Tennessee's post-2014 formula is clean arithmetic: your impairment rating × 450 weeks × 66⅔% of your wages (capped), and if you can't return to work at equal pay, the award multiplies by 1.35, with further education, age, and local-unemployment multipliers.
Tennessee PPD uses the permanent maximum, $1,353.00/week for injuries on or after July 1, 2026, not the higher temporary max. If you don't return to work at equal or greater pay, multiply the result by 1.35 (plus education/age/unemployment factors where they apply).
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| PPD weekly maximum (injuries 7/1/2026–6/30/2027) | $1,353.00, the permanent max, not the $1,488.30 temporary max most sites quote |
| TTD weekly maximum | $1,488.30 (110% of the state average weekly wage) |
| Formula | Impairment % × 450 weeks × comp rate · ×1.35 if not back at equal pay |
| Attorney fee cap | 20% of the recovery (Tenn. Code Ann. §50-6-226) |
A comp settlement trades future benefits for a lump sum. Three checks first: does the settlement close your future medical rights (a fair-looking number can be terrible if it does)? Is your impairment rating solid, given that insurer doctors rate low and you can usually challenge with an independent exam? And was anyone besides your employer involved, because a third-party claim pays pain and suffering that comp never does.
Tennessee's post-2014 formula is clean arithmetic: your impairment rating × 450 weeks × 66⅔% of your wages (capped), and if you can't return to work at equal pay, the award multiplies by 1.35, with further education, age, and local-unemployment multipliers. Settlements then negotiate around that formula number, down for present-value and disputed ratings, up when the insurer wants to close future medical exposure.
PPD weekly maximum (injuries 7/1/2026–6/30/2027): $1,353.00, the permanent max, not the $1,488.30 temporary max most sites quote · TTD weekly maximum: $1,488.30 (110% of the state average weekly wage) · Formula: Impairment % × 450 weeks × comp rate · ×1.35 if not back at equal pay · Attorney fee cap: 20% of the recovery (Tenn. Code Ann. §50-6-226)
Not your employer, in most cases, because comp is the exclusive remedy. But if anyone else contributed to the injury (a negligent driver, a defective machine's manufacturer, a subcontractor), a third-party claim can pay full damages including pain and suffering, alongside the comp claim. That's the most commonly missed money in work-injury cases.
20% of the recovery (Tenn. Code Ann. §50-6-226)
The multiplier method with Tennessee's fault rule and deadlines applied.
Open →The generic scheduled-award formula with the federal reference schedule.
Open →Comp vs. third-party claims, and where the missed money usually is.
Open →