Income Replacement Benefits for Personal Coverage

If you are unable to work due to a work-related injury or illness, you may receive income replacement benefits. We will decide if you are eligible for full or partial income replacement based on medical information that shows the injury or illness affects your ability to participate in business operations and requires time away from work. 

What you receive in income replacement benefits depends on several factors:

• your loss of earnings due to the injury
• the level of Personal Coverage you purchased
• any benefits you receive from other sources for the same injury or illness.

The following table shows approximate values of income replacement benefits based on 90 per cent of net verified earnings for a single person with no tax credits or deductions. 

Note: If you pay into Employment Insurance, those premiums will be deducted from your income replacement benefits. The amounts shown in the table above do not include EI deductions, as self-employed individuals and business owners are not required to pay EI.

If you receive benefits from another insurance provider for the same injury or illness, these payments may reduce your WCB income replacement benefits.

If you are 61 years of age or older at the time of the work-related injury or illness, we will pay income replacement benefits for up to 48 months.

If you purchased more than the minimum level of coverage and did not previously provide proof of your earnings, you will receive income replacement benefits based on the minimum coverage level until we verify your earnings. Usually, we verify your earnings through income tax records. Once we have verified your earnings, we will recalculate your income replacement benefits based on the level of coverage you purchased or your verified earnings, whichever is less. If this increases your income replacement benefit, you will receive a retroactive payment to make up the difference.

If you purchased more than the minimum level of coverage and previously verified your earnings, you will receive income replacement benefits based on the level of coverage you purchased and your loss of earnings.

Your income replacement benefits will be based on the minimum even if your verified earnings are less than the minimum, as long as there is a loss of earnings.

Income replacement benefits for business owners are based on your ability to continue to operate the business.

If your injury means you cannot do any of your regular duties, you will receive full benefits (generally 90 per cent of net earnings covered).

If you are able to do some of your pre-injury duties, you will receive partial income replacement benefits based on how your injury affects your earnings. Your WCB representative will review your medical restrictions and consult with you to determine your loss of earning capacity as a percentage of your verified earnings.

Example:

You purchased the 2023 minimum amount of coverage at $27,670. Your work injury or illness means that you can only participate in your business at about 40 per cent of what you usually do.

We calculate your reduced earnings based on your verified earnings and your work capacity:

$27,670 x 40% = $11,068

We assume you are still able to earn $11,068 per year from your business and deduct this amount from your earnings before calculating your income replacement benefits.

$27,670 - $11,068 = $16,602

Your income replacement benefits will be based on the lost earnings of $16,602 per year.