New Hampshire Workers' Compensation Settlement Calculator
Estimate New Hampshire workers' comp — TTD Rate (150% SAWW Formula), Waiting Period, PPD — Scheduled Impairment Award
New Hampshire workers' compensation claims are governed by RSA 281-A:28 (TTD Rate — 150% SAWW Formula): 60% of average weekly wage (AWW); floor 30% of the state average weekly wage (SAWW), ceiling 150% of SAWW. Of the 3 landmark New Hampshire workers' compensation awards documented on this page, the largest is $807K (Statutory schedule example — combined-award ceiling (350 weeks x $2,309/wk max rate as of July 1, 2025); 2025).
🍁 NEW HAMPSHIRE: TTD Rate — 150% SAWW Formula | Waiting Period | PPD — Scheduled Impairment Award
Your Injury
Your Estimated Settlement
$6,000 — $6,000
Pain and suffering = $15,000 in medical bills × 0.0 severity multiplier. Your bills are already included in that figure, so they are not added again.
Workers' compensation is a no-fault system: your benefits are not reduced because you were partly or fully responsible for the accident.
Workers' compensation does not pay pain and suffering. Unlike a personal injury claim, it covers medical treatment and a portion of your lost wages only — so no pain-and-suffering amount is included above.
This figure does not include a permanent impairment award. If your injury leaves lasting limitations, most states add a separate payment based on a doctor's impairment rating and a statutory schedule.
If someone other than your employer caused the injury — a subcontractor, a driver, a defective machine — you may also have a separate personal injury claim against that party, and that claim can include pain and suffering.
Keep this estimate — it is gone when you close the tab.
Workers' Compensation Wage Benchmark — New York State claims only
Across New York State claims only, this benchmark is based on 5,586,588 real payments totaling $139.7B from official New York State workers' comp claims.
Average
$25K
Median
$20K
25th %ile
$13K
90th %ile
$44K
Source: New York State Workers' Compensation Board (via data.ny.gov). These figures come from New York State claims only and do not describe benefit levels in other states. Actual payouts may vary based on individual circumstances.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor
New Hampshire Workers' Compensation Law
New Hampshire workers' compensation benefits is governed by RSA 281-A:28 (TTD Rate — 150% SAWW Formula): an injured worker receives 60% of their average weekly wage (AWW), subject to a floor of 30% of the state's average weekly wage (SAWW) and a ceiling of 150% of SAWW. As of July 1, 2025, that produces a maximum weekly rate of $2,309.00 and a minimum of $461.74 — both figures reset every July 1. Self-employed claimants are compensated at 80% of their average weekly salary, capped at the same 150% SAWW ceiling.
Waiting Period (RSA 281-A:22): No compensation is paid for the first 3 days of disability — unless the disability continues for 14 days or longer, in which case those first 3 days are paid retroactively.
PPD — Scheduled Impairment Award (RSA 281-A:32): New Hampshire pays permanent losses on a weeks-based schedule at the RSA 281-A:28 weekly rate — 210 weeks for total loss of an arm, 189 weeks for a hand, 140 weeks for a leg, 300 weeks for total loss of vision in both eyes. Combined awards for multiple losses or a spinal/brain injury are capped at 350 weeks, and the scheduled award is paid in a single lump sum.
Key New Hampshire Workers' Compensation Statutes
New Hampshire workers' compensation benefits operates under these critical legal rules:
RSA 281-A:28
TTD Rate — 150% SAWW FormulaStandard: 60% of average weekly wage (AWW); floor 30% of the state average weekly wage (SAWW), ceiling 150% of SAWW. As of Jul 1, 2025: max $2,309.00/wk, min $461.74/wk.
Scope: Three tiers: (I) AWW at or below 30% of SAWW gets full AWW, capped at 90% of after-tax earnings; (II) AWW above 30% of SAWW gets 60% of AWW or 30% of SAWW, whichever is greater, capped at 150% of SAWW / 100% of after-tax earnings; (III) self-employed claimants get 80% of average weekly salary, capped at 150% of SAWW. Rate resets every July 1.
RSA 281-A:22
Waiting PeriodStandard: 3 days (injury day excluded)
Scope: No benefits for the first 3 days of disability unless disability continues 14 days or longer, in which case the first 3 days are paid retroactively.
RSA 281-A:32
PPD — Scheduled Impairment AwardStandard: Weeks-based schedule paid at the RSA 281-A:28 weekly rate — total arm 210 wks, hand 189 wks, leg 140 wks, both eyes 300 wks, binaural hearing 123 wks.
