California workers’ comp settlement calculator
A settlement is negotiated — but it is negotiated around a number you can compute: the permanent-disability indemnity the 2005 schedule assigns to the final rating. Enter the PD percentage, the average weekly wage, and the injury year; the engine converts it through Labor Code §4658 weeks and the §4453 rate caps. Don’t have the final % yet? Rate the medical report first.
From anchor to settlement number
The figure above is the PD indemnity — what the rating pays out week by week under a Stipulated Award. A negotiated settlement moves off that anchor in knowable directions: a Compromise & Release adds value for buying out future medical care; unpaid TD, mileage, and penalties add; a genuine rating dispute discounts. If an attorney takes the case, the WCAB commonly approves fees around 15% — about $4,382.63 on this indemnity — usually commuted off the far end of the award, and often worth it anyway.
Want every percentage priced at once? The money chart unrolls 1–99% for any injury year. Working from a medical report instead of a final %? The calculator runs the full rating — occupation, age, apportionment, CVC — and produces the DEU-format string.
Estimates for informational use only — settlement adequacy is reviewed by a judge, and ratings should be verified against the DEU. Not legal advice.
Rating-schedule changes, the moment they land.
Occasional updates on California PD rules, rate caps, and new RateString features. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.