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Pennsylvania workers' comp settlement chart
Pennsylvania pays a permanent injury to a listed body part for a set number of weeks. A thumb is 100 weeks.
Each week pays 66.67% of your average weekly wage, up to $1,394 a week (injuries from 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31).
At the maximum rate, that comes to $139,400.
Quoted from Pennsylvania law and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Workers' Compensation, checked October 2, 2026 · not legal advice
Weeks of benefits by body part
For total loss or total loss of use. The next column is the weeks times the $1,394 weekly maximum; enter your wage above for your own amount.
| Body part | Weeks | At the maximum | At your wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| arm | 410 | $571,540 | |
| leg | 410 | $571,540 | |
| forearm | 370 | $515,780 | |
| lower leg | 350 | $487,900 | |
| hand | 335 | $466,990 | |
| eye | 275 | $383,350 | |
| serious and permanent disfigurement of head, neck or face (maximum) | 275 | $383,350 | |
| hearing loss, both ears (occupational or other): binaural impairment % x 260 weeks | 260 | $362,440 | |
| foot | 250 | $348,500 | |
| thumb | 100 | $139,400 | |
| hearing loss, one ear (acoustic trauma/other cause): impairment % x 60 weeks | 60 | $83,640 | |
| first finger (index) | 50 | $69,700 | |
| second finger | 40 | $55,760 | |
| great toe | 40 | $55,760 | |
| third finger | 30 | $41,820 | |
| fourth finger (little) | 28 | $39,032 | |
| any other toe | 16 | $22,304 |
Weeks of compensation at 66 2/3% of wages for the loss (or permanent loss of use) of the member. Amputation at or above the elbow = arm; at or above the knee = leg; loss of the first phalange of a thumb = the thumb; loss of any substantial part of the first phalange of a finger = one-half of the finger. A healing period is paid in addition for specific losses (e.g. 20 weeks for a hand, arm or forearm, 25 for a foot, leg or lower leg, 10 for an eye, thumb or hearing, 6 for another finger, 12 for a great toe).
Injuries not on the chart
Specific loss (306(c)): scheduled weeks x 66 2/3% of wages (subject to the annual maximum), plus a healing period. Other permanent injuries (back, neck, whole body): there is no weeks schedule; partial disability benefits are 66 2/3% of the difference between pre-injury wages and earning power for up to 500 weeks (306(b)), and after 104 weeks of total disability an impairment rating evaluation under the AMA Guides 6th edition applies: an impairment of 35% or more keeps total disability benefits, below 35% moves the worker to partial disability (306(a.3)).
Rates and deadlines
| Temporary disability rate | 66 2/3% of your average weekly wage, up to the annual maximum (100% of the statewide average weekly wage); minimum is the lower of 50% of the statewide average weekly wage or 90% of your wage | 77 P.S. 511 (Section 306(a)(1) of the Workers' Compensation Act) |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly maximum | $1,394 (injuries from 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (resets each January 1; statewide average weekly wage $1,394.00)); applies to TTD, partial disability and specific-loss benefits | PA Department of Labor & Industry, Statewide Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) page; Act 105.1, 105.2 |
| Weekly minimum | $697 (injuries from 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (50% of the statewide average weekly wage); if the worker's average weekly wage is $774.43 or less, the benefit is 90% of the average weekly wage); TTD (the calculated two-thirds benefit is lifted to the lower of 50% of the statewide average weekly wage or 90% of the worker's wage) | 77 P.S. 511(1); PA L&I SAWW page |
| Permanent partial rate | Specific losses: 66 2/3% of your wages for the scheduled weeks, subject to the annual maximum. Partial disability that is not a specific loss: 66 2/3% of the difference between your wages and your earning power, up to 500 weeks. | 77 P.S. 513 (Section 306(c)) |
| Waiting period | 7 days, paid back if you are out more than 14 days | 77 P.S. 511, 306(e) |
| Tell your employer | give notice within 21 days after the injury (no compensation is due until notice is given), and in any case within 120 days after the injury or compensation is lost | 77 P.S. 631 and 602 (Sections 311 and 315 of the Workers' Compensation Act) |
| File your claim | agree on compensation or file a claim petition within 3 years after the injury (3 years after death); if compensation payments have been made, 3 years from the most recent payment | 77 P.S. 631 and 602 (Sections 311 and 315 of the Workers' Compensation Act) |
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 Pennsylvania can tell you what your rating is likely to be.
Questions
How much is a thumb worth in Pennsylvania workers' comp?
100 weeks of benefits for total loss or loss of use, up to $139,400 at the $1,394 weekly maximum.
What is the maximum workers' comp benefit in Pennsylvania?
$1,394 a week for injuries from 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (resets each January 1; statewide average weekly wage $1,394.00).
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in Pennsylvania?
agree on compensation or file a claim petition within 3 years after the injury (3 years after death); if compensation payments have been made, 3 years from the most recent payment.
Sources
- Schedule (77 P.S. 513 (Section 306(c)(1)-(22))): www.palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute&txtType=PDF&
(3) For the loss of an arm, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during four hundred ten weeks. (4) For the loss of a foot, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during two hundred fifty weeks. (5) For the loss of a lower leg, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during three hundred fifty weeks. (6) For the loss of a leg, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during four hundred ten weeks. (7) For the loss of an eye, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during two hundred seventy-five weeks. ... (9) For the loss of a thumb, sixty-six and two-thirds per ce…
- Weekly maximum (PA Department of Labor & Industry, Statewide Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) page; Act 105.1, 105.2): www.pa.gov/agencies/dli/programs-services/workers-compensation/workers--compensa
For example, the maximum weekly compensation rate for calendar year 2026 is $1,394.00. ... has determined the statewide average weekly wage for injuries occurring on and after Jan. 1, 2026, shall be $1,394.00 per week.
- Permanent partial rate (77 P.S. 513 (Section 306(c))): www.palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute&txtType=PDF&
(c) For all disability resulting from permanent injuries of the following classes, the compensation shall be exclusively as follows: (1) For the loss of a hand, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during three hundred thirty-five weeks.
- Temporary disability rate (77 P.S. 511 (Section 306(a)(1) of the Workers' Compensation Act)): www.palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute&txtType=PDF&
(a) (1) For total disability, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of the wages of the injured employe as defined in section 309 beginning after the seventh day of total disability, and payable for the duration of total disability, but the compensation shall not be more than the maximum compensation payable as defined in section 105.2.
- Deadlines (77 P.S. 631 and 602 (Sections 311 and 315 of the Workers' Compensation Act)): www.palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information/view-statute&txtType=PDF&
unless the employe or someone in his behalf, or some of the dependents or someone in their behalf, shall give notice thereof to the employer within twenty-one days after the injury, no compensation shall be due until such notice be given, and, unless such notice be given within one hundred and twenty days after the occurrence of the injury, no compensation shall be allowed.
Read October 2, 2026. Laws and fees change; the linked page is the authority.