Updated 10/01/2025
Minnesota PTD Threshold Checker
Enter your combined impairment rating, date of injury, and earnings. We'll check whether PTD may apply and estimate the weekly rate.
Verification notice
PTD threshold data should be verified against the current text of Minn. Stat. § 176.101. This tool provides a rough threshold check, not a definitive eligibility determination.
Impairment & earnings
Your combined WBI from all rated impairments. Use the PPD Combination Calculator if you have multiple ratings to combine.
The statute also lists certain catastrophic injuries that qualify under a separate definition (e.g., total loss of both eyes, loss of both arms at the shoulder, loss of both legs at the hip level, complete and permanent paralysis, total and permanent loss of mental faculties).
About Permanent Total Disability (PTD)
In Minnesota, an employee is permanently and totally disabled when they have a total loss of earning capacity due to their work injury. PTD benefits are paid weekly at the same base two-thirds formula as TTD, but PTD has its own 65% SAWW minimum under Minn. Stat. § 176.101, subd. 4.
- PTD benefits generally continue until age 72, or for 5 years from the start of PTD if the employee was injured after age 67 (Minn. Stat. § 176.101, subd. 4).
- Benefits are subject to annual escalation under Minn. Stat. § 176.645.
- Government benefit offsets (SSDI, PERA) may reduce the weekly payment after a threshold is reached.
- For most PTD claims, the statute requires meeting threshold criteria in Minn. Stat. § 176.101, subd. 5 (e.g., 17% whole-body PPD, or 15% + age 50, or 13% + age 55 + less than high school), plus proof of total and permanent incapacity.
See Minn. Stat. § 176.