Scope: Partial losses (individual fingers/toes, single eye/ear) are prorated on the same schedule. Combined awards for multiple losses or spinal/brain injury are capped at 350 weeks. Paid as a single lump-sum payment; rate is locked to the employee's AWW at the time of injury.
RSA 281-A:8
Employees Presumed to Have Accepted (Exclusive Remedy)Standard: Employees are conclusively presumed to accept the workers' compensation chapter and waive civil action against the employer, its insurer, and any self-insurance association.
Scope: Narrow exception: intentional torts against a specific officer or agent are not barred. Spouses/dependents are likewise barred from a direct action against the same parties. Wrongful-termination/constructive-discharge claims survive at common law but trigger an election-of-remedies rule. Third-party claims against non-employer defendants remain available under RSA 281-A:13, subject to the employer's lien for benefits already paid.
RSA 281-A:19 / 281-A:21-a
Notice (2-Yr) and Filing (3-Yr) DeadlinesStandard: Notice of injury to employer: within 2 years of the injury (RSA 281-A:19). Claim filing: within 3 years of the injury (RSA 281-A:21-a).
Scope: Both deadlines run from the injury date, or — if later — from when the employee (or, in a death case, the dependent) knew or reasonably should have known of the injury and its connection to employment. Missing either deadline bars the claim absent the discovery exception.
RSA 281-A:54
Second Injury Special FundStandard: The state fund reimburses the employer/carrier 50% of compensation paid above $10,000 once a combined pre-existing-plus-new-injury claim exceeds 104 weeks (for injuries after Jan. 1, 1991).
Scope: Applies when a pre-existing impairment combines with a new compensable injury to cause materially greater disability than the new injury alone would cause. Employer/carrier pays the first 104 weeks and must document pre-existing-impairment knowledge (written record or affidavit) at hire, and notify the commissioner within 100 weeks of injury or death to preserve reimbursement rights. A separate 50% reimbursement (capped at $5,000/yr) is available for approved job-modification costs.
Recovery Structure
Medical, hospital, and remedial care (RSA 281-A:23, typically unlimited), lost-wage replacement at 60% of AWW subject to the state min/max, scheduled permanent impairment awards for specific body-part losses, vocational rehabilitation, and death/dependent benefits. No pain-and-suffering award under the workers' comp system — the trade-off for exclusive remedy.
Key New Hampshire Doctrines
Employees Presumed to Have Accepted: Employees are conclusively presumed to accept RSA 281-A and waive civil claims against the employer, its insurer, and any self-insurance association — except for intentional torts against a specific officer or agent. Second Injury Special Fund: when a pre-existing impairment combines with a new work injury to increase disability, the employer/carrier pays the first 104 weeks, then the state's Second Injury Fund reimburses 50% of amounts paid above $10,000 (for injuries after Jan. 1, 1991).
Damage Structure + Caps
Weekly indemnity capped at 150% of the state average weekly wage ($2,309.00/wk max, $461.74/wk min as of July 1, 2025 — both adjust every July 1), scheduled impairment awards capped at 350 combined weeks, second-injury-fund reimbursement threshold fixed at $10,000 and unindexed since the 1991 amendment.
New Hampshire Workers' Compensation Verdicts + Settlements
New Hampshire claims mostly resolve via confidential board-approved agreements, so alongside one court-documented settlement these are worked statutory ceilings (marked as calculations, not cases):
| Amount | Year | Case / Injury |
|---|---|---|
| $120K | 2023 | Sylvester v. Woodward's White Mountain Resort, LLC — Slip-and-fall on a motel walkway (Feb. 2018); workers' comp carrier release settlement resolving the appeal — net to claimant after attorney's fees ($15,000) and medical bills ($44,150.38) was $60,849.62. The court held that accepting the settlement invoked the RSA 281-A:8 exclusivity bar against a later negligence suit. |
| $485K | 2025 | Statutory schedule example — total loss of an arm (210 weeks x $2,309/wk max rate as of July 1, 2025) — Illustrative maximum scheduled impairment award (RSA 281-A:32) — transparent calculation, not a reported case |
| $807K | 2025 | Statutory schedule example — combined-award ceiling (350 weeks x $2,309/wk max rate as of July 1, 2025) — Illustrative cap for multiple losses or spinal/brain injury (RSA 281-A:32) — transparent calculation, not a reported case |
New Hampshire Workers' Compensation FAQs
What is the maximum weekly workers' comp benefit in New Hampshire for 2026?
