Iowa Workers' Compensation Settlement Calculator
Estimate Iowa workers' comp — Max Weekly Compensation Rate, 3-Day Waiting Period, PPD Scheduled Member Weeks
Iowa workers' compensation claims are governed by Iowa Code §85.37 (TTD/HP) / §85.34(3) (PTD) (Max Weekly Compensation Rate): 80% of spendable weekly earnings, capped at 200% of the statewide average weekly wage — $2,431/wk max (FY July 2026-June 2027, SAWW $1,215.65). Of the 3 landmark Iowa workers' compensation awards documented on this page, the largest is $19M (Kono v. D.R. Horton, Inc. — $19M jury verdict for a construction-site trench collapse (Polk City, IA, 2023) against the home-building general contractor, REVERSED by the Iowa Supreme Court (Apr. 10, 2026), which held D.R. Horton was Kono's statutory employer and therefore shielded by WC exclusivity; 2023).
🌽 IOWA: Max Weekly Compensation Rate | 3-Day Waiting Period | Active Second Injury Fund
Your Injury
Your Estimated Settlement
$6,000 — $6,000
Pain and suffering = $15,000 in medical bills × 0.0 severity multiplier. Your bills are already included in that figure, so they are not added again.
Workers' compensation is a no-fault system: your benefits are not reduced because you were partly or fully responsible for the accident.
Workers' compensation does not pay pain and suffering. Unlike a personal injury claim, it covers medical treatment and a portion of your lost wages only — so no pain-and-suffering amount is included above.
This figure does not include a permanent impairment award. If your injury leaves lasting limitations, most states add a separate payment based on a doctor's impairment rating and a statutory schedule.
If someone other than your employer caused the injury — a subcontractor, a driver, a defective machine — you may also have a separate personal injury claim against that party, and that claim can include pain and suffering.
Keep this estimate — it is gone when you close the tab.
Workers' Compensation Wage Benchmark — New York State claims only
Across New York State claims only, this benchmark is based on 5,586,588 real payments totaling $139.7B from official New York State workers' comp claims.
Average
$25K
Median
$20K
25th %ile
$13K
90th %ile
$44K
Source: New York State Workers' Compensation Board (via data.ny.gov). These figures come from New York State claims only and do not describe benefit levels in other states. Actual payouts may vary based on individual circumstances.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor
Iowa Workers' Compensation Law
Iowa workers' compensation benefits is governed by Iowa Code §85.37 (TTD/HP) / §85.34(3) (PTD) (Max Weekly Compensation Rate): 80% of spendable weekly earnings, capped at 200% of the statewide average weekly wage — $2,431/wk max (FY July 2026-June 2027, SAWW $1,215.65). Total weekly comp can never exceed 80% of the worker's spendable (after-tax) earnings, even below the cap. Minimum = lower of $425/wk (35% of SAWW) or actual spendable earnings. Rate reset every July 1 by Iowa Workforce Development under §96.1A(35).
3-Day Waiting Period (Iowa Code §85.32): Compensation begins on the 4th day of disability after the injury. No benefits for the injury day plus the first 3 days. If disability extends beyond the 14th day post-injury, those 3 waiting-period days are paid retroactively, added onto the 3rd week's check.
PPD — Scheduled Member Weeks (Iowa Code §85.34(2)): Fixed weeks per body part (thumb 60wk, hand 190wk, arm 250wk, shoulder 400wk, leg 220wk, foot 150wk, eye 140wk); unscheduled ('whole body') injuries prorate against a 500-week base by loss of earning capacity. Paid at 80% of spendable weekly earnings, capped at 184% of SAWW — $2,237/wk max (FY 2026-27). Workers who return to work at equal-or-greater pay are compensated only on their functional-impairment %, not earning-capacity loss.
Key Iowa Workers' Compensation Statutes
Iowa workers' compensation benefits operates under these critical legal rules:
Iowa Code §85.37 (TTD/HP) / §85.34(3) (PTD)
Max Weekly Compensation RateStandard: 80% of spendable weekly earnings, capped at 200% of the statewide average weekly wage — $2,431/wk max (FY July 2026-June 2027, SAWW $1,215.65)
Scope: Applies to TTD, healing period, and PTD benefits. Total weekly comp can never exceed 80% of the worker's spendable (after-tax) earnings, even below the cap. Minimum = lower of $425/wk (35% of SAWW) or actual spendable earnings. Rate reset every July 1 by Iowa Workforce Development under §96.1A(35).
Iowa Code §85.32
3-Day Waiting PeriodStandard: Compensation begins on the 4th day of disability after the injury
Scope: No benefits for the injury day plus the first 3 days. If disability extends beyond the 14th day post-injury, those 3 waiting-period days are paid retroactively, added onto the 3rd week's check.
Iowa Code §85.34(2)
PPD — Scheduled Member WeeksStandard: Fixed weeks per body part (thumb 60wk, hand 190wk, arm 250wk, shoulder 400wk, leg 220wk, foot 150wk, eye 140wk); unscheduled ('whole body') injuries prorate against a 500-week base by loss of earning capacity
Scope: Paid at 80% of spendable weekly earnings, capped at 184% of SAWW — $2,237/wk max (FY 2026-27). Workers who return to work at equal-or-greater pay are compensated only on their functional-impairment %, not earning-capacity loss (§85.34(2)(v)).
Iowa Code §85.34(3)
Permanent Total DisabilityStandard: 80% of spendable weekly earnings, capped at 200% of SAWW — $2,431/wk max (FY 2026-27), payable until the employee is no longer permanently and totally disabled
Scope: Forfeited for any week the worker earns 50%+ of SAWW from gross wages or current-services payments from any source; unavailable while the worker is collecting unemployment compensation.
Iowa Code §85.20
Exclusive RemedyStandard: Workers' comp is the injured employee's exclusive remedy against BOTH the employer and co-employees
Scope: Narrow exception: a co-employee can be sued in tort only if their conduct was 'gross negligence amounting to such lack of care as to amount to wanton neglect' — a very high bar. The Iowa Supreme Court vacated a $2.84M jury verdict against two co-employees for failing to clear it (Griffith v. Kulper, Feb. 2026).
Iowa Code §85.23 / §85.26
Notice + 2-Year Filing DeadlineStandard: 90 days to notify the employer of the injury; 2 years from the injury (or 3 years from the last weekly-benefit payment) to file an original claim
Scope: 'Date of occurrence of the injury' means when the employee knew or should have known it was work-related — a discovery rule that applies to both the notice clock and the filing deadline. Missing the 90-day notice bars compensation unless the employer had actual knowledge.
Recovery Structure
Medical treatment (employer-furnished, typically unlimited for the accepted injury), lost wages at 80% of spendable (after-tax) weekly earnings subject to the statewide-wage-linked cap, permanent impairment awards via the scheduled-member or 500-week industrial-disability system, vocational rehab, and death/survivor benefits. No pain and suffering under WC (trade-off of exclusive remedy).
Key Iowa Doctrines
Exclusive Remedy: Workers' comp is the injured worker's exclusive remedy against BOTH the employer and co-employees. Narrow exception: a co-employee can be sued in tort only if their conduct was 'gross negligence amounting to such lack of care as to amount to wanton neglect' — a very high bar (the Iowa Supreme Court vacated a $2.84M jury verdict against two co-employees on exactly this issue in Griffith v. Kulper, Feb. 2026). Notice + 2-Year Filing Deadline: 90 days to notify the employer of the injury; 2 years from the injury (or 3 years from the last benefit payment) to file an original claim.
Damage Structure + Caps
Medical benefits (employer-furnished), lost-wage replacement at 80% of spendable earnings (capped at 200% or 184% of SAWW depending on benefit type), permanent disability award (scheduled weeks or 500-week industrial-disability method), death benefits. Iowa still maintains an active Second Injury Compensation Act (Iowa Code §85.63 et seq.) for combined-injury claims — most states have phased theirs out.
Iowa Workers' Compensation Verdicts + Averages
Recent Iowa outcomes — two supreme-court exclusivity rulings plus the statutory schedule ceiling (marked as an example, not an individual case). Firm-published settlements of $350,000-$415,000 for permanent back/shoulder injuries exist but carry no published dates:
| Amount | Year | Case / Injury |
|---|---|---|
| $2.8M | 2026 | Griffith v. Kulper — $2.84M jury verdict against two co-employees over a workplace death, VACATED by the Iowa Supreme Court (Feb. 6, 2026): the co-employees' conduct didn't meet the 'wanton neglect' gross-negligence bar required to pierce WC exclusivity under §85.20(2) — Workplace death; wrongful-death tort claim brought against co-employees (not the employer) |
| $19M | 2023 | Kono v. D.R. Horton, Inc. — $19M jury verdict for a construction-site trench collapse (Polk City, IA, 2023) against the home-building general contractor, REVERSED by the Iowa Supreme Court (Apr. 10, 2026), which held D.R. Horton was Kono's statutory employer and therefore shielded by WC exclusivity — Trench collapse injuring a subcontractor's construction employee |
| $895K | 2026 | Statutory schedule example — shoulder injury at the full 400-week schedule x $2,237/wk PPD cap (FY 2026-27) = $894,800 — Illustrative maximum for a total shoulder loss under Iowa Code 85.34(2) — transparent calculation, not a reported case |
Iowa Workers' Compensation FAQs
What is the maximum weekly workers' comp benefit in Iowa for 2026?
For injuries between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027, Iowa's max is $2,431/week for TTD, healing period, PTD, and death benefits, and $2,237/week for PPD (Iowa Code §85.37, §85.34; 200%/184% of the $1,215.65 statewide average weekly wage). Your benefit equals 80% of your spendable (after-tax) weekly earnings, up to that cap.
How long do I have to report my Iowa work injury?
Iowa requires notice to your employer within 90 days of the injury (Iowa Code §85.23) — unless the employer already has actual knowledge of it. 'Date of injury' means when you knew or should have known it was work-related, which matters for gradual-onset conditions. Missing the 90-day window can bar your claim entirely, so report in writing and keep copies.
Can I sue my employer in Iowa in addition to workers' comp?
Generally NO — workers' comp is Iowa's 'exclusive remedy' against both your employer and your co-employees (Iowa Code §85.20). Exceptions: (1) third-party claims against a truly separate entity, like an equipment manufacturer or unrelated contractor — though a general contractor can itself be immune as a 'statutory employer' (see Kono v. D.R. Horton, 2026, where a $19M trench-collapse verdict was reversed on this ground); (2) a co-employee whose 'wanton neglect' caused the injury — an extremely narrow exception.
How is a permanent partial disability (PPD) settlement calculated in Iowa?
Iowa uses two methods depending on the body part (Iowa Code §85.34(2)): scheduled members (thumb, finger, hand, arm, leg, eye, etc.) pay a fixed number of weeks at 80% of spendable earnings. Unscheduled ('whole body') injuries — like most back and shoulder cases — are prorated against a 500-week base using your percentage loss of earning capacity, UNLESS you return to work at equal or greater pay, in which case you're paid only on your functional-impairment rating instead (a 2025 Iowa Supreme Court ruling, Den Hartog Industries v. Dungan, reinforced this limit).
Should I accept the first settlement offer in my Iowa workers' comp claim?
Almost never without review. Initial offers often lowball permanent-impairment ratings and future medical needs, and once your award is pinned to a functional-impairment percentage instead of loss-of-earning-capacity, that difference can be substantial. Get an independent medical evaluation and talk to an Iowa workers' comp attorney — most work on contingency — before you settle or sign a compromise agreement.
Pending Iowa Workers' Compensation Issues
Active legal developments (as of April 2026):
- Both landmark verdicts above ($2.84M and $19M) were jury awards later VACATED/REVERSED by the Iowa Supreme Court on exclusive-remedy / statutory-employer grounds — actual tort recovery in both cases was $0. They illustrate the outer limits of WC exclusivity, not typical settlement outcomes; no confidential Iowa WC lump-sum settlement amounts were independently verifiable through public sources as of August 2026.
- Rates cited ($2,431/wk max TTD-HP-PTD-Death, $2,237/wk max PPD, $425/wk min, SAWW $1,215.65) are for the fiscal year July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027, confirmed directly against the Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation rate page as of Aug. 2026 — Iowa resets these every July 1, so verify before relying on them after mid-2027.
- Iowa Code §85.63 ('Second Injury Compensation Act') was confirmed still in force for the 2026 Iowa Code, but only the Act's title section was reviewed — the substantive combined-injury benefit formula (§§85.64-85.69) has not been independently confirmed here.
- Den Hartog Industries v. Dungan (Iowa Supreme Court, Oct. 2025, per Risk & Insurance) narrowed a worker's PPD award from a 15% industrial-disability rating to an 8% functional-impairment rating because he returned to equal-or-greater pay — a real, on-point ruling for §85.34(2)(v), but no dollar recalculation was published, so it isn't listed under landmark_verdicts.
- Nedzad Mehmedovic v. Tyson Foods (Waterloo, IA COVID-19 wrongful-death litigation) was still working through the Iowa Supreme Court as of May 2025 (revived after being dismissed) — no verdict or settlement amount has been published, so it is omitted rather than estimated.
- Two real firm-published Iowa WC settlements (Walker, Billingsley & Bair: $415,000 permanent back injury, Boone truck driver; $350,000 arm/shoulder surgery, Creston radiology technician) carry no published settlement year on the firm's results pages and are therefore cited here rather than listed as dated landmark outcomes.
Informational only — consult a licensed attorney for case-specific advice.
Primary Sources
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.37.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.32.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.34.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.20.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.26.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.23.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.61.pdf
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.63.pdf
- dial.iowa.gov/hearings/workers-comp/rates
- www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10785170/griffith-v-kulper
- www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10840717/timothy-kono-v-dr-horton-inc-and-dr-horton-iowa-llc-dba-classic
- riskandinsurance.com/iowa-supreme-court-limits-workers-comp-benefits-for-employees-maintaining-wages
Other State Workers' Compensation Calculators
Washington
L&I state fund + self-insure, PPD dollar-amount schedule, $2,303.31/wk equiv
California
SIBTF reform 2026, $1,764/wk max, QME + SB 636
New York
$1,281.50/wk max, LWEC non-schedule PPD, 2025 Protection in Workplace Act
Texas
Non-subscriber option, $1,271/wk, IBR
Illinois
Lifetime uncapped medical, $2,045.63/wk (2026)
Florida
$1,358/wk, 104-week TTD cap, narrow catastrophic definition
Michigan
PIWEC phantom wages, 80% after-tax AWW, $1,201/wk max 2026
New Jersey
Second Injury Fund, 400/450-wk caps, $1,199/wk max 2026
Ohio
BWC monopoly fund, Industrial Commission PTD, $1,281/wk
Pennsylvania
Act 111 (2017), 500-wk partial cap, $1,394/wk max 2026
Alabama
Max $1,219/wk TTD, but non-scheduled PPD (back injuries) capped at just $220/wk
Arizona
$6,131/mo max AMW (66⅔% TTD/PTD), PPD paid in months not weeks
Colorado
Competitive state fund, $1,464/wk max (91% SAWW), 4-day notice deadline
Connecticut
Max $1,716/wk (2026), 28-day contest deadline, SIF closed since 1995
Georgia
Exclusive remedy, $800/wk TTD cap, catastrophic designation unlocks lifetime benefits
Indiana
$877/wk max (66⅔% AWW), 8-day wait, Second Injury Fund
Kentucky
Impairment-factor PPD formula, $1,277.99/wk max, coal black-lung claims
Louisiana
Second Injury Fund, SEB to 520wks, $903/wk max (Sept 2026)
Massachusetts
Opt-out exclusive remedy, $1,922/wk max rate, PPD paid in statewide-wage multiples
Maryland
Exclusive remedy, $1,537/wk max (2026), Uninsured Employers' Fund safety net
Minnesota
Private-carrier market, $1,536.84/wk max, PTSD presumption for first responders
Missouri
Strict-construction state, TTD/PTD capped 105% SAWW, PPD capped 55% SAWW
North Carolina
500-week TTD/PPD cap, $1,446/wk max (2026), 66 2/3% AWW
Oklahoma
TTD/PTD capped at $1,128.66/wk, opt-out struck down, Multiple Injury Trust Fund
Oregon
3-way market (SAIF+private+self-insure), $1,943/wk max, CDA keeps medical open
South Carolina
Exclusive remedy, $1,189.94/wk max (2026), 500-wk TTD cap, lifetime for TBI/spinal
Tennessee
$1,488.30/wk max (FY26-27), 15-day notice, PPD = rating × 450 wks, no jury trials
Virginia
500-week comp cap (PTD lifetime), $1,507/wk max, 66 2/3% AWW
Wisconsin
Dual-track cap: $1,375/wk TTD (110% SAWW) vs just $454/wk PPD; 6/12-yr SOL
Alaska
PPI = $273K × WPI%, TTD/PTD 80% of wage, max $1,627/wk (2026)
Arkansas
Max $953/wk (85% SAWW), odd-lot doctrine barred, 450-wk wage-loss cap
Washington DC
Max $1,852.07/wk (Jan 2025), 30-day notice, LHWCA-style weeks-based PPD schedule
Delaware
Max $962.72/wk (2026), 90-day notice, Medicare-based HCPS fee caps
Hawaii
66⅔% AWW, $1,240/wk max (2026), Special Compensation Fund after 104wks
Idaho
Max $1,021.50/wk (90% ASW), 500-week whole man, ISIF second-injury fund
Kansas
$905/wk max TTD/PTD, 415-wk PPD cap, SB 430 (2024) raised PTD cap $155K→$400K
Maine
Max $1,561/wk (125% of SAWW), 7-day wait, no statutory minimum, exclusive remedy
Mississippi
Max $654.63/wk, 5-day wait, Second Injury Trust Fund
Montana
$1,192/wk max, 400-week PPD formula, 60-mo medical closure
North Dakota
Monopolistic state fund (WSI), $1,614/wk max, no private insurance or self-insurance
Nebraska
Max $1,166/wk (2026), Espinoza multi-member LOEC rule, exclusive remedy
New Hampshire
$2,309/wk cap (150% SAWW); Second Injury Fund; 3-yr claim filing deadline
New Mexico
100% SAWW cap, $1,146.66/wk max, $36/wk min since 1975
Nevada
Privatized market, monthly PPD annuity (0.6%/1% WPI), max $5,691.79/mo (FY27)
Rhode Island
62% AWW formula, $1,622/wk max, dedicated Workers' Compensation Court
South Dakota
No insurance mandate • $1,152/wk max (2026) • Subsequent Injury Fund repealed 1999
Utah
Max $1,376/wk (2026), 6-yr/12-yr filing window, narrow intentional-injury exception
Vermont
Max $1,914/wk (2026), 6-mo. filing deadline, whole-person PPD schedule
West Virginia
Deliberate-intent exception, $1,150.91/wk max, no punitive damages, privatized market
Wyoming
Monopolistic state fund, no private insurance; PTD capped at 80 months, not lifetime
Main Workers' Comp Calculator
Nationwide WC benefits overview