How much a Texas workers comp settlement is worth depends on three things: the body part injured, your impairment rating, and your weekly wage. Typical Texas settlements run 5000 to 75000 for many cases, with severe/high-impairment claims running higher — but this is only a rough illustration; every Texas case differs and many Texas workers’ comp claims pay defined weekly benefits rather than a single lump sum.
Confirm your own value with the Texas DWC and a licensed attorney.. This guide lays out the Texas caps, the body-part schedule, and how the math works, in plain English. All figures are from Texas sources, verified as of June 2026.
Texas at a Glance
| Wage replacement | 70% of AWW for Temporary Income Benefits (TIBs); 75% of the wage difference for workers injured before 9/1/2015 who earned less than 8.50/hour. (Texas pays 70%, not the national two-thirds default.) |
| Max weekly benefit | $1,271 |
| Min weekly benefit | $191 |
| Waiting period | 7 days |
| PPD method | Impairment-rating method (whole-body), NOT a scheduled-body-part system. Permanent partial disability is paid as Impairment Income Benefits (IIBs) = 3 weeks of benefits for each 1 percentage point of the whole-person impairment rating, paid at 70% of AWW. The rating is assigned at Maximum Medical Improvement using the AMA Guides (4th Edition); individual body-part ratings are converted to a whole-person impairment percentage. |
| Lawyer recommended | For serious injuries, denials, or any settlement offer |
In This Texas Guide:
How Much Is a Workers’ Comp Settlement in Texas?
How much a Texas workers comp settlement is worth depends on three things: the body part injured, your impairment rating, and your weekly wage. Typical Texas settlements run 5000 to 75000 for many cases, with severe/high-impairment claims running higher — but this is only a rough illustration; every Texas case differs and many Texas workers’ comp claims pay defined weekly benefits rather than a single lump sum.
Confirm your own value with the Texas DWC and a licensed attorney.. This guide lays out the Texas caps, the body-part schedule, and how the math works, in plain English. All figures are from Texas sources, verified as of June 2026.
Want a quick estimate for your own injury?
Texas Body-Part Settlement Values
If your injury is a permanent loss to a specific body part, Texas assigns it a set number of weeks of benefits. Your payout is roughly those weeks multiplied by your impairment rating and your weekly comp rate. Here are the Texas figures:
Texas body-part values: NONE — Texas does not use statutory per-body-part weeks. It uses a whole-person impairment rating (AMA Guides 4th Ed.) under Texas Labor Code §408.121, so there is no “arm = X weeks / hand = Y weeks” schedule.
Whole-body / maximum: up to 300 (theoretical maximum: IIBs run 3 weeks per impairment percentage point, so a 100% whole-person rating = 300 weeks; most ratings are far lower). After IIBs, eligible workers may receive Supplemental Income Benefits (SIBs) for impairment ratings of 15% or higher. weeks.
How Texas Calculates Your Payout
The weekly rate is based on the worker’s Average Weekly Wage (AWW). TIBs = 70% of the difference between AWW and any post-injury earnings; IIBs = 70% of AWW; LIBs = 75% of AWW (with a 3% annual cost-of-living increase); SIBs = 80% of the difference between 80% of AWW and post-injury wages.
All are capped at the state maximum (100% of the State Average Weekly Wage) and floored at the minimum (15% of SAWW). For dates of injury 10/1/2025–9/30/2026 the SAWW is 1271.05, so the max weekly benefit is 1271 and the minimum is about 191.
Permanent disability: Impairment-rating method (whole-body), NOT a scheduled-body-part system. Permanent partial disability is paid as Impairment Income Benefits (IIBs) = 3 weeks of benefits for each 1 percentage point of the whole-person impairment rating, paid at 70% of AWW. The rating is assigned at Maximum Medical Improvement using the AMA Guides (4th Edition); individual body-part ratings are converted to a whole-person impairment percentage.
Offsets: TIBs are reduced by unemployment compensation benefits received for the same period; LIBs are not offset by Social Security retirement. (Texas DWC has no general Social Security retirement offset for most income benefits — confirm with the DWC for your specific benefit type.)
What Settlements Actually Run in Texas
5000 to 75000 for many cases, with severe/high-impairment claims running higher — but this is only a rough illustration; every Texas case differs and many Texas workers’ comp claims pay defined weekly benefits rather than a single lump sum. Confirm your own value with the Texas DWC and a licensed attorney.