The last confirmed rate, effective July 1, 2025, is $2,309.00/week maximum ($461.74/week minimum) under RSA 281-A:28 — 150% of the state's average weekly wage (SAWW), with a 30% floor. New Hampshire's Department of Labor issues a new rate every July 1; the July 2026 figure could not be independently confirmed from a primary source as of this writing, so treat the 2025 rate as a floor, not the current number.
How long do I have to report my New Hampshire work injury?
You must give notice of the injury to your employer within 2 years of the injury date (RSA 281-A:19) — or within 2 years of when you knew, or reasonably should have known, the injury was work-related. Separately, you must file your actual claim within 3 years (RSA 281-A:21-a). Report in writing as soon as possible; don't wait for the outer deadline.
Can I sue my employer in New Hampshire in addition to workers' comp?
Generally no. Under RSA 281-A:8, employees are conclusively presumed to have accepted workers' compensation as their exclusive remedy and waive civil claims against the employer, its insurer, and any self-insurance association. The narrow exception is an intentional tort committed by a specific officer or agent. Claims against a non-employer third party (e.g., an equipment manufacturer or general contractor) remain available under RSA 281-A:13, subject to the employer's lien for benefits already paid.
What is a Second Injury Fund claim in New Hampshire?
If you had a pre-existing impairment and a new work injury combines with it to cause materially greater disability than the new injury alone would have caused, RSA 281-A:54 lets the employer/carrier get reimbursed from the state's Second Injury Special Fund: they pay the first 104 weeks, then get 50% reimbursement of anything paid above $10,000 (for injuries after January 1, 1991). Employers must document that they knew about the pre-existing impairment at hire.
Should I accept the first settlement offer in my New Hampshire claim?
Almost never without review. Initial offers often undervalue permanent impairment and future medical needs, and in New Hampshire any settlement of a third-party claim tied to your work injury (RSA 281-A:13) must be approved by the commissioner or a court before it becomes binding. Get an independent medical evaluation and talk to a workers' comp attorney — most work on contingency, and attorney's-fee awards in workers' comp claims are separately regulated.
Pending New Hampshire Workers' Compensation Issues
Active legal developments (as of April 2026):
- NH DOL updates the maximum/minimum weekly compensation rate every July 1 (RSA 281-A:28). The only rate independently confirmed from NH DOL's own compensation-rate-table.pdf (last revised June 9, 2025) is the July 1, 2025 rate: $2,309.00 max / $461.74 min. The July 1, 2026 rate (technically in effect as of this writing) could not be directly confirmed from a primary source at research time; third-party aggregator sites suggest a max in the $2,300-$2,400/wk range, consistent with the historical ~5-8% annual increase, but that figure is an estimate, not a sourced number.
- SB 67 (2025) and HB 299 (2025) reportedly address workers' compensation payment-dispute resolution and attorney's-fee awards respectively, per a third-party summary — verify current enactment/effective status before relying on dispute-resolution or fee procedures.
- The Second Injury Special Fund's $10,000 reimbursement threshold (RSA 281-A:54) has not been adjusted since the January 1, 1991 amendment; it remains a fixed statutory dollar figure, not inflation-indexed.
- The practical scope of the RSA 281-A:8 exception for intentional torts against a specific officer or agent is narrow and fact-specific; no NH case law confirming its real-world boundaries was independently verified for this page.
- Publicly available, dated New Hampshire workers' comp settlement data is scarce — most claims resolve via confidential Compensation Appeals Board-approved agreements without public dollar/date disclosure, which limited the verified landmark_verdicts list to a single court-documented case.
Informational only — consult a licensed attorney for case-specific advice.
