Historical Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustments are maintained on this site for research purposes.

No, if the CPI goes down, benefits are not reduced. Benefits are left unchanged from their previous level.

WorkSafeBC calculates cost of living adjustments using the formula provided by Section 334 of the Act. This formula is the percentage change in CPI, unless the percentage change in CPI is less than 0% or more than 4%. If the percentage change in CPI is less than 0%, no adjustment is made to the periodic payments. If the percentage change in CPI is greater than 4%, WorkSafeBC must determine a percentage which must be at least 4% and must not be greater than the percentage change in CPI. To determine the CPI percentage change to be applied in January of a given year, WorkSafeBC compares the national CPI for October of the previous year with that for October of the year prior to the previous year.

For example: WorkSafeBC’s cost of living adjustment in January 2023 was 6.88%. This was determined by taking the full CPI percentage change from October 2021 to October 2022.

The CPI at October 2021 = 143.9
The CPI at October 2022 = 153.8

The CPI increase based on WorkSafeBC’s method is (153.8 − 143.9)/143.9 = 6.88%

The October CPI figures are published as a President’s Approval, stored in Forms & resources. You can access them from the links above, to this year’s President’s Approval, or to the links to Amounts in the Act in the “All previous CPI adjustments” section, for previous years. The October CPI figures used to calculate the cost of living adjustment for the start of the following year is shown in the second paragraph of the “Consumer Price Index and Percentage Change Adjustments to the Workers Compensation Act” and “Consumer Price Index Adjustments” documents.

Cost of living adjustments are applied to periodic payments of compensation, including wage loss benefits and permanent disability benefits, to be paid continuously in the calendar year in respect of an injury or a death occurring more than 12 months before the date of the adjustment.

If payments on a claim are started or restarted more than 12 months after the injury or death, the worker or dependant receives the benefit of any cost of living adjustments occurring in the interim period as if he or she had been continuously paid since the date of injury or death.

Section 334 of the Workers Compensation Act provides the following:

Annual Adjustment of periodic payment amounts

334 (1) On or before January 1 of each year, the Board must

(a) determine the percentage change in the consumer price index for Canada, for all items, for the 12-month period ending on October 31 of the previous year, and

(b) if the percentage change under paragraph (a) is greater than 4%, determine a percentage in accordance with subsection (2).

(2) The percentage determined by the Board under subsection (1) (b) must be at least 4% and must not be greater than the percentage change determined under subsection (1) (a).

(3) On January 1 of each year, the Board must adjust, in accordance with subsection (4), the periodic payments of compensation to be paid in the calendar year in respect of an injury or death occurring more than 12 months before the date of the adjustment.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3), the periodic payments of compensation must be adjusted as follows:

(a) if the percentage change determined under subsection (1) (a) is negative, the adjustment is 0%;

(b) if the percentage change determined under subsection (1) (a) is greater than 4%, the adjustment is equal to the percentage determined under subsection (1) (b);

(c) in any other case, the adjustment is the percentage change determined under subsection (1) (a).

(5) If the Board starts or restarts periodic payments of compensation for an injury or a death that occurred more than 12 months before the payments are started or restarted, the Board must, under this section, adjust all periodic payments as if the payments were made continuously from the date of injury or death.

Section 334 of the Act was amended on November 24, 2022. Prior to that date, section 334 required payments be adjusted by the percentage change in CPI minus 1% (to a maximum of 4%).

The most recent cost of living adjustments are set out below:

See the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual Volume II, chapter 7, policy item #51.00 which discusses Cost of Living Adjustments.