Disability pay in Washington state depends on which program you qualify for. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) averages roughly $1,630 per month in 2026. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays up to $994 per month for an individual. Washington workers’ compensation replaces 60 to 75 percent of your pre-injury wages, up to $9,516 per month. And the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program pays up to $1,647 per week. Which of those figures applies to you turns on whether your disability is work-related, how long you’ve worked, and your household income.
SSDI Payment Amounts
SSDI is the federal benefit for workers who’ve paid into Social Security through payroll taxes and can no longer do substantial work because of a medical condition expected to last at least a year or result in death.1USAGov. SSDI and SSI Benefits for People With Disabilities Your check is based on your lifetime earnings, not on how severe your condition is or how much you need the money.
The Social Security Administration calculates your benefit from your average indexed monthly earnings, then applies a formula that replaces a higher share of lower earnings and a smaller share of higher earnings. In 2026, the average SSDI payment is about $1,630 per month. The maximum reaches $4,152 per month, but only for workers who earned at or above the Social Security taxable maximum consistently throughout their careers.
SSDI payments continue as long as your condition persists and you aren’t earning above the substantial gainful activity threshold ($1,690 per month in 2026, or $2,830 for blindness).2Social Security Administration. What’s New in 2026 The SSA reviews your case periodically to confirm you still qualify. When you reach full retirement age, your disability check automatically converts to a retirement check at the same amount.3Social Security Administration. What You Need to Know When You Get Social Security Disability Benefits
SSI Payment Amounts
SSI works differently. It’s a needs-based program for people with limited income and assets, regardless of work history.1USAGov. SSDI and SSI Benefits for People With Disabilities In 2026, the maximum federal SSI payment is $994 per month for an individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple.4Social Security Administration. How Much You Could Get From SSI
Those are ceilings, not guarantees. The SSA subtracts most of your other income from the federal benefit. The first $20 of nearly any income and the first $65 of earned income are excluded, but after that each dollar of countable income reduces your SSI dollar-for-dollar, or by 50 cents per dollar for wages. Washington adds a state supplement on top of the federal SSI payment, but the amount depends on your living arrangement, so you’ll need to contact the SSA or the Washington Department of Social and Health Services for your specific figure.
Washington Workers’ Compensation Payment Amounts
If your disability comes from a workplace injury or occupational disease, the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is the primary source of benefits. Workers’ comp pays medical treatment and replaces part of your lost wages, and it’s designed to start paying faster than the federal programs.
Time-Loss Compensation
Time-loss compensation (temporary total disability) replaces a percentage of your wages while you can’t work. The percentage rises with your family size:5Washington State Legislature. RCW 51.32.060 – Permanent Total Disability Compensation
- Single, no children: 60% of pre-injury wages
- Married with no children, or single with one child: 65%
- Each additional dependent child adds 2%, up to a maximum of 75%
For injuries between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, the maximum monthly time-loss benefit is $9,516, equal to 120% of the state’s average monthly wage. The minimum is $1,189.50, with an extra $10 per month for a spouse or domestic partner and $10 for each dependent child.6Lni.wa.gov. Benefits Schedule If 60% of your pre-injury wages falls below the minimum, the minimum applies.
Permanent Disability
When a work injury leaves lasting impairment, benefits depend on severity. Permanent partial disability awards are based on an impairment rating from your doctor, your age, and the state’s benefit schedule, typically paid as a lump sum or in installments after you reach maximum medical improvement.
Permanent total disability, for workers who can never return to any gainful employment, pays a monthly benefit using the same percentage table as time-loss compensation. Those payments continue for life, subject to the same maximum and minimum.5Washington State Legislature. RCW 51.32.060 – Permanent Total Disability Compensation Workers whose injuries leave them unable to care for themselves may also qualify for an attendant-care allowance paid directly to a caregiver.
Paid Family and Medical Leave Payment Amounts
Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program covers serious health conditions that aren’t work-related, along with family bonding and military-connected leave. It’s separate from workers’ comp and from the federal disability programs.
