Workers’ Comp Mileage Reimbursement in California: 2026 Rates and How to Get Paid

Yes. If you have a California workers’ comp claim, the insurance company must reimburse your mileage to and from medical treatment and medical-legal exams for your work injury. For travel on or after July 1, 2026, the rate is 76 cents a mile, and parking, bridge tolls and public transportation count too. You get paid by logging your trips and sending the state’s mileage form to the claims administrator.

Who qualifies for workers’ comp mileage

You qualify if you have a workers’ comp claim and you travel for medical care or a medical-legal evaluation related to that claim. Your job title, wage and date of injury don’t matter. Full-time, part-time and seasonal workers are all covered.

The right comes from Labor Code §4600, which requires your employer to provide the medical treatment “reasonably required to cure or relieve” your injury. The insurance company doesn’t pick the rate. Labor Code §4600, Government Code §19820 and state human resources regulations tie it to the IRS business mileage rate, and the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announces each change.

Two rules shape every mileage claim:

• The travel date controls. The DWC says the current rate “must be paid for travel on or after July 1, 2026, regardless of the date of injury.”
• The trip has to be for your claim. Driving to an authorized doctor, therapist, pharmacy or medical-legal exam counts. Your normal commute to work does not.

This is different from the mileage your employer owes you for driving your own car on the job. That is a wage-and-hour reimbursement issue under a different law, covered in our guide to mileage reimbursement for driving at work.

What trips and costs are covered

The DWC’s mileage form covers travel to a “doctor, hospital, therapist, etc.” and expressly includes “reasonable travel to the pharmacy, parking, bridge tolls, public transportation and other travel-related costs.” In practice, that means trips to:

• Your primary treating physician and any specialists you are referred to
• Physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture visits
• X-rays, MRIs, lab work and other diagnostic testing
• Surgery, hospital stays and follow-up visits
• The pharmacy, to fill prescriptions for your work injury
• QME and AME evaluations, and other exams the employer, insurer or a judge asks you to attend

Keep a receipt for every parking charge, toll and bus or train fare. If your injury keeps you from driving, ask the adjuster in writing, before the appointment, how your transportation will be handled.

Independent Medical Review (IMR) is not a trip. It is a paper review of a treatment denial, and the reviewer doesn’t examine you. The insurer may also refuse mileage for a visit it says wasn’t authorized; whether a doctor is authorized usually depends on your employer’s medical provider network and your right to change doctors, explained in Can I choose my own doctor for workers’ comp?

Workers’ comp mileage rates, 2023 to 2026

Use the rate in effect on the day of each trip.

The DWC announced the 76-cent rate in News Release 2026-60 on July 23, 2026, after the IRS raised its rate mid-year. The January 2026 rate is in News Release 2026-02.

Here is a hypothetical. Maria hurts her shoulder at work. Her physical therapy clinic is 18 miles from home, so each visit is a 36-mile round trip worth $27.36 at 76 cents a mile. After 12 visits in August and September 2026, she is owed $328.32 in mileage, plus her parking. Had some of those visits been in May 2026, they would be paid at 72.5 cents instead.

Mileage is only one part of a claim. To estimate your temporary and permanent disability benefits, try our free workers’ comp benefits calculator.

QME, AME and employer-requested exams

Medical-legal exams get extra protection. Under Labor Code §4600(e)(1), when you attend an exam at the request of your employer, the insurer, the DWC administrative director, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board or a workers’ comp judge, you are entitled to:

• All reasonable transportation expenses, including mileage from home to the exam and back, plus bridge tolls
• Reasonable meals and lodging connected to the exam
• One day of temporary disability for each day of wages you lose to attend

Labor Code §4600(e)(2) adds a timing rule: the mileage and tolls for these exams “shall be paid to the employee at the time the employee is given notification of the time and place of the examination.” In other words, for an exam the other side requests, you should be paid up front. If the notice arrives without a travel payment, ask for it in writing before the appointment. If you don’t speak or understand English well, Labor Code §4600(f) also entitles you to a qualified interpreter at these exams, provided by the employer.

