The Maryland workers’ comp settlement chart is really two pieces of math stitched together. First, Section 9-627 of the Labor and Employment Code assigns a fixed number of weeks to each body part. You multiply those weeks by your impairment rating to get the length of your award. Then Maryland applies a three-tier formula, anchored to the 2026 State Average Weekly Wage of $1,537, to set the dollar amount you receive each week.1Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. WCC Compensation Rates The chart is mechanical once you see the pieces.
The Body Part Schedule
Maryland’s schedule of compensable weeks is set by statute and is not negotiable. The Commission uses these figures as the starting point for every permanent partial disability award:
- Arm: 300 weeks
- Leg: 300 weeks
- Hand: 250 weeks
- Foot: 250 weeks
- Eye: 250 weeks
- Hearing, both ears: 250 weeks
- Hearing, one ear: 125 weeks
- Thumb: 100 weeks
- Index finger: 40 weeks
- Great toe: 40 weeks
- Second finger: 35 weeks
- Third finger: 30 weeks
- Little finger: 25 weeks
- Perforated nasal septum: 20 weeks
- Other toes: 10 weeks each
Permanent loss of use counts the same as losing the body part entirely. An amputation above the elbow is treated as loss of the whole arm; above the knee, the whole leg.
Not every injury sits on the schedule. Back, neck, and shoulder injuries fall under the “other cases” provision in subsection (k). For those, the Commission decides what percentage of your body’s overall industrial use was impaired, then awards that percentage of 500 weeks.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-627 – Duration of Compensation A 10 percent whole-body impairment produces 50 weeks.
Scars and disfigurement that don’t correspond to a listed body part are handled under subsection (i). The Commission can award up to 156 weeks, weighing the character of the disfigurement against the scheduled losses.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-627 – Duration of Compensation
One adjustment sits on top of the chart. If your scheduled award comes out to less than 75 weeks, subsection (j) lets the Commission raise it up to 75 weeks based on your age, work experience, occupation, and training at the time of injury. A hand injury that barely bothers a desk worker may end a carpenter’s career, and the statute gives the Commission room to reflect that. The increase isn’t automatic, but it’s worth raising when the raw percentage undervalues real-world limitations.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-627 – Duration of Compensation
Your Average Weekly Wage
The number of weeks tells you how long the award runs. Your Average Weekly Wage (AWW) tells you how much each week is worth before the tiered caps apply. The Commission calculates AWW at the first hearing by averaging your gross earnings from the 14 weeks before the injury, including overtime, bonuses, and other regular compensation. Any fractional dollar rounds up to the next whole dollar.4Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-604 – Computation of Compensation
Getting this figure right matters. Every dollar in your AWW multiplies across weeks and can move you between tiers.
The Three Tiers and 2026 Caps
Maryland does not pay the same weekly rate for a minor finger injury and a catastrophic limb loss. The weekly dollar amount depends on which tier your total weeks fall into. Each tier has both a formula (a fraction of your AWW) and a cap tied to the 2026 State Average Weekly Wage of $1,537.
First Tier: Under 75 Weeks
For awards under 75 weeks, the weekly rate is one-third of your AWW, capped at 16.7% of the SAWW for injuries on or after January 1, 2011.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-628 – Compensation for Less Than 75 Weeks In 2026 that cap is about $256.68 per week. Most permanent partial disability awards land here because moderate impairment ratings on scheduled body parts usually produce totals well below 75 weeks.
Second Tier: 75 to 249 Weeks
At 75 weeks the weekly rate doubles to two-thirds of your AWW, and the cap climbs to one-third of the SAWW, about $512.33 per week in 2026.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-627 – Duration of Compensation The jump between First and Second Tier is where negotiations often get sharp. An award of 74 weeks versus 75 weeks can roughly double the total payout, which is also why the industrial loss bump matters so much for awards hovering just below the threshold.
Third Tier: Serious Disability, 250 Weeks or More
When your total award from a single accident hits 250 weeks, the case qualifies as a Serious Disability under Section 9-630. Two things happen. The Commission increases your total weeks by one-third, rounded to the nearest whole number, so a 300-week award becomes 400 weeks. And the weekly cap rises to 75% of the SAWW, about $1,152.75 per week in 2026.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-630 – Serious Disability — Compensation for 250 Weeks or More More weeks at a higher rate makes Serious Disability awards substantially more valuable than anything in the lower tiers.
