Mississippi pays less per week than many states and only for a fixed stretch. For injuries on or after January 1, 2026, the most you can draw is $654.63 a week and temporary total checks cannot run past 450 weeks. Every week the carrier skips matters.
You do hold one card. The law gives you the right to select one physician or medical provider of your own choosing and that provider can make one referral to another specialist.
How Mississippi figures your weekly check
The Commission sets the check at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, kept inside the minimum and maximum in effect on the date you were hurt. For 2026 injuries the ceiling is $654.63. A $25 weekly floor exists too, but it applies only in death or total disability cases.
The first 5 days of disability go unpaid. If you are disabled 14 or more days, the carrier pays the whole period, those first 5 days included.
Want a quick estimate based on your own pay? Our pay calculator does the math in a minute.
| Weekly check | two-thirds (66 2/3%) of your average weekly wage |
|---|---|
| Weekly cap, injuries on or after January 1, 2026 | $654.63 |
| Weekly minimum (death or total disability only) | $25 |
| Waiting period | first 5 days unpaid, paid back if you are disabled 14 days or more |
| How long temporary total checks can last | up to 450 weeks |
Mississippi dates that decide your claim
- Notice to your employer: within 30 days after the injury.
- Application with the Commission: within two years of the injury when the carrier has paid no disability benefits. After that, the right to compensation is barred.
- Petition for review by the Full Commission: within 20 days of the judge's decision.
- Appeal of a final Commission award: within 30 days, to the Supreme Court.
Write each date on a calendar the day a letter or decision arrives and keep the envelope.
The Mississippi carrier denied me. What next?
A carrier's denial is a business decision, not an order. A contested claim is decided at the Commission and either side can then ask the Full Commission to look at it again.
Gather what you have now: the denial letter, recent pay stubs and the name of the doctor you chose. If the letter reads like code, paste it into our letter explainer. For a longer walk through your options, see our page on a denied claim.
The Commission takes calls at 601-987-4200.
Picking your Mississippi doctor
Your first choice of treating provider belongs to you, not the employer. Use it with care. Look for someone who treats your kind of injury and writes clear notes about what you can and cannot do at work, since those notes shape whether the weekly checks keep coming. That provider can then make one referral to another specialist.
What a Mississippi workers comp lawyer may charge
For work before the Commission, an attorney's recovery cannot exceed 25% of the total award. A second rule protects you: attorneys may not take fees out of temporary or permanent disability benefits that the carrier already paid voluntarily.
People also ask
How many doctors can I choose in Mississippi?
One doctor or other medical provider of your choice and that provider may refer you once to another specialist.