Impairment Rating Payout Calculator: How the Percentage Turns Into Checks
Reference Guide
This is not a lawsuit or a class settlement. An impairment rating is the percentage a doctor assigns after a work injury stops improving, and in most workers’ comp systems it is converted into money with one formula: weeks per rating point × weekly rate. The weeks and the rate are set by state law, which is why the same 10% rating pays very differently in Florida, Texas, Iowa or a federal job. Below are the actual statutory numbers, with worked examples, as of October 2026.
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What an Impairment Rating Is
When a work injury reaches maximum medical improvement (MMI) — the point where treatment is not expected to make it better — a doctor measures what permanent loss is left and expresses it as a percentage. Most states require the doctor to use the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. Texas, for example, uses the 4th Edition and rates the body as a whole; Florida uses its own schedule built on the AMA Guides and the Minnesota disability schedules; federal employees are rated under the edition the Labor Department’s OWCP specifies.
The rating is a medical number, not a dollar figure. It only becomes money once state law attaches a number of weeks and a weekly rate to it. That is what any impairment rating payout calculator is really doing.
Case details
Ratings are set by statute, not by a court case. The rules used on this page: Florida Statutes § 440.15(3); Iowa Code § 85.34; the Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation impairment income benefits fact sheet; and, for federal employees, 5 U.S.C. § 8107 with 20 C.F.R. § 10.404. Disputes over a rating go to the state workers’ compensation agency or its judges, not to a class action. See how a workers’ comp claim moves and the appeal deadlines by state.
The Formula, State by State
Texas. 3 weeks of impairment income benefits per point, at 70% of your average weekly wage, capped at 70% of the state average weekly wage. You can work while receiving them.
Iowa. Scheduled body parts carry fixed weeks — arm 250, leg 220, hand 190, foot 150, shoulder 400 — multiplied by the percentage lost, at 80% of spendable weekly earnings (cap: 184% of the state average weekly wage). Injuries outside the schedule are paid as a share of 500 weeks based on lost earning capacity; but if you return to work (or are offered work) at the same or higher earnings, you are paid based only on your functional impairment rating.
Federal employees (FECA). Schedule awards run at 66 2/3% of monthly pay: arm 312 weeks, leg 288, hand 244, prorated for partial loss.
Who This Applies To
You are in this system if you were hurt on the job, your claim was accepted, and your doctor has declared MMI with a permanent rating above zero. A zero rating usually means no impairment benefit at all, even if you still have pain.
Check three things on your paperwork: the rating percentage, whether it is to a body part (arm, hand, leg) or to the body as a whole, and your average weekly wage as the insurer calculated it. Each one changes the result. State pages with local rules: Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wyoming; for the full list see workers’ comp by state.
Worked Examples: What a 10% Rating Pays
Florida: temporary benefits would be $600 a week (66 2/3%), so the impairment benefit is 75% of that, $450 a week. A 10% rating = 20 weeks = about $9,000. At 12% it is 26 weeks, about $11,700.
Texas: 70% of $900 = $630 a week. A 10% rating = 30 weeks = about $18,900.
Iowa and federal, arm: 10% loss of use of an arm is 25 weeks in Iowa and 31.2 weeks under FECA, each at that system’s weekly rate.
These are the statutory impairment benefits, not a settlement offer. A negotiated settlement may also price future medical care, wage loss and the risk of a dispute — or come in lower in exchange for closing the claim. Compare any offer against the statutory figure first. For the broader case value see what a workers’ comp case is worth.
From Injury to Impairment Payout
Step 1 — Injury and Temporary Benefits
While you heal, you receive temporary wage-loss checks. In Florida that is 66 2/3% of your average weekly wage for up to 104 weeks.
Step 2 — Maximum Medical Improvement
Your doctor decides you have improved as much as expected. In Texas, the law generally sets MMI at 104 weeks from the 8th day of disability if it has not happened earlier.
Step 3 — The Rating Exam
A qualified doctor applies the required AMA Guides edition or state schedule. In Texas this must be a doctor certified by the state to do rating exams.
Step 4 — The Formula Is Applied
Rating × weeks per point × weekly rate. In Florida, benefits are due within 14 days after the insurer knows of the impairment.
Step 5 — Dispute or Accept
If the rating looks low, you can challenge it through your state agency, usually with a second rating. Deadlines are short and vary by state.
Step 6 — Payments or Settlement
Impairment benefits are paid weekly or biweekly for the computed number of weeks, unless the claim is settled for a lump sum.
Three Things to Watch For
A percentage that turns into thousands of dollars draws people who profit from your confusion:
Calculators that are really intake forms
Many “impairment rating payout” tools ask for your phone number before showing a result. The math is public: weeks per point from your state statute times your weekly rate. You do not need to hand over contact details to get it.
Using the wrong state’s numbers
A figure built on 450 or 500 weeks means nothing in Texas, where it is 3 weeks per point. An adjuster or website quoting another state’s formula, or treating a body-part rating as a whole-body rating, can move the result by thousands.
Lump-sum offers made before you check the rating
A quick settlement offer can be lower than the statutory benefit for your rating, and settling often closes future medical care too. Calculate the statutory amount first and get the offer in writing before you sign.
Impairment Rating Payouts — Questions People Actually Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
How is injury compensation calculated from an impairment rating?
Rating percentage × weeks per point (set by your state) × your weekly benefit rate. Texas: 3 weeks per point at 70% of your average weekly wage. Florida: 2 to 6 weeks per point depending on the rating tier, at 75% of your temporary disability rate.
How do I calculate my disability payments?
Start with your average weekly wage from the insurer’s paperwork. Apply your state’s percentage (Texas 70%; Iowa 80% of spendable earnings; Florida 75% of the 66 2/3% temporary rate), check it against the state cap, then multiply by the weeks your rating earns.
How much does a 10% impairment rating pay?
It depends on the state and your wage. With a $900 weekly wage: roughly $9,000 in Florida (20 weeks at $450) and roughly $18,900 in Texas (30 weeks at $630). For a scheduled arm injury, Iowa pays 25 weeks and the federal system 31.2 weeks.
How much does workers’ comp pay for surgery?
Surgery itself does not have a set payout in these formulas. What pays is the permanent rating your doctor assigns at maximum medical improvement after treatment, plus the temporary benefits you receive while recovering. Medical bills are paid separately by the insurer.
Is my rating to a body part or to the whole body?
It matters. Texas rates the body as a whole. Iowa and the federal system pay many injuries by body part (arm 250 weeks in Iowa, 312 under FECA). Iowa pays injuries outside its schedule on lost earning capacity out of 500 weeks, unless you return to work at the same or higher earnings, in which case only the functional impairment counts.
Can I work and still get impairment benefits?
In Texas, yes — impairment income benefits are not wage replacement, so you can work while receiving them. In Florida they continue but are cut by 50% for any week you earn at least your pre-injury wage.
What is the maximum weekly rate?
It is set yearly by each state. In Florida it is $1,358 a week for injuries on or after January 1, 2026. Texas caps impairment income benefits at 70% of the state average weekly wage. Iowa caps permanent partial benefits at 184% of the state average weekly wage.
Is this a class action I can join?
No. Impairment benefits come through your own workers’ comp claim, not a class settlement. If you think your rating or wage figure is wrong, the dispute goes to your state agency; a workers’ comp lawyer can review it.
About This Information
- Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology. Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
- $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
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