Temporary total disability, paid while you’re out of work before reaching maximum medical improvement, follows a different rule: two-thirds of your AWW capped at 100% of the SAWW ($1,537 per week in 2026), with a $50 floor unless your actual AWW was lower.7Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-621 – Temporary Total Disability TTD is separate from any permanent partial disability award you settle later.
Working the Chart: Three Examples
Assume a worker earning $900 per week before the injury.
20% loss of use of a hand. The hand is scheduled at 250 weeks. 250 × 0.20 = 50 weeks. That’s under 75, so the First Tier rate applies. One-third of $900 is $300, but the 2026 cap is about $257. The worker receives $257 per week for 50 weeks: $12,850.
15% whole-body impairment from a back injury. Back injuries fall under “other cases” at 500 weeks. 500 × 0.15 = 75 weeks. At exactly 75 weeks, the award crosses into the Second Tier. Two-thirds of $900 is $600, but the cap is about $512. The worker receives $512 per week for 75 weeks: $38,400.
85% loss of use of an arm. The arm is scheduled at 300 weeks. 300 × 0.85 = 255 weeks, which triggers Serious Disability. The weeks increase by one-third: 255 + 85 = 340 weeks. Two-thirds of $900 is $600, well under the 75% SAWW cap of about $1,153, so the full $600 applies. The worker receives $600 per week for 340 weeks: $204,000.
The tier boundaries create real cliffs. A one-point difference between a 14% and 15% back impairment rating can move you from First to Second Tier and roughly double the weekly figure.
How the Award Gets Paid: Two Settlement Types
Once the chart produces a number, you and the insurer choose how the money changes hands. The choice controls whether your medical care stays open.
Stipulated Award
In a stipulated award, the employer and insurer accept the calculated permanent partial disability figure and pay the weekly benefit for the scheduled number of weeks. Medical benefits typically remain open for future treatment related to the injury. If your condition worsens or you later need surgery, the insurer still covers it. For workers whose conditions may need ongoing care, this is usually the safer option.
Compromise and Release
A compromise and release under Section 9-722 closes everything. You take a lump sum, and in exchange you give up all future rights to medical care and disability benefits tied to that injury.8Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-722 – Claim Settlement The Commission must approve the agreement before it takes effect. The lump sum usually includes a discount for the time value of money, since the insurer pays everything up front. This works when your medical condition has fully stabilized. It is risky if your condition could deteriorate.
Reopening reflects that difference. If you took a stipulated award and later get worse, Section 9-736 lets you apply to increase it based on new medical evidence. The deadline is five years from whichever comes last: the accident date, the date you became disabled, or the date of your last compensation payment.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-736 – Modification of Award If you signed a full compromise and release, you almost certainly cannot reopen. The only narrow exception involves fraud or estoppel, and even then you must apply within one year of discovering the problem.
Attorney Fees Come Out of the Number
Maryland regulates attorney fees in workers’ comp cases through a sliding scale the Commission must approve. For permanent partial disability awards:
- First $50,000 of the award: up to 20%
- Next $50,000: up to 15%
- Anything above $100,000: up to 5%
The total fee cannot exceed 60 times the SAWW, roughly $92,220 in 2026.10Cornell Law Institute. COMAR 14.09.04.03 – Schedule of Attorneys Fees For temporary disability cases, the Commission approves a fee only if the insurer actually contested the claim, and the fee is limited to 10% of the compensation accrued by the award date. The declining percentages keep fees proportional as awards grow.
Deadlines That Cut Off the Whole Calculation
None of the chart math matters if you miss the filing window. You must file your claim with the Commission within 60 days of the injury. The Commission can excuse a late filing for good cause, but there is a hard outer limit: if you fail to file within two years of the accident, the claim is barred, with no exceptions.11Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Labor and Employment 9-709 – Filing of Claims For occupational diseases or radiation injuries, the two-year clock runs from the date of disablement or the date you learned the condition was work-related.