Comp rate × scheduled weeks × impairment rating, the formula behind every state's PPD chart, computed with every line shown. Charts shouldn't be a mystery.
Reviewed August 24, 2026 · methodology · changelogThe standard scheduled-award formula. Your state's schedule, caps, and settlement practice differ, so this is an educational estimate, not legal advice.
Workers' comp looks complicated because every state publishes its own charts, but nearly all of them are the same three-factor multiplication with different constants:
The formula produces the scheduled award if you simply collect it week by week. Lump-sum settlements move off that number in both directions: down for present-value discounting and disputed ratings, up when the insurer wants to close future medical exposure. Knowing the formula's number is what stops "we'll offer you $12,000 to close everything" from sounding generous when the schedule says $18,720 plus future medical.
First: does your settlement close your medical rights? A number that looks fair for the impairment award can be terrible if it also waives a lifetime of injury-related care. Second: was anyone besides your employer involved? Third-party claims run on the full multiplier-method math, including pain and suffering — alongside the comp claim.
Most permanent partial disability awards follow one formula: your weekly compensation rate (two-thirds of your average weekly wage, capped at a state maximum) times the scheduled weeks your state assigns the injured body part, times your impairment rating percentage. A 10% arm rating at a $600/week comp rate against a 312-week schedule is $600 × 31.2 weeks = $18,720. Settlements then negotiate around that number.
A percentage a doctor assigns to your permanent loss of function once you reach maximum medical improvement, usually using the AMA Guides. It's the single biggest lever in the formula. Which is why insurers' doctors often rate low and why you're generally entitled to challenge a rating with an independent medical examination.
Every state legislates its own schedule. The defaults in this calculator are the federal schedule (5 U.S.C. §8107). A public reference point — and the weeks field is editable, so you can enter your state's number from its official chart. Our per-state comp pages with each state's actual schedule are in progress.
No. Workers' comp is a no-fault system: it pays medical costs, a share of lost wages, and impairment awards. Never pain and suffering. If anyone other than your employer contributed to the injury (a negligent driver, a defective machine), a separate third-party claim can pay full damages including pain and suffering. That's the most commonly missed money in work injury cases.
A settlement trades your future benefits, sometimes including future medical care — for a lump sum. Before accepting one: know your impairment rating, run this formula, understand whether the settlement closes your medical rights, and if you're on or near Medicare, ask about a Medicare set-aside. Comp attorney fees are capped by statute in most states (commonly 10–20%), which makes advice comparatively cheap here.