By Randy Estes, August 19, 2026
Every year on September 1, Louisiana resets the ceiling and the floor on workers’ compensation checks. The Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration has published the numbers for the coming year, and they take effect in less than two weeks. If you are hurt on the job on or after September 1, 2026, these are the figures that will govern your weekly benefits.
For work accidents occurring September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027:
The maximum is up from $877 for the year that is ending, which itself was up from $845 the year before. These adjustments aren’t discretionary — La. R.S. 23:1202 ties the maximum and minimum to the statewide average weekly wage, and the OWCA publishes the resulting figures each year. The mileage rate has been $0.725 per mile since January 1, 2026, under La. R.S. 23:1203(D).
Because the limits are locked in on the day you get hurt, not the day you file, not the day the insurer starts paying, and not the day your case is decided. The OWCA’s own notice says the limits apply to “claimants injured during the period” — so an accident on August 31, 2026 falls under the $877 ceiling, and an accident on September 1, 2026 falls under the $903 ceiling. Those two workers could be doing the same job for the same employer, one day apart, and carry different maximums for as long as their claims last.
This also means the September increase does not raise anyone’s existing check. If you were injured in 2024 and your benefits were capped at $845, they stay capped at $845. That surprises a lot of people, and it is one of the more common misunderstandings we hear on the phone.
If your doctor takes you completely off work, you may be owed Temporary Total Disability benefits — two-thirds (66⅔%) of your average weekly wage before the injury, subject to the cap that applies to your injury date.
Run the math on the new maximum: because $903 is two-thirds of about $1,354.50, any worker earning more than roughly $1,354 a week before the injury will be capped. A worker earning $1,000 a week would receive about $667. And because the checks are two-thirds of wages, your average weekly wage is the single most important number in your file. If it is calculated too low — by leaving out overtime, a regular second job, or a shift differential — every check for the life of the claim is short.
There is a floor as well. If two-thirds of your wage comes out below $241, the minimum generally applies. But note the OWCA’s footnote: actual wages are paid if your wages are less than the minimum. The minimum does not pay you more than you were earning.
Many people return to lighter or lower-paying work. Louisiana addresses that with Supplemental Earnings Benefits, which you may qualify for when your injury leaves you unable to earn at least 90% of your pre-injury wages. SEB pays two-thirds of the gap between what you used to earn and what you are able to earn now, subject to the same weekly maximum, and can run up to 520 weeks.
The $0.725-per-mile reimbursement covers travel to authorized medical appointments, and for an injured worker driving from Baton Rouge to a specialist in New Orleans or Houston, it is not small change. Keep a log: date, provider, and round-trip miles. Reimbursement is easy to lose simply because nobody wrote the trips down. And keep in mind that the workers’ comp insurer is required to reimburse you within 60 days of your reimbursement request.
If you are already receiving benefits, this change won’t affect your rate — but it is a good moment to pull out your indemnity checks and confirm the amount matches two-thirds of your true pre-injury earnings, and that the cap being applied is the one in effect on your injury date.
If you are hurt on the job after September 1, report it to your employer promptly and in writing, and hold on to your pay records from the four weeks before the accident. Those records are what your average weekly wage is built from.
And if your checks are late, short, or have stopped without a clear explanation, you have the right to take that dispute to Louisiana’s Office of Workers’ Compensation. You do not have to argue with an adjuster on your own.
The attorneys at Estes Davis Law handle Louisiana workers’ compensation claims and offer a free, confidential consultation. Call (225) 336-3394. Se habla español.
This article is general information about Louisiana law and is not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every case depends on its own facts. For advice about your situation, please consult an attorney.
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