That said, no two cases are alike — the number that matters is the one your own injury, rating, and wage produce, not a statewide average.
What drives a Texas settlement: Whole-person impairment rating, average weekly wage, the body part/severity of injury, future medical needs, ability to return to work, and whether the employer is a workers’ comp subscriber or non-subscriber.
How Workers’ Comp Settlements Work in Texas
A Texas workers comp settlement usually has two parts: the wage benefits you are paid while you cannot work, and a lump sum for any permanent damage the injury leaves behind. The wage piece replaces a share of your average weekly wage, up to the state cap shown above.
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The permanent piece is where most of the settlement value lives, and it depends on the body part, your impairment rating, and how the state values that loss.
Scheduled vs. Unscheduled Injuries in Texas
Most states, including how Texas handles many claims, divide permanent injuries into two buckets. A scheduled loss is a specific body part with a set number of weeks assigned to it, like an arm, hand, or leg. An unscheduled loss affects the body as a whole, like a back or a head injury, and is often worth more because it touches your overall ability to earn.
Knowing which bucket your injury falls into is the first step to understanding what your case may be worth.
Other Texas settlement rules: Texas is the only state where private employers can choose NOT to carry workers’ comp (“non-subscribers”); benefits/process differ sharply for non-subscriber injuries, which are pursued as injury lawsuits rather than DWC claims.
In the subscriber system, benefits are paid as four defined income-benefit types (TIBs, IIBs, SIBs, LIBs) plus lifetime medical, and full lump-sum “buyout” settlements of an accepted claim are generally restricted — disputed-issue settlements are handled through the DWC. The maximum/minimum weekly amounts change every October 1. Confirm all figures with the Texas DWC and a licensed Texas attorney.
Understanding Your Texas Workers Comp Settlement
The size of a Texas workers comp settlement is not random — it follows the state’s own formula. Your average weekly wage sets your benefit rate, the body part and impairment rating set the number of weeks, and the state cap sets the ceiling. Put together, those pieces are what a Texas workers comp settlement is built from.
If any part of your Texas workers comp settlement is unclear, the calculator below gives a quick estimate and your state board can confirm the current caps and the body-part schedule.
Got a settlement offer? Before you accept, it helps to know what your Texas case may really be worth. An attorney can review the offer, often at no upfront cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a workers’ comp settlement in Texas?
There is no single average — a Texas settlement depends on the body part, your impairment rating, and your wage. Typical ranges run 5000 to 75000 for many cases, with severe/high-impairment claims running higher — but this is only a rough illustration; every Texas case differs and many Texas workers’ comp claims pay defined weekly benefits rather than a single lump sum.
Confirm your own value with the Texas DWC and a licensed attorney.. Use the calculator on this page for an estimate, and remember every case is different.
How is a Texas workers’ comp settlement calculated?
Texas generally pays a share of your average weekly wage (capped at $1271/week), then adds a permanent-disability amount based on the body part and your impairment rating. The state’s body-part schedule sets the number of weeks.
Do I need a lawyer to settle my Texas workers’ comp case?
Not always, but for a serious injury, a denied claim, or a settlement offer you are unsure about, many claimants talk to a workers’ comp attorney first — the consultation is usually free and represented claimants often recover more.
Official Texas Sources & Resources
- Texas Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC): https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/employee/index.html
- Texas Workers’ Comp Statute: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LA/htm/LA.408.htm
- U.S. Department of Labor — Workers’ Comp: dol.gov
- NCCI (rating/benefit data): ncci.com
These Texas workers comp settlement figures were last verified against official sources in June 2026. State benefit caps change every year — confirm the current figure with your state workers’-comp board or a licensed attorney before you rely on it.
More Texas Workers’ Comp Guides
- How to File a Texas Workers’ Comp Claim
- Texas Workers’ Comp Requirements (Employers)
- Workers’ Comp Guides for All 50 States
Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal, medical, or financial advice. Workers Comp Explained is an independent educational resource, not a law firm or insurer. Workers’ comp benefits, settlement values, deadlines, and requirements vary by state and by the specific facts of your injury and change over time, and any settlement figures here are illustrative only.
Confirm your rights and any deadline with your state’s workers’ compensation board and a licensed attorney before you act.