Tennessee Workers' Comp Settlement Calculator: What Your Impairment Rating Pays
A Tennessee workers' comp award for a permanent injury is your impairment rating, multiplied by 450 weeks, paid at two thirds of your average weekly wage, up to $1,353 a week for injuries from July 1, 2026. A 10 percent rating at a $1,000 weekly wage pays $30,000. If you are not back at work at your old pay when those weeks end, the award is multiplied by 1.35, and by up to three more factors.
Enter your average weekly wage and the impairment rating your doctor gave.
Hurt at work in Tennessee, or in a crash while working? See what your claim is worth, free, in about a minute
The formula, not a guess
What a Tennessee workers' comp settlement is worth
Unlike a car accident claim, a Tennessee workers' compensation award for a permanent injury is not negotiated from an injury multiplier. It is set by statute: your impairment rating, multiplied by 450 weeks, paid at two thirds of your average weekly wage, up to the weekly maximum. That makes it one of the few injury benefits you can calculate yourself, to the dollar.
| Average weekly wage | 5% rating | 10% rating | 20% rating | 30% rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $800 ($533.33 a week benefit) | $12,000 | $24,000 | $48,000 | $72,000 |
| $1,000 ($666.67 a week) | $15,000 | $30,000 | $60,000 | $90,000 |
| $1,400 ($933.33 a week) | $21,000 | $42,000 | $84,000 | $126,000 |
| $2,200 (capped at $1,353 a week) | $30,443 | $60,885 | $121,770 | $182,655 |
Original permanent partial disability awards for injuries from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, before any increase for not returning to work. Rating times 450 weeks, times two thirds of the average weekly wage, with the weekly benefit capped at $1,353.00.
Those are the original awards. If, when the benefit period ends, you are not back at work earning at least what you earned before the injury, the award is multiplied by 1.35, and by up to three more factors depending on your education, your age and unemployment in your county. With every factor, an award can roughly triple. Medical care for the injury is paid on top, with no dollar limit, and weekly checks while you are unable to work are paid separately.
Step by step
How the award is calculated
Generally your earnings in the 52 weeks before the injury, divided by 52, with an adjustment if you missed more than seven days in that year. Overtime you regularly earned counts. This is the number every other benefit is built on, so check the employer's figure against your own pay records.
Benefits are paid at 66 2/3 percent of the average weekly wage. For injuries from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, the permanent benefit rate is capped at $1,353.00 a week and the temporary rate at $1,488.30, with a minimum of $202.95.
T.C.A. § 50-6-207; Bureau of Workers' Compensation rate tableWhen you reach maximum medical improvement, the treating physician assigns a permanent impairment rating to the body as a whole. A 10 percent rating means 45 weeks of benefits; 20 percent means 90 weeks. This is the initial compensation period.
T.C.A. § 50-6-207(3)(A)If, when that period ends, you have not returned to work with any employer, or returned at less than 100 percent of your pre-injury pay, the original award is multiplied by 1.35, and by the further factors below that apply to you.
T.C.A. § 50-6-207(3)(B)The multipliers
The four factors that can raise an award
| Factor | Multiplier | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| Not back at work at full pay | 1.35 | Everyone who has not returned to work, or has returned at less than the pre-injury wage, when the initial compensation period ends. |
| Education | 1.45 | No high school diploma or general equivalency diploma. |
| Age | 1.2 | Over 40 years old at the end of the initial compensation period. |
| Local unemployment | 1.3 | The unemployment rate in the county of employment exceeded the state average by 2 or more percentage points at the end of the period. |
| All four together | 3.05 | 1.35 × 1.45 × 1.2 × 1.3, the most an original award can grow. |
T.C.A. § 50-6-207(3)(B). The 3.05 figure is the product of the four multipliers.
The increase has its own deadline. A claim for increased benefits must be filed with the Bureau within one year after the compensation period ends, or within one year after the 180 day period following maximum medical improvement, whichever is later. Miss it and the increase is lost even though the original award was paid.
The official numbers
Tennessee workers' compensation rates
| Date of injury | State average weekly wage | Maximum, temporary | Maximum, permanent | Minimum | Maximum total benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 | $1,353 | $1,488.30 | $1,353.00 | $202.95 | $608,850 |
| July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 | $1,297 | $1,426.70 | $1,297.00 | $194.55 | $583,650 |
| July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 | $1,237 | $1,360.70 | $1,237.00 | $185.55 | $556,650 |
Source: Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation, weekly compensation rates chart. Benefit percentage 66.67; body as a whole 450 weeks; medical benefits unlimited; burial up to $10,000. The temporary maximum is 110 percent of the state average weekly wage and the permanent maximum 100 percent.
