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New Jersey workers' comp settlement chart
New Jersey pays a permanent injury to a listed body part for a set number of weeks. A thumb is 80 weeks.
How it is paid: 70% of your weekly wage, with a weekly maximum that rises with the number of weeks awarded (20% of the statewide average weekly wage, $320 in 2026, for awards up to 90 weeks, up to 75%, $1,199, past 420 weeks) and a $35 minimum.
Quoted from New Jersey law and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Workers' Compensation, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
Weeks of benefits by body part
For total loss or total loss of use. How each week is paid is explained below the table.
| Body part | Weeks |
|---|---|
| arm | 330 |
| leg | 315 |
| hand, or thumb and first and second fingers (on one hand) or four fingers (on one hand) | 260 |
| foot | 250 |
| loss of vision of an eye | 200 |
| total loss of hearing in both ears by one accident | 200 |
| thumb | 80 |
| first finger (commonly called index finger) | 60 |
| total loss of hearing in one ear | 60 |
| second finger | 50 |
| third finger | 40 |
| great toe | 40 |
| fourth finger (commonly called little finger) | 30 |
| toe, other than a great toe | 15 |
Injuries not on the chart
New Jersey pays permanent partial disability by weeks: weeks for the lost member from the schedule (N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(c)) x the percent of loss of use, or, for disability not tied to a scheduled member, the percentage of total and permanent disability x 600 weeks (34:15-12(c)(22)). The weekly rate is 70% of wages but capped by a sliding maximum based on the number of weeks awarded ($320 a week up to 90 weeks, rising to $1,199 over 420 weeks for 2026 injuries) with a $35 minimum, so total = weeks x applicable weekly rate.
Rates and deadlines
| Temporary disability rate | 70% of your weekly wage at the time of the injury, within the state maximum and minimum, for up to 400 weeks | N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(a) |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly maximum | $1,199 (injuries in calendar year 2026 (effective 2026-01-01)); applies to temporary disability, total permanent disability and dependency (death) benefits; for permanent partial disability $1,199 is only the ceiling reached on awards over 420 weeks (see ppd_rate) | NJ Division of Workers' Compensation Rates and Statistics page; NJDOL press release 2025-12-29 |
| Weekly minimum | $320 (injuries in calendar year 2026 (effective 2026-01-01)); temporary disability and total permanent disability (20% of the statewide average weekly wage); permanent partial disability has a $35 minimum | NJ Division of Workers' Compensation Rates and Statistics page; N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(a) |
| Permanent partial rate | 70% of your weekly wage, with a weekly maximum that rises with the number of weeks awarded (20% of the statewide average weekly wage, $320 in 2026, for awards up to 90 weeks, up to 75%, $1,199, past 420 weeks) and a $35 minimum | N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(c); NJ Division of Workers' Compensation Rates and Statistics page and 2026 Schedule of Disabilities |
| Waiting period | 7 days, paid back if you are out more than 7 days | N.J.S.A. 34:15-14 |
| Tell your employer | 14 days after the injury (no compensation is due until notice is given or the employer has actual knowledge); notice within 30 days cures defects unless the employer shows prejudice; with reasonable excuse up to 90 days; after 90 days no compensation is allowed unless knowledge was obtained | N.J.S.A. 34:15-17 and 34:15-51 |
| File your claim | 2 years after the accident, or 2 years after the last payment of compensation if some was paid (claim petition filed with the Division of Workers' Compensation) | N.J.S.A. 34:15-17 and 34:15-51 |
What a settlement adds or takes away
The chart is the statute's payment for a permanent injury. A lump-sum settlement can differ: it may also close out future medical care or wage loss, and the insurer and the judge must agree. A workers' comp lawyer in New Jersey can tell you what your rating is likely to be.
Questions
How much is a thumb worth in New Jersey workers' comp?
80 weeks of benefits for total loss or loss of use. A partial loss pays the same share of the weeks.
What is the maximum workers' comp benefit in New Jersey?
$1,199 a week for injuries in calendar year 2026 (effective 2026-01-01).
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in New Jersey?
2 years after the accident, or 2 years after the last payment of compensation if some was paid (claim petition filed with the Division of Workers' Compensation).
Sources
- Schedule (N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(c)(1)-(23)): www.nj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/assets/PDFs/Forms/wc_law.pdf
Said compensation shall be expressly subject to the provisions of R.S. 34:15-37, and shall be paid to the employee for the period named in the following schedule (paragraphs 1 to 23 inclusive): Lost Member / Number of Weeks’ Compensation: 1. Thumb 80. 2. First finger (commonly called index finger) 60. 3. Second finger 50. 4. Third finger 40. 5. Fourth finger (commonly called little finger) 30. 6. Great toe 40. 7. Toe, other than a great toe 15. 8. Hand, or thumb and first and second fingers (on one hand) or four fingers (on one hand) except that, in the event that the loss of function of the h…
- Weekly maximum (NJ Division of Workers' Compensation Rates and Statistics page; NJDOL press release 2025-12-29): www.nj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/tools-resources/rates-statistics/
Workers' Compensation benefit rates, 2026: Temporary Disability Rate $1,199 max/$320 min | Permanent Partial Disability $1,199 max/$35 min | Total Disability Rate $1,199 max/$320 min | Death Benefits $1,199 max. Footnote: Rates in effect on the date of accident or exposure/manifestation in cases of occupational exposure.
- Permanent partial rate (N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(c); NJ Division of Workers' Compensation Rates and Statistics page and 2026 Schedule of Disabilities): www.nj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/assets/PDFs/Forms/wc_law.pdf
For disability partial in character and permanent in quality, weekly compensation shall be paid based upon 70% of the weekly wages received at the time of the injury, subject to a maximum compensation per week of 75% of the Statewide average weekly wages (SAWW) earned by all employees covered by the “unemployment compensation law” (R.S. 43:21-1 et seq.) and paid in accordance with the following “Disability Wage and Compensation Schedule” and a minimum of $35.00 per week.
- Temporary disability rate (N.J.S.A. 34:15-12(a)): www.nj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/assets/PDFs/Forms/wc_law.pdf
For injury producing temporary disability, 70% of the worker's weekly wages received at the time of the injury, subject to a maximum compensation of 75% of the average weekly wages earned by all employees covered by the “unemployment compensation law” (R.S.43:21-1 et seq.) and a minimum of 20% of such average weekly wages a week. This compensation shall be paid during the period of such disability, not however, beyond 400 weeks.
- Deadlines (N.J.S.A. 34:15-17 and 34:15-51): www.nj.gov/labor/workerscompensation/assets/PDFs/Forms/wc_law.pdf
34:15-17: Unless the employer shall have actual knowledge of the occurrence of the injury, or unless the employee ... shall give notice thereof to the employer within fourteen days of the occurrence of the injury, then no compensation shall be due until such notice is given or knowledge obtained. ... Unless knowledge be obtained, or notice given, within ninety days after the occurrence of the injury, no compensation shall be allowed. 34:15-51: ... submit to the Division of Workers’ Compensation a petition filed and verified in a manner prescribed by regulation, within two years after the date …
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.