South Carolina Workers' Comp Pay 2026: Weekly Rate and Limits
South Carolina's Workers' Compensation Commission set its 2026 maximum later than usual. It first certified a figure in December 2025, then issued a corrected notice in January 2026 that applies back to January 1. If you were hurt at work in South Carolina this year, that corrected number, along with a short list of statutory rules, decides your weekly check.
The 2026 weekly rate
South Carolina pays 66⅔% of your average weekly wage for total disability. For injuries arising on or after January 1, 2026, the maximum is $1,189.94 a week, equal to the state average weekly wage the Department of Employment and Workforce certified for July 2024 through June 2025.
The minimum is $75 a week. There is a twist: the $75 floor can't exceed your own average weekly wage, and you can never be paid less than your full wage if it was below $75. In practice the minimum matters only for very part-time workers.
| AWW | Weekly benefit (2026 injury) |
|---|---|
| $60 | $60.00 (full wage) |
| $100 | $75.00 (minimum) |
| $950 | $633.33 |
| $2,000 | $1,189.94 (maximum) |
A worker needs an AWW of about $1,785 to reach the maximum.
How the average weekly wage is set
The AWW is usually based on your gross earnings over the four quarters, about 52 weeks, before the injury, including overtime and the value of certain allowances. Workers with short employment histories can have their AWW calculated from a similar employee's earnings. The insurer reports its calculation on a Form 20, and it is worth checking against your own pay records.
The first week: the 14-day rule
No compensation is paid for the first seven calendar days of disability. If the disability lasts more than 14 days, benefits are paid from the first day.
The difference between 14 and 15 days matters. A worker with a $950 AWW who is out exactly 14 days receives seven days of pay, about $633. Out 15 days, the worker is paid for all 15, about $1,357.
Light duty: temporary partial disability
When you can work but earn less, South Carolina pays 66⅔% of the difference between your AWW and your current earnings, capped at the maximum, for no more than 340 weeks from the date of injury.
For example, a worker averaging $950 who returns to a job paying $600 receives two-thirds of the $350 gap: $233.33 a week.
How long benefits can last
Total disability is limited to 500 weeks, with temporary total weeks counting toward that limit. There are lifetime exceptions for workers who are paraplegic, quadriplegic or have physical brain damage.
Partial disability is limited to 340 weeks. Weeks of total disability do not count against the partial cap.
South Carolina also presumes permanent total disability for the loss, or loss of use, of both hands, arms, shoulders, feet, legs or hips, both eyes, or any two of these, and for the loss of 50% or more of the use of the back unless the employer proves otherwise.
Scheduled injuries and back injuries
After you reach maximum medical improvement, South Carolina compensates permanent losses using a schedule. The loss of a foot is 140 weeks, so a 50% loss is 70 weeks. A back injury with less than 50% loss of use is valued on a 300-week schedule, and 50% or more on 500 weeks. Serious disfigurement of exposed body parts can add up to 50 weeks. These are paid at your weekly rate and are outside this calculator.
When an injury affects more than one body part, the worker can generally choose between a schedule-based award and one based on lost earning capacity, whichever pays more.
What to do in the first two weeks after a South Carolina work injury
The first days after an injury decide how smoothly the rest of the claim goes. Most delays and disputes trace back to something that was missed early, so it helps to work through a short list.
- Get medical care and say it happened at work. Tell the clinic or emergency room that the injury is work-related, so the records and the bill go to workers' comp rather than your health insurance.
- Report the injury to your employer. South Carolina requires notice to your employer within 90 days. Report it in writing, even if you also told a supervisor in person, and keep a copy or a photo of what you sent.
- File the claim. File a Form 50 with the Workers' Compensation Commission within two years of the accident if the claim isn't accepted.
- Ask for the work status note. After each visit, ask the doctor for written work restrictions or an off-work note, and give a copy to your employer. Benefits follow those notes.
- Save your pay records. Gather pay stubs for the period your state uses to set the average weekly wage. You'll need them to check the first payment.
- Write things down. Keep a simple log of calls with the adjuster, dates of appointments and days missed. It takes minutes and settles most later arguments.
If your South Carolina check is late or looks wrong
Start with the numbers. Divide your weekly check by your average weekly wage and compare the result with the formula above. If it is lower than it should be, the usual causes are an average weekly wage that left out overtime or part of the look-back period, the wrong year's rate table, or days counted under the waiting period that should have been paid back.
Then ask the insurer, in writing, for the wage statement and the calculation it used. Most errors are corrected at this stage once you send pay stubs that show the difference. If payments have stopped without a written explanation, or the insurer won't correct a clear mistake, contact the Workers' Compensation Commission's claims department. State agencies run ombudsman or customer-assistance programs for injured workers, and a workers' compensation attorney can review the claim; in most states their fees are limited by law and come out of the benefits recovered rather than being billed up front.
What South Carolina workers ask most
What is the max workers' comp in SC for 2026? $1,189.94 a week for injuries on or after January 1, 2026.
Does the corrected January notice affect me? Yes, if your injury happened in 2026. The January notice replaced the December order and applies to the whole year.
Is there a minimum? $75 a week, but never more than your own wage.
Are benefits taxable? No. Workers' compensation is excluded from federal income tax, and South Carolina generally follows that treatment.
Run the numbers
The South Carolina workers' comp calculator applies the 2026 maximum, the $75 rule, the 14-day threshold and the 340- and 500-week limits.
Sources
- South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission, Advisory Notice: 2026 maximum weekly compensation rate
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 42, Chapter 9 (§§42-9-10, 42-9-20, 42-9-200)
- Nolo, How much are workers' compensation benefits in South Carolina?
Open the South Carolina calculator
This guide explains general rules and is not legal advice. Your carrier, a state judge or the agency decides your actual benefits.