Iowa workers' comp settlement chart
Iowa pays a permanent injury to a listed body part for a set number of weeks. A thumb is 60 weeks.
How it is paid: 80% of your weekly spendable earnings, up to 184% of the statewide average weekly wage; paid for the scheduled number of weeks (healing period benefits are paid first at the TTD rate).
Quoted from Iowa law and the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL), Workers' Compensation, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
Weeks of benefits by body part
For total loss or total loss of use. How each week is paid is explained below the table.
| Body part | Weeks |
|---|---|
| loss of both arms, or both hands, or both feet, or both legs, or both eyes, or any two thereof, caused by a single accident | 500 |
| shoulder | 400 |
| arm (loss of two-thirds of that part of an arm between the shoulder joint and the elbow joint equals loss of an arm) | 250 |
| leg (loss of two-thirds of that part of a leg between the hip joint and the knee joint equals loss of a leg) | 220 |
| eye, the other eye having been lost prior to the injury | 200 |
| hand | 190 |
| loss of hearing in both ears | 175 |
| foot | 150 |
| eye | 140 |
| thumb | 60 |
| loss of hearing (other than occupational hearing loss), one ear | 50 |
| great toe | 40 |
| first finger, commonly called the index finger | 35 |
| second finger | 30 |
| third finger | 25 |
| fourth finger, commonly called the little finger | 20 |
| one of the toes other than the great toe | 15 |
Weeks of weekly compensation for the loss of the member; the healing period (to maximum medical improvement) is paid in addition. Loss of the first or distal phalange of a thumb or finger = one-half; more than one phalange = whole digit; partial loss pays a proportional share of the scheduled weeks (85.34(2)(w)). Permanent disfigurement of the face or head: up to 150 weeks.
Injuries not on the chart
Scheduled loss: weeks from the schedule x PPD weekly rate (80% of spendable earnings, up to $2,237), where partial loss of a scheduled member is paid on the same percentage of the scheduled weeks (85.34(2)(w)). Unscheduled injuries (e.g. back, neck, shoulder-adjacent, body as a whole) under 85.34(2)(v): weeks = 500 x the percentage reduction in earning capacity (industrial disability), or only the AMA-Guides functional impairment percentage if the employee returns to work at the same or greater pay; healing period benefits are paid first.
Rates and deadlines
| Temporary disability rate | 80% of your weekly spendable earnings (after-tax weekly earnings), up to 200% of the statewide average weekly wage | Iowa Code 85.37(1) |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly maximum | $2,431 (injuries from 2026-07-01 to 2027-06-30 (statewide average weekly wage $1,215.65)); applies to TTD, healing period, PTD and death benefits (PPD maximum is lower, $2,237.00) | Iowa DIAL Current Rate Information; Iowa Code 85.37(1) |
| Weekly minimum | $425 (injuries from 2026-07-01 to 2027-06-30 (35% of the statewide average weekly wage)); TTD and healing period: the lower of $425.00 or the employee's spendable earnings; PPD, PTD and death: $425.00 | Iowa DIAL Current Rate Information; Iowa Code 85.37(1) |
| Permanent partial rate | 80% of your weekly spendable earnings, up to 184% of the statewide average weekly wage; paid for the scheduled number of weeks (healing period benefits are paid first at the TTD rate) | Iowa Code 85.34(2) |
| Waiting period | 3 days, paid back if you are out more than 14 days | Iowa Code 85.32 |
| Tell your employer | 90 days from the date the employee knew or should have known the injury was work-related, unless the employer has actual knowledge within 90 days | Iowa Code 85.23 and 85.26(1) |
| File your claim | original proceeding within 2 years from the date the employee knew or should have known the injury was work-related, or within 3 years from the last payment of weekly benefits if weekly benefits were paid | Iowa Code 85.23 and 85.26(1) |
What a settlement adds or takes away
The chart is the statute's payment for a permanent injury. A lump-sum settlement can differ: it may also close out future medical care or wage loss, and the insurer and the judge must agree. A workers' comp lawyer in Iowa can tell you what your rating is likely to be.
Questions
How much is a thumb worth in Iowa workers' comp?
60 weeks of benefits for total loss or loss of use. A partial loss pays the same share of the weeks.
What is the maximum workers' comp benefit in Iowa?
$2,431 a week for injuries from 2026-07-01 to 2027-06-30 (statewide average weekly wage $1,215.65).
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Iowa?
original proceeding within 2 years from the date the employee knew or should have known the injury was work-related, or within 3 years from the last payment of weekly benefits if weekly benefits were paid.
Sources
- Schedule (Iowa Code 85.34(2)(a)-(u)): www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.34.pdf
a. For the loss of a thumb, weekly compensation during sixty weeks. b. For the loss of a first finger, commonly called the index finger, weekly compensation during thirty-five weeks. c. For the loss of a second finger, weekly compensation during thirty weeks. d. For the loss of a third finger, weekly compensation during twenty-five weeks. e. For the loss of a fourth finger, commonly called the little finger, weekly compensation during twenty weeks. ... l. For the loss of a hand, weekly compensation during one hundred ninety weeks. m. The loss of two-thirds of that part of an arm between the sh…
- Weekly maximum (Iowa DIAL Current Rate Information; Iowa Code 85.37(1)): dial.iowa.gov/current-rate-information
For injuries from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027 : TTD, HP, PTD, & Death Benefits: $2,431.00 PPD Benefits: $2,237.00
- Permanent partial rate (Iowa Code 85.34(2)): www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.34.pdf
The compensation shall be based upon the extent of the disability and upon the basis of eighty percent per week of the employee's average spendable weekly earnings, but not more than a weekly benefit amount, rounded to the nearest dollar, equal to one hundred eighty-four percent of the statewide average weekly wage
- Temporary disability rate (Iowa Code 85.37(1)): www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.37.pdf
The weekly benefit amount payable to any employee for any one week shall be upon the basis of eighty percent of the employee's weekly spendable earnings, but shall not exceed an amount, rounded to the nearest dollar, equal to two hundred percent of the statewide average weekly wage
- Deadlines (Iowa Code 85.23 and 85.26(1)): www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/85.26.pdf
An original proceeding for benefits under chapter 10A, subchapter III, this chapter, or chapter 85A or 85B, shall not be maintained in any contested case unless the proceeding is commenced within two years from the date of the occurrence of the injury for which benefits are claimed or, if weekly compensation benefits are paid under section 10A.315, within three years from the date of the last payment of weekly compensation benefits.
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.