Connecticut workers’ compensation rates cover two different things depending on who is asking. Employers pay premiums built on National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) loss costs, which are dropping an average of 3.8% for policies effective January 1, 2026.1Connecticut Insurance Department. WC NCCI Rate Filing for 2026 Injured workers receive 75% of their after-tax average weekly wage, capped at $1,654 per week for total disability and $1,191 per week for partial disability for injuries occurring between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.2Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission. Memorandum No. 2024-07 Both figures are governed by Chapter 568 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Employer Premium Rates for 2026
The 3.8% overall decrease NCCI filed for the 2026 policy year is a statewide average. The picture looks different depending on the type of business:
- Manufacturing: 5.6% decrease
- Contracting: 4.9% decrease
- Goods and services: 4.0% decrease
- Office and clerical: 1.3% increase
- Assigned-risk market (businesses that cannot obtain voluntary coverage): 0.4% decrease
Every rate change goes through the Insurance Commissioner before it takes effect. Under Connecticut General Statutes Section 38a-676, each insurer files its classification manuals and rate schedules with the Commissioner, and the workers’ compensation filing sits in a 30-day waiting period the Commissioner can extend by another 30 days. If a filing does not meet statutory standards, the change is blocked.3Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 38a – Section 38a-676
How a Single Company’s Premium Is Built
The statewide loss cost is only the starting point. A Connecticut employer’s actual premium starts with its NCCI classification code, a four-digit number tied to the work its employees perform. A roofing contractor and an accounting firm sit in completely different risk categories, and their base rates reflect that. Each classification code carries a loss cost that represents expected claim cost per $100 of payroll for that industry.
That base rate is then adjusted by the company’s Experience Modification Rate, or MOD. The MOD compares the business’s own claim history over the prior three years against the average for its classification. A company with fewer and smaller claims than its peers earns a MOD below 1.0, which reduces premium. A worse-than-average record pushes it above 1.0. A new business with no history starts at 1.0.
Carriers verify the inputs through annual payroll audits, checking the reported payroll figures and whether employees were assigned to the correct classification codes. Putting a warehouse crew on an office-worker code understates the risk and will produce a retroactive premium adjustment. Businesses that fail to provide accurate payroll data may face estimated premiums set well above what accurate reporting would produce.
Formal safety committees and loss-control programs can qualify a business for premium credits from its carrier. The credit varies by insurer, and even a small percentage matters at higher premium levels. Fewer injuries also drive the MOD down over time, compounding the savings.
The Weekly Benefit Rate for Injured Workers
The benefit check for a Connecticut worker who cannot work because of a job injury equals 75% of the after-tax average weekly wage. The deductions applied before the 75% is calculated are federal income tax, state income tax, and Social Security (FICA) contributions.4Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission. Workers’ Compensation Commission Information Packet The intent is to approximate what the worker actually took home on payday rather than gross earnings. The Workers’ Compensation Commission publishes tax tables so adjusters apply the deductions uniformly.
The Average Weekly Wage itself comes from Section 31-310. The insurer adds up total wages from the employer over the 52 calendar weeks before the injury and divides by the number of weeks the employee actually worked in that period. Weeks of complete absence (seven consecutive days off) are excluded so they do not drag down the average.5Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-310 If the worker had been on the job less than two full weeks, the statute uses the prevailing wage for similar work in the area, or the agreed hourly rate multiplied by regular weekly hours. Workers holding concurrent jobs can combine wages from multiple employers when the single-employer wage falls below the maximum compensation rate.
Pay stubs, W-2 forms, and employer payroll records are the primary evidence. Disputes over overtime, bonuses, or commissions often require a hearing before a workers’ compensation commissioner.
Maximum and Minimum Weekly Amounts
Connecticut caps the weekly benefit at different levels depending on whether the disability is total or partial. For total disability, the cap equals 100% of the average weekly earnings of all workers in the state. For partial disability, including scheduled permanent losses, the cap equals 100% of the average weekly earnings of production and related workers in manufacturing.6Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-309 The all-workers figure runs higher because it includes better-paid service and professional sectors.
The Labor Commissioner sets both numbers by August 15 each year, effective the following October 1. For injuries between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025:
- Total disability maximum: $1,654 per week
- Partial disability maximum: $1,191 per week
Updated figures for the period beginning October 1, 2025 are published in Commission Memorandum No. 2025-04. The cap that applies to any claim is locked in based on the date of injury, not the date any particular check is issued.
On the low end, workers receiving total disability benefits cannot receive less than 20% of the applicable maximum rate, but that floor cannot exceed 75% of the worker’s own average weekly wage.7Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-307 For permanent partial disability, the schedule sets a $50-per-week minimum regardless of what the worker earned.8Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-308
How the Rate Varies by Type of Disability
The 75% figure is constant across categories; what changes is which cap applies and how long payments run.
Temporary total disability. A worker who cannot perform any work at all receives 75% of the after-tax average weekly wage under Section 31-307. Payments continue for the duration of the total disability, up to the total-disability maximum.7Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-307
Temporary partial disability. When the worker returns to lighter or part-time duties at reduced pay, benefits equal 75% of the after-tax difference between the pre-injury wage and current earnings.8Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-308
Permanent partial disability. The Section 31-308(b) schedule assigns a number of weeks of compensation to each body part, paid at 75% of the after-tax average weekly wage and capped at the manufacturing partial-disability maximum. Selected entries:
- Master arm at or above the elbow: 208 weeks
- Master hand at or above the wrist: 168 weeks
- Leg at or above the knee: 155 weeks
- Complete loss of sight in one eye: 157 weeks
- Hearing loss in both ears: 104 weeks
- Back: up to 374 weeks, proportional to impairment
- Heart or brain: 520 weeks
The scheduled weeks are multiplied by the doctor’s assessed percentage of permanent impairment. A 20% permanent loss of use of a master hand yields 20% of 168 weeks, or roughly 34 weeks at the worker’s rate.
Additional benefits after the schedule. Under Section 31-308a, a commissioner can award more if the worker’s earning capacity remains diminished after the scheduled weeks run out. These equal 75% of the after-tax difference between wages in a comparable position and what the worker can realistically earn given the injury, education, training, and the local job market. The additional period cannot exceed the lesser of the original scheduled duration or 520 weeks.9Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code Chapter 568 – Workers’ Compensation Act – Section 31-308a
Cost-of-Living Adjustments on Long-Term Claims
A worker on benefits for years is not stuck with the rate that applied the week they were hurt. Under Section 31-307a, when the statewide maximum compensation rate rises in a year after the injury, the worker’s weekly benefit goes up by the same percentage.10Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 31 – Section 31-307a Because the maximum tracks statewide average wages, the adjustments move roughly with inflation and wage growth.
Eligibility is narrow. Only workers found permanently and totally disabled, or those who have received temporary total disability benefits for five or more consecutive years, qualify for the annual bumps.4Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission. Workers’ Compensation Commission Information Packet Shorter-term claims stay at the rate set at the time of injury.
The Three-Day Wait Before Benefits Start
Wage-replacement benefits do not begin on the day of injury. Connecticut imposes a three-day waiting period before temporary disability payments start. If the disability extends beyond a certain length, those first three days are paid retroactively. Medical treatment is covered from day one with no waiting period. The gap in wage payments catches people off guard, especially workers who lose several days of income before the first benefit check arrives.