Another hypothetical: David is sent to an exam 85 miles from home. The 170-mile round trip at 76 cents is $129.20, plus tolls. He misses a full day of work, so he is also owed one day of temporary disability. Panel doctors are often far from home; see the difference between a QME and an AME for how they are chosen.

How to document and submit your mileage

1. Keep a running log. For every trip, write the date, where you left from, the name and address of the provider, and the round-trip miles. A map app’s driving distance is a reasonable measure.
2. Photograph receipts the same day. Parking, tolls, bus and train fare all need proof.
3. Use the official form. Fill out the DWC Medical Mileage Expense Form, which has columns for date, from, to, round-trip miles, parking and tolls.
4. Send the original to the insurance company. The form says to keep a copy. Include your name, claim number and date of injury, and attach your receipts.
5. Don’t send it to the court. The form says not to send it to the local appeals board office or to the information and assistance officer.
6. Submit regularly. A form every month, or after each batch of visits, keeps amounts small and easy to check.
7. Check every payment. Compare it to your log. Insurers sometimes pay the wrong rate, skip a trip or leave out parking.

If you have a lawyer, send your attorney a copy of everything you send the insurer.

What to do if mileage isn’t paid

The usual reasons for nonpayment are a missing form or receipt, an address the adjuster can’t verify, a claim that the visit wasn’t authorized, or simple delay. Most are fixable.

• Wait 60 days, then get help. The DWC form says: “If your travel costs are not paid within 60 days, contact the information and assistance officer.” Information and assistance officers work at DWC district offices and help injured workers for free.
• Know the penalty rule. The Labor Code defines “compensation” to include every benefit or payment under the workers’ comp law (Labor Code §3207). When compensation is unreasonably delayed or refused, Labor Code §5814 lets the appeals board increase the delayed amount by up to 25 percent or $10,000, whichever is less. A judge decides whether the delay was unreasonable and how much to award.
• Look at the rest of the claim. An insurer that won’t pay a $15 trip may also be paying temporary disability late or denying treatment. If the whole claim was denied, start with our guide to a denied workers’ compensation claim.

Your employer also can’t punish you for missing work to attend authorized appointments because of your claim. Discrimination for filing a claim is barred by Labor Code §132a.

Frequently asked questions

What is the workers’ comp mileage rate in California for 2026?

For travel from January 1 through June 30, 2026, it is 72.5 cents a mile. For travel on or after July 1, 2026, it is 76 cents a mile, regardless of your date of injury.

Do I get mileage for a QME appointment?

Yes. QME and AME evaluations are covered. For an exam requested by the employer, insurer, administrative director, appeals board or a judge, Labor Code §4600(e) also covers reasonable meals and lodging and one day of temporary disability for each day of wages lost, and the mileage and tolls are due when you are notified of the exam.

Is mileage to the pharmacy covered?

Yes. The DWC’s mileage form specifically lists “reasonable travel to the pharmacy” for prescriptions related to your work injury.

Can I claim parking, tolls and bus fare?

Yes. The form includes parking, bridge tolls, public transportation and other travel-related costs. Attach receipts.

How long does the insurer have to pay my mileage?

The DWC form says to contact an information and assistance officer if your travel costs aren’t paid within 60 days. For exams the employer or insurer requests, Labor Code §4600(e)(2) requires the mileage and tolls to be paid when you are notified of the exam.

Does my commute to work count?

No. Workers’ comp mileage covers travel for medical care and medical-legal exams on your claim, not your regular drive to and from work.

Talk to a California workers’ comp lawyer

Employees First Labor Law represents workers exclusively, including injured workers whose benefits are late, short or denied. We offer free virtual consultations to review your whole claim, not just the mileage. Contact us online or call (310) 853-3461.

This article is general information about California law as of 2026, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.