After a work injury
What happens, in order
- Tell your employer in writing within 15 days. Compensation is not payable without written notice within 15 days of the accident, unless there is a reasonable excuse the judge accepts (T.C.A. § 50-6-201).
- Choose a doctor from the employer's panel. The employer must offer at least three independent physicians, surgeons, chiropractors or specialty groups in your community; if a specialist is needed, it must offer a specialist panel within three business days of the referral (T.C.A. § 50-6-204).
- Weekly checks while you cannot work. Temporary total disability pays two thirds of your average weekly wage. Nothing is paid for the first seven days unless the disability lasts 14 days or more, in which case it is paid from the first day (T.C.A. § 50-6-205).
- The impairment rating. At maximum medical improvement, the physician rates any permanent impairment, and the original award is calculated from it.
- File a petition if there is a dispute, within one year. A petition for benefit determination must be filed with the Bureau within one year of the accident, or, if the employer paid benefits, within one year of the later of the last authorized treatment or the last payment (T.C.A. § 50-6-203).
- Any settlement must be approved by a judge. Workers' compensation settlements are not binding until a judge of the Court of Workers' Compensation Claims approves them in writing (T.C.A. § 50-6-240).
Who must carry coverage. Tennessee employers with five or more employees, full or part time, must carry workers' compensation insurance. Construction businesses and coal mining employers must carry it with even one employee.
Hurt while driving for work
Workers' comp and a car accident claim at the same time
A delivery driver rear-ended on the interstate, a sales representative hit at an intersection, a home health aide injured between visits: when another driver causes a work injury, Tennessee lets the worker collect workers' compensation and also sue the driver who caused the crash.
Workers' compensation pays medical bills and weekly benefits without regard to fault, but it pays nothing for pain and suffering. The claim against the at fault driver can recover the full value of the injury, including pain and suffering, under ordinary Tennessee law.
T.C.A. § 50-6-112The employer, or its insurer, has a subrogation lien on what you recover from the at fault driver for the benefits it paid, and it can intervene in your lawsuit to protect it. When the recovery exceeds what it paid, it gets a credit against future benefits.
T.C.A. § 50-6-112The lawsuit against the other driver must be filed within one year of the injury. If the worker does not file it in time, the right to sue passes to the employer, which then has six months to bring it.
T.C.A. § 50-6-112; § 28-3-104The comp award follows the statutory formula on this page. The claim against the driver follows the injury multiplier method used on our car accident pages, which is why the two numbers are usually very different.
Your dates
Workers' comp deadline calculator
If your employer paid benefits, the one year petition deadline runs instead from the later of your last authorized treatment or the last payment. The deadline for increased benefits runs from the end of the compensation period, as described above.
Worked examples
Three Tennessee workers' comp awards, calculated
Hypothetical claims for injuries after July 1, 2026, illustrating the statute. They are not client results.
Average weekly wage of $900. After surgery and therapy, an 8 percent impairment rating. The worker returns to the same job at the same pay.
- Weekly benefit, two thirds of $900
- $600.00
- Weeks: 8 percent of 450
- 36
- Original award
- $21,600
Back at full pay when the 36 weeks end, so no increase applies. Temporary benefits for the weeks off work and all medical care were paid separately.
Same wage and rating, but the employer cannot accommodate the restrictions and the worker has not found other work when the 36 weeks end. The worker is over 40 and has a high school diploma.
- Original award
- $21,600
- Multipliers: 1.35 and 1.2 for age
- × 1.62
- Recalculated award
- $34,992
- Increase
- $13,392
The increase must be claimed with the Bureau within the deadline for increased benefits, a separate filing from the original claim.
A driver making deliveries is hit from behind. Workers' compensation pays $30,000 of medical care and $6,000 of temporary benefits. The driver also sues the at fault motorist, whose claim value by the injury method is $84,000 to $114,000 for a disc injury with recovery.
- Workers' comp paid
- $36,000
- Claim against the at fault driver
- $84,000 to $114,000
- Employer's lien repaid from that recovery
- $36,000
The comp benefits arrive quickly and regardless of fault; the third party claim adds pain and suffering, which workers' compensation never pays. The lien is repaid from the third party recovery, and any excess becomes a credit against future comp benefits.
Getting help
When a Tennessee workers' comp claim needs a lawyer
- The impairment rating seems low, because the rating drives the entire permanent award.
- You are not back at work at full pay, because the increased benefits have their own deadline and filing.
- Another driver or company caused the injury, because the third party claim is a separate lawsuit with a one year limit and a lien to resolve.
- The claim was denied, or benefits stopped, because the petition deadline runs from the last payment.
