This number can make or break how much money comes in after a work injury. If your back goes out loading equipment, or you get bounced around in a crash on a frost-heaved road and miss work, your workers' compensation benefits usually rise or fall based on this figure. If it is too low, your wage-loss benefits may be short by hundreds of dollars over time.

Average weekly wage is the worker's usual earnings, converted into a weekly amount, and used as the base for benefit calculations. In plain terms, it is meant to show what you were earning before the injury. Under Maine's Workers' Compensation Act, benefits are generally tied to a percentage of that amount. The calculation may include regular pay, overtime in some situations, and the value of certain employment benefits, depending on the facts and the payroll records available.

For an injury claim, the practical move is simple: check the math early. Compare the insurer's number against pay stubs, W-2s, direct-deposit records, and any proof of bonuses or steady overtime. If hours changed seasonally, that can matter too. A bad average weekly wage figure can affect temporary total disability, partial incapacity, and even settlement value. If treatment ends up at Maine Medical Center in Portland after a serious job-site injury, the medical side may be obvious - but the wage calculation still needs its own close look.