Glossary

Temporary total disability

Workers' comp wage-loss benefit paid while an injured worker cannot work at all but is expected to recover, commonly about two-thirds of pre-injury pay.

Also called: TTD, TTD benefits, temporary total disability benefits, temporary total

Temporary total disability (TTD) is the workers' compensation indemnity benefit paid when an injured employee cannot do any work during recovery but is expected to improve. It replaces part of lost wages; the medical benefit pays for treatment separately. Most states set the rate at about two-thirds of the worker's average weekly wage, subject to a state minimum and maximum. Waiting periods, commonly a few days, and the point at which early days are paid retroactively vary by state, so check the state's agency.

Say a worker earns $900 a week and the state maximum is higher: the weekly TTD check is about $600 (hypothetical). Benefits end when the doctor releases the worker, the worker returns to work, or the worker reaches maximum medical improvement. If the worker can do restricted duty but earns less, benefits may convert to temporary partial disability. After MMI, any lasting impairment is rated and paid as permanent partial disability or, in severe cases, permanent total.

TTD days drive lost-time claim cost, and the longer someone stays off work, the less likely they are to return. Employers that offer light duty or transitional assignments shorten the benefit period and the claim. The guide on return-to-work programs: how to build one shows how to build one.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Permanent partial disability A workers' comp benefit for a lasting impairment that limits but does not end a worker's ability to work, set by an impairment rating or state schedule. Maximum medical improvement (MMI) The point in a work injury when the condition has stabilized and further recovery is not expected, so permanent impairment can be measured and rated. Light duty Temporary, modified work offered to an injured employee whose doctor has set restrictions, so the person stays on the job while recovering from a work injury. Return-to-work program An employer program that brings injured workers back to modified or transitional duty once a doctor clears them, to shorten claims and keep them connected. Workers' compensation State-mandated no-fault insurance that pays medical care and part of lost wages for work-related injuries, in exchange for limits on employee lawsuits.

Related guides

Group short- and long-term disability insurance for employers How group short-term and long-term disability insurance works: definitions of disability, elimination periods, tax treatment, offsets and state programs. Light duty and transitional work: how to set it up What light duty and transitional work are, how to design assignments that match medical restrictions, and where the ADA, FMLA and state comp rules limit you. Return-to-work programs: how to build one How to write a return-to-work program that gets injured employees back on the job safely, cuts lost-time claim costs and holds up under the ADA and FMLA. State disability and paid family leave programs: every mandate in 2026 Which states and DC require paid family or medical leave or temporary disability insurance in 2026, who funds each, and which are already paying benefits. Workers' comp, the ADA and FMLA: how they overlap How one workplace injury can trigger workers' comp, FMLA leave and ADA accommodation at once, and what EEOC and DOL guidance say employers must do at each step. Workers' comp settlements and the employer's role How workers' comp claims settle, why states treat lump sums and medical closure differently, what Medicare set-asides require, and the employer's role.