Primary Sources
- mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/labor/documents/compensation-rate-table.pdf
- www.dol.nh.gov/workers-compensation/employer-information/injured-employee-benefits
- law.justia.com/codes/new-hampshire/title-xxiii/chapter-281-a
- www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXIII/281-A/281-A-28.htm
- www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXIII/281-A/281-A-8.htm
- www.courts.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt471/files/documents/2023-12/20230109.pdf
Other State Workers' Compensation Calculators
Washington
L&I state fund + self-insure, PPD dollar-amount schedule, $2,303.31/wk equiv
California
SIBTF reform 2026, $1,764/wk max, QME + SB 636
New York
$1,281.50/wk max, LWEC non-schedule PPD, 2025 Protection in Workplace Act
Texas
Non-subscriber option, $1,271/wk, IBR
Illinois
Lifetime uncapped medical, $2,045.63/wk (2026)
Florida
$1,358/wk, 104-week TTD cap, narrow catastrophic definition
Michigan
PIWEC phantom wages, 80% after-tax AWW, $1,201/wk max 2026
New Jersey
Second Injury Fund, 400/450-wk caps, $1,199/wk max 2026
Ohio
BWC monopoly fund, Industrial Commission PTD, $1,281/wk
Pennsylvania
Act 111 (2017), 500-wk partial cap, $1,394/wk max 2026
Alabama
Max $1,219/wk TTD, but non-scheduled PPD (back injuries) capped at just $220/wk
Arizona
$6,131/mo max AMW (66⅔% TTD/PTD), PPD paid in months not weeks
Colorado
Competitive state fund, $1,464/wk max (91% SAWW), 4-day notice deadline
Connecticut
Max $1,716/wk (2026), 28-day contest deadline, SIF closed since 1995
Georgia
Exclusive remedy, $800/wk TTD cap, catastrophic designation unlocks lifetime benefits
Iowa
80% spendable earnings, $2,431/wk max, active Second Injury Fund
Indiana
$877/wk max (66⅔% AWW), 8-day wait, Second Injury Fund
Kentucky
Impairment-factor PPD formula, $1,277.99/wk max, coal black-lung claims
Louisiana
Second Injury Fund, SEB to 520wks, $903/wk max (Sept 2026)
Massachusetts
Opt-out exclusive remedy, $1,922/wk max rate, PPD paid in statewide-wage multiples
Maryland
Exclusive remedy, $1,537/wk max (2026), Uninsured Employers' Fund safety net
Minnesota
Private-carrier market, $1,536.84/wk max, PTSD presumption for first responders
Missouri
Strict-construction state, TTD/PTD capped 105% SAWW, PPD capped 55% SAWW
North Carolina
500-week TTD/PPD cap, $1,446/wk max (2026), 66 2/3% AWW
Oklahoma
TTD/PTD capped at $1,128.66/wk, opt-out struck down, Multiple Injury Trust Fund
Oregon
3-way market (SAIF+private+self-insure), $1,943/wk max, CDA keeps medical open
South Carolina
Exclusive remedy, $1,189.94/wk max (2026), 500-wk TTD cap, lifetime for TBI/spinal
Tennessee
$1,488.30/wk max (FY26-27), 15-day notice, PPD = rating × 450 wks, no jury trials
Virginia
500-week comp cap (PTD lifetime), $1,507/wk max, 66 2/3% AWW
Wisconsin
Dual-track cap: $1,375/wk TTD (110% SAWW) vs just $454/wk PPD; 6/12-yr SOL
Alaska
PPI = $273K × WPI%, TTD/PTD 80% of wage, max $1,627/wk (2026)
Arkansas
Max $953/wk (85% SAWW), odd-lot doctrine barred, 450-wk wage-loss cap
Washington DC
Max $1,852.07/wk (Jan 2025), 30-day notice, LHWCA-style weeks-based PPD schedule
Delaware
Max $962.72/wk (2026), 90-day notice, Medicare-based HCPS fee caps
Hawaii
66⅔% AWW, $1,240/wk max (2026), Special Compensation Fund after 104wks
Idaho
Max $1,021.50/wk (90% ASW), 500-week whole man, ISIF second-injury fund
Kansas
$905/wk max TTD/PTD, 415-wk PPD cap, SB 430 (2024) raised PTD cap $155K→$400K
Maine
Max $1,561/wk (125% of SAWW), 7-day wait, no statutory minimum, exclusive remedy
Mississippi
Max $654.63/wk, 5-day wait, Second Injury Trust Fund
Montana
$1,192/wk max, 400-week PPD formula, 60-mo medical closure
North Dakota
Monopolistic state fund (WSI), $1,614/wk max, no private insurance or self-insurance
Nebraska
Max $1,166/wk (2026), Espinoza multi-member LOEC rule, exclusive remedy
New Mexico
100% SAWW cap, $1,146.66/wk max, $36/wk min since 1975
Nevada
Privatized market, monthly PPD annuity (0.6%/1% WPI), max $5,691.79/mo (FY27)
Rhode Island
62% AWW formula, $1,622/wk max, dedicated Workers' Compensation Court
South Dakota
No insurance mandate • $1,152/wk max (2026) • Subsequent Injury Fund repealed 1999
Utah
Max $1,376/wk (2026), 6-yr/12-yr filing window, narrow intentional-injury exception
Vermont
Max $1,914/wk (2026), 6-mo. filing deadline, whole-person PPD schedule
West Virginia
Deliberate-intent exception, $1,150.91/wk max, no punitive damages, privatized market
Wyoming
Monopolistic state fund, no private insurance; PTD capped at 80 months, not lifetime
Main Workers' Comp Calculator
Nationwide WC benefits overview