- A settlement is offered, because it closes the claim once a judge approves it, including future medical care if the settlement says so.
The FairSettlement case review asks how and where you were hurt and how you were treated. If another driver caused the injury, it shows a range for that claim too. A licensed Tennessee attorney contacts you only if you ask.
Questions people in Tennessee ask
Tennessee workers' compensation questions
How much is my Tennessee workers' comp settlement worth?
For a permanent injury, the starting point is fixed by statute: your impairment rating times 450 weeks, paid at two thirds of your average weekly wage, up to $1,353 a week for injuries from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. A 10 percent rating at a $1,000 weekly wage is $30,000. If you have not returned to work at your pre-injury pay when the benefit period ends, the award is multiplied by 1.35 and possibly by factors of 1.45, 1.2 and 1.3. Medical care and temporary weekly benefits are paid on top.
How is an impairment rating converted into a payout in Tennessee?
Multiply the rating by 450 weeks to get the number of weeks of benefits, then multiply by your weekly benefit rate, which is two thirds of your average weekly wage up to the maximum (T.C.A. § 50-6-207(3)(A)). A 15 percent rating is 67.5 weeks; at a $900 average weekly wage the rate is $600, so the original award is $40,500.
What is the maximum workers' comp weekly benefit in Tennessee in 2026?
For injuries from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, the maximum is $1,488.30 a week for temporary total disability and $1,353.00 a week for permanent benefits; the minimum is $202.95 and the maximum total benefit is $608,850. For injuries from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, the figures are $1,426.70, $1,297.00, $194.55 and $583,650.
What happens if I cannot go back to my old job?
If, when the initial compensation period ends, you have not returned to work, or returned at less than 100 percent of your pre-injury wage, you can claim increased benefits: the original award multiplied by 1.35, and also by 1.45 if you have no high school diploma or GED, by 1.2 if you are over 40, and by 1.3 if your county's unemployment rate is at least 2 points above the state average. The claim must be filed within one year after the compensation period ends or after the 180 day period following maximum medical improvement, whichever is later.
Do I get pain and suffering in a Tennessee workers' comp case?
No. Workers' compensation pays medical care, weekly wage benefits and permanent disability benefits by formula, but nothing for pain and suffering. If another driver or company caused the injury, a separate claim against them can include pain and suffering (T.C.A. § 50-6-112).
How long do I have to report a work injury in Tennessee?
Give your employer written notice within 15 days of the accident (T.C.A. § 50-6-201), unless you have a reasonable excuse a judge accepts. If benefits are disputed, a petition for benefit determination must be filed with the Bureau within one year of the accident, or within one year of the last authorized treatment or payment if the employer paid benefits (§ 50-6-203).
Can I choose my own doctor?
From a panel. The employer must give you at least three independent physicians, surgeons, chiropractors or specialty groups in your community to choose from, and a specialist panel within three business days when the treating doctor refers you to a specialist (T.C.A. § 50-6-204).
I was in a car accident while working. Can I get workers' comp and sue the other driver?
Yes. Tennessee lets you take workers' compensation and also sue the at fault driver (T.C.A. § 50-6-112). The employer has a lien on the recovery for the benefits it paid and may intervene in the lawsuit. The suit must be filed within one year of the injury, or the right to bring it passes to the employer for six months.
Does a workers' comp settlement need court approval in Tennessee?
Yes. Every settlement must be in writing and approved by a judge of the Court of Workers' Compensation Claims before it binds either side (T.C.A. § 50-6-240).
Is there a waiting period for workers' comp checks?
Nothing is paid for the first seven days of disability unless it lasts 14 days or more, in which case benefits are paid from the first day (T.C.A. § 50-6-205).
Does my employer have to carry workers' comp?
Tennessee employers with five or more employees, full or part time, must carry workers' compensation insurance; construction and coal mining employers must carry it with one or more employees.
Where every number comes from
Sources
- Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation, weekly compensation rates, death benefits, funeral expenses and medical benefits chart (injuries through June 30, 2027). www.tn.gov
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-207, compensation schedule: temporary, permanent partial and permanent total disability, increased benefits. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-203, petition for benefit determination and time limits. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-201, written notice within 15 days. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-204, medical care and the physician panel. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-205, waiting period. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-240, settlement approval. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-112, third party claims and the employer's subrogation lien. codes.findlaw.com
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, who must carry workers' compensation insurance. tennessee.gov
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104, one year limit for injury lawsuits against third parties. codes.findlaw.com
Hurt at work in Tennessee?
Tell us how and where it happened and how you were treated. If another driver or company caused the injury, the review shows what that claim may be worth too. A licensed Tennessee attorney contacts you only if you ask.
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