Free tool
California Permanent Disability Calculator
Once a workers’ compensation doctor assigns a permanent disability rating, California converts that percentage into a fixed number of weeks of benefits. Estimate that below.
Reviewed by Justin Silverman, California employment attorney (State Bar #292036). Current for 2026.
Estimated permanent disability indemnity
$29,217.50
- Weeks of benefits
- 100.75
- Weekly rate (two thirds of earnings)
- $290.00
For permanent disability, California counts earnings only between $240 and $435 per week. Your figure was reduced to the ceiling before the two thirds calculation.
This estimates the statutory indemnity formula for injuries on or after January 1, 2014. It is not an estimate of what a case is worth, and older injuries use different schedules. Apportionment to causes outside work can reduce the rating itself, before any of this arithmetic starts.
Why the math is not linear
Labor Code section 4658 assigns more weeks per percentage point as the rating climbs, and the bands stack. The first 9.75 points earn three weeks each. Points from 70 to 99.75 earn sixteen. That is why a seemingly small increase in a rating can move the total a great deal, and why a disputed rating is worth taking seriously.
| Rating range | Weeks per 1% |
|---|---|
| 0.25% to 9.75% | 3 |
| 10% to 14.75% | 4 |
| 15% to 24.75% | 5 |
| 25% to 29.75% | 6 |
| 30% to 49.75% | 7 |
| 50% to 69.75% | 8 |
| 70% to 99.75% | 16 |
If your benefits have been arriving late, that carries its own automatic penalty, which we cover in what happens if workers’ comp pays you late. For how the claim itself works, see our workers’ compensation practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is permanent disability calculated in California?
Your rating converts to a number of weeks using the sliding scale in Labor Code section 4658, and those weeks are paid at two thirds of your average weekly earnings. For permanent disability the earnings figure counts only between $240 and $435 per week, so the weekly rate falls between about $160 and $290.
Why isn't a 25 percent rating just 25 times something?
Because the scale is cumulative and gets steeper as the rating rises. Each percentage point earns the weeks assigned to its band, and the bands are added together. A 25 percent rating works out to 100.75 weeks rather than 75, which is the arithmetic most people get wrong.
What is the 15 percent adjustment?
For employers with 50 or more employees, each remaining payment drops by 15 percent if the employer offers you regular, modified, or alternative work within 60 days of your condition becoming permanent and stationary, and rises by 15 percent if it does not. Employers under 50 employees are not subject to it.
Does this tell me what my case is worth?
No. This calculates one statutory benefit from a rating you already have. It does not account for future medical care, a disputed rating, apportionment, or any other claim you may have. What a case is worth depends on facts a calculator cannot see.
What is apportionment and how does it affect this?
Apportionment assigns part of your permanent disability to causes other than work, such as a prior injury or a pre-existing condition. It reduces the rating itself, which happens before any of this arithmetic. A lower rating means fewer weeks and a smaller total.
What happens at 70 percent or higher?
Ratings of 70 percent to 99.75 percent can also qualify for a life pension, paid after the permanent disability weeks run out. That is a separate calculation under Labor Code section 4659 and is not included in the estimate here. A 100 percent rating is permanent total disability, paid for life.
Does this work for older injuries?
No. This uses the schedule and earnings limits for injuries on or after January 1, 2014. Injuries before that date use different caps and, for injuries before 2013, a different rating method entirely. If your injury is older, the numbers here will not be right.
Think you're owed money? Get a free case review.
A permanent disability rating is often disputed, and the rating drives everything above it. If yours does not match what you can actually still do, a consultation with our office is free.
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This page and calculator are general information, not legal advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship.