Life pension calculator
A California permanent disability rating of 70% to 99% earns a second benefit after the regular PD weeks run out: a life pension — (PD − 60) × 1.5% of average weekly earnings, every week for life (§4659(a)). Earnings are capped for the formula, and injuries from 2003 on add a COLA. Enter the rating, the wage, and the injury year — the engine does the rest.
The PD phase first: 513.25 weeks × $290.00 = $148,842.50 — then the life pension above takes over for life. Price the whole award on the settlement calculator.
The formula’s earnings input is capped at $515.38/week for this injury year (§4659(a)) — most workers earn past it, which is why life pensions cluster at the same figures. For injuries on or after January 1, 2003, §4659(c) adds an annual COLA tied to the State Average Weekly Wage; it depends on future SAWW numbers, so this page shows the statutory base rate and flags the COLA rather than guessing at it.
Life pension at every rating level
Engine-computed at your $1,200.00 wage entry for a 2026 injury — change the inputs above and every row recomputes.
| PD | PD weeks | PD total | LP weekly | LP annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | 433.25 | $125,642.50 | $77.31 | $4,020.12 |
| 75% | 513.25 | $148,842.50 | $115.96 | $6,029.92 |
| 80% | 593.25 | $172,042.50 | $154.61 | $8,039.72 |
| 85% | 673.25 | $195,242.50 | $193.27 | $10,050.04 |
| 90% | 753.25 | $218,442.50 | $231.92 | $12,059.84 |
| 95% | 833.25 | $241,642.50 | $270.57 | $14,069.64 |
| 99% | 897.25 | $260,202.50 | $301.50 | $15,678.00 |
At 100% the structure changes entirely: no weeks, no life pension — permanent total disability pays the TD-style rate for life from day one (§4659(b)). Enter 100 above to see it. What the 70% line means strategically, why cases fight over it, and the full statutory walk-through: the life pension guide.
Getting to the rating that gets to 70%
This page prices a rating you already have. The rating itself — impairments through the ×1.4 adjustment, occupational variant, age table, and the CVC fold — is what the free rating calculator computes. Whether a case combines to 69% or 70% is often an Almaraz-Guzman or apportionment fight precisely because of the line this calculator draws.
Base statutory rates; the §4659(c) COLA is flagged, not projected. Estimates for informational use only; verify against the DEU. Not legal advice.
Rating-schedule changes, the moment they land.
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