Your weekly benefit is calculated in two tiers based on how your average weekly wage compares to the statewide average weekly wage. You receive 90% of the portion of your wages at or below half the statewide average, plus 50% of any wages above that threshold. The result is capped at $1,647 per week for claims beginning in 2026.7Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works Lower-wage workers replace a higher share of their income under this formula; higher earners hit the cap sooner.
To qualify, you must have worked at least 820 hours in Washington during your qualifying period, which looks back over a roughly 12-month window. Full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal hours all count.7Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
Most qualifying events allow up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year. If you have more than one qualifying event in the same year, such as recovering from surgery and then caring for a seriously ill family member, you can receive up to 16 weeks. Pregnancy or childbirth complications that cause incapacity can extend the maximum to 18 weeks.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
What You Actually Get If You Qualify for More Than One
Collecting from multiple programs at once is sometimes possible, but the rules trip up a lot of people, and getting this wrong can mean unexpected reductions or repayment demands.
SSDI Combined With Workers’ Compensation
If you receive both, federal law caps the combined total at 80% of your average pre-disability earnings. Anything above that comes out of your SSDI, not your workers’ comp. If your average pre-disability earnings were $4,000 per month, the combined cap is $3,200. So if your SSDI family benefit is $2,200 and your workers’ comp is $2,000, the $1,000 excess is deducted from SSDI.9Social Security Administration. How Workers’ Compensation and Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits The offset continues until you reach full retirement age or the workers’ comp stops.
Paid Leave and Workers’ Compensation
You can’t collect Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave and workers’ comp for the same week. If your condition qualifies under both, you have to choose one for each week of absence.10Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. Benefit Guide Workers’ comp usually pays more for on-the-job injuries because it can replace up to 75% of wages with a monthly maximum of $9,516. Paid Leave can still be useful as a bridge if your workers’ comp claim is denied or delayed while you appeal.
SSI With Anything Else
SSI is the most sensitive to other income. Because it’s needs-based, almost any other disability payment reduces your SSI dollar-for-dollar after the applicable exclusions. Receiving SSDI, workers’ comp, or Paid Leave can reduce or eliminate your SSI entirely, depending on the amounts.
Tax Treatment Changes Your Take-Home
Not all disability payments are treated the same at tax time.
Workers’ compensation is fully exempt from federal income tax. Amounts received for occupational injury or illness under a workers’ compensation statute aren’t taxable, and neither are survivor benefits.11Internal Revenue Service. Publication 525 – Taxable and Nontaxable Income
SSDI may be partially taxable depending on your total income. If half your annual SSDI benefits plus all your other income exceeds $25,000 for a single filer or $32,000 for a married couple filing jointly, part of your benefits becomes taxable. Married couples filing separately who live together face taxes on their SSDI at any income level.12Internal Revenue Service. Regular and Disability Benefits
SSI payments aren’t subject to federal income tax.
Paid Family and Medical Leave has a more complicated tax picture. Washington passed legislation in 2026 (HB 2345) responding to IRS guidance that would have subjected certain medical leave payments to federal employment taxes like Social Security. The new law restructured how employer contributions are allocated between medical and family leave premiums to prevent that additional liability.13Employment Security Department Washington State. New Law Addresses IRS Guidance on State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program Because the rules are still evolving, ask a tax professional how your specific Paid Leave payments should be reported.
When Payments Actually Start
Approval and payment aren’t the same thing, and the gap can be long.
SSDI has a five-month waiting period built into federal law. Your first payment covers the sixth full month after your disability began.14Social Security Administration. Is There a Waiting Period for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits The one exception is ALS, which has no waiting period for applicants approved on or after July 23, 2020. Because most SSDI applications take months to process on top of this, plan for a year or more before you see any money.
Paid Family and Medical Leave has a one-week unpaid waiting period at the start of your claim. It doesn’t reduce your total available weeks of leave, and you only satisfy it once per claim year even if you take leave in separate stretches. The waiting period does not apply to medical leave for childbirth, family leave for bonding with a new child, or leave for a military-connected event.15Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. Concise Explanatory Statement – Waiting Period
Workers’ comp is designed to start paying relatively quickly once L&I or a self-insured employer accepts the claim, which is one reason it usually outpaces the federal programs for eligible on-the-job injuries.