers, it means the weekly benefit rate paid while you recover.
This article is about the second kind. Missouri sets those benefit maximums by statute, so no insurance company or employer gets to negotiate the cap that applies to your claim.
The Three-Day Waiting Period
Wage-replacement benefits do not begin on day one. Under RSMo § 287.160, there is a three-day waiting period before temporary total disability starts, and if your disability lasts longer than 14 days, those first three days become payable retroactively. We break this down in detail in our guide to Missouri's workers' comp waiting period.
A Quick Example
Say a Columbia warehouse worker earning $1,050 a week is injured and cannot work. Two-thirds of $1,050 is $700 — below the 2026 maximum of $1,294.71 — so the weekly benefit is $700, not the cap.
Now say a specialized tradesperson earning $2,400 a week is hurt. Two-thirds would be $1,600, but the 2026 maximum limits the weekly benefit to $1,294.71. Higher earners routinely bump into the cap, which is exactly why the annual increase matters to them.
The Missouri Disability Schedule
Permanent partial disability is paid using a statutory schedule that assigns a number of weeks to each body part — the "body as a whole" at 400 weeks, a hand at 175 weeks, an arm at 232 weeks, a foot at 150 weeks, loss of one eye at 140 weeks, and total loss of hearing in both ears at 180 weeks. When a member is completely lost, the scheduled weeks increase by ten percent.
Your disability rating — a percentage of the affected body part — is multiplied by those weeks and by your PPD rate to calculate the award. Because both the rating and the average weekly wage drive the result, small errors translate into large dollar differences.
What the New Rates Do Not Change
The 2026 update changes the dollar figures, not your underlying rights. Missouri workers' compensation still owes you full medical treatment and benefits for a work injury at no cost to you, wage-replacement while you cannot work, compensation for permanent disability, and death benefits for your family in the worst cases. Workers' comp is a no-fault system — you do not have to prove your employer did anything wrong to receive benefits.
Deadlines Still Apply
New rates do not extend the deadlines. Missouri law requires written notice of your injury to your employer within 30 days, and a formal claim for compensation must generally be filed within two years. Missing either deadline can end an otherwise valid claim.
Deadline: Report your work injury to your employer in writing within 30 days, and file a claim within two years. Missouri law also protects you from retaliation — an employer cannot fire you for filing a workers' comp claim.
If you are receiving weekly checks, it is worth confirming the insurance company is using the correct 2026 rate and the correct average weekly wage. If your claim involves permanent disability, the stakes are higher and the math is more complex. A Missouri workers' compensation attorney can review your wage records and recalculate what you are owed.
Hurt on the job anywhere in central Missouri — Columbia, Jefferson City, or the surrounding counties? Contact Bur Oak Injury Law for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win, and it is always free to ask.