How a California permanent-disability percentage converts to money: the §4658 weeks schedule, the §4453 weekly-rate caps, life pension for 70%+ ratings, permanent total disability, attorney fees, and the ±15% return-to-work adjustment.
A permanent-disability percentage is only half the answer — the money depends on how that percentage converts to weeks, and what weekly rate applies. Here’s how the dollars are built. Compute any of it in the calculator. También disponible en español: ¿cuánto vale la incapacidad permanente?
Weeks × weekly rate
The PD% sets a number of payment weeks under Lab. Code §4658. The schedule is progressive — higher ratings earn more weeks per point — and has been identical for every date of injury since 2005:
10% = 30.25 wks · 30% = 131 wks · 50% = 271.25 wks
70% = 433.25 wks · 99% = 897.25 wks
Each week is paid at two-thirds of average weekly earnings, clamped between the statutory minimum and maximum for the year of injury (Lab. Code §4453). See the exact caps by year.
Worked example
A 32% PD rating = 145 weeks. At the 2024 maximum PD rate of $290/week that is 145 × $290 = $42,050. The same rating pays less for a lower earner (the rate is ⅔ of their actual wage) and less in earlier years (lower caps).
Life pension (70%–99%)
A rating of 70% through 99% adds a lifetime weekly payment on top of the PD award, under Lab. Code §4659:
Life pension = (PD − 60) × 1.5% × AWW (subject to an earnings cap)
It begins after the PD weeks are paid and continues for life. A COLA applies to some dates of injury.
Permanent total disability (100%)
A 100% rating is permanent total disability — lifetime weekly indemnity at the temporary-disability rate (Lab. Code §4659(b)), not a finite weeks-times-rate sum.
What comes out of the award
Attorney fees (Lab. Code §4906) are set by the judge, usually 9%–15% of the award. The ±15% return-to-work adjustment (§4658(d)) raised or lowered payments for 2005–2012 injuries, at employers with 50 or more employees, depending on the employer’s offer of work; SB 863 repealed it for 2013+ injuries. A PD award can also be commuted to a lump sum at its present value (3% discount). RateString estimates all of these in the Settlement section.
How much is a permanent-disability rating worth in California?
The PD percentage sets a number of weeks (Lab. Code §4658) paid at a weekly rate equal to two-thirds of average weekly earnings, capped by the year of injury (Lab. Code §4453). For example a 32% rating is 145 weeks; at the 2024 maximum PD rate of $290 that is $42,050.
What is a life pension?
A permanent-disability rating of 70% through 99% adds a lifetime weekly payment (the life pension) on top of the PD award, under Lab. Code §4659, equal to (PD − 60) × 1.5% × average weekly earnings, subject to an earnings cap.
How much are attorney fees on a PD award?
Applicant attorney fees are set by the WCJ, usually 9% to 15% of the award (Lab. Code §4906). At 15%, the fee on a $42,050 award is roughly $6,300.
What is the ±15% return-to-work bump?
For injuries from 2005 through 2012 only, §4658(d) raised or lowered the remaining PD payments by 15% depending on whether an employer with 50 or more employees offered regular, modified, or alternative work. SB 863 repealed it for 2013+ injuries.