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Workers' comp settlement calculator

Estimate the permanent partial disability award your state's law provides for an impairment rating. It is the number most settlement talks start from, calculated with your state's own schedule or formula.

Checked against official sources November 3, 2026How we calculate

Permanent disability settlement calculator

The percentage your doctor assigns at maximum medical improvement.
Statutory value of the award
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Weeks of benefits
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Weekly rate
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How it is figured
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The result is the statutory award for the rating, not a prediction of a negotiated settlement.

How states turn a rating into money

States use one of a few systems. The calculator applies the right one for the state you choose.

  • Body-part schedules. New York, Illinois, North Carolina and others list a number of weeks for each body part. A 10% loss of use of a hand in New York is 10% of 244 weeks, or 24.4 weeks, paid at 2/3 of your wage up to the maximum.
  • Specific loss only. Pennsylvania and Michigan pay their schedules for amputation or total loss of use of a body part, not for a partial rating.
  • Whole-body impairment formulas. Florida converts a whole-body rating into weeks on a sliding scale, so higher ratings earn more weeks per point.
  • Person as a whole. Illinois pays injuries to the back, neck and other unscheduled parts as a percentage of 500 weeks.

Compare weeks across states on the workers' comp settlement chart by body part.

What a settlement adds or takes away

A settlement is an agreement, not a formula. On top of the statutory award, it may include money for future medical treatment, especially when the settlement closes your medical benefits, and it reflects each side's view of the risk of a hearing. In most states a judge or the agency must approve it. If you receive or expect Medicare, read about Medicare set-asides first.

Settlement calculators by state

Frequently asked questions

How is a workers comp settlement calculated?

The usual starting point is the permanent disability award the law provides: your impairment rating converted into weeks of benefits, times a weekly rate based on your wage. The parties then negotiate. A settlement may add a value for future medical care or for the risk of going to a hearing, and it may be paid as a lump sum or over time.

What is a good workers comp settlement?

One that at least covers what the law would pay you for your rating, plus the realistic cost of medical care you give up if the settlement closes it out. Compare any offer with the statutory value from this calculator and with your expected medical needs before you sign.

When do I get an impairment rating?

Usually when your doctor finds you have reached maximum medical improvement, meaning your condition is not expected to get significantly better with more treatment. Many states require the rating to follow the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

Do I pay taxes on a workers comp settlement?

Workers' compensation paid under a workers' compensation act is generally exempt from federal income tax, according to IRS Publication 525. Part of it can become taxable if it reduces Social Security disability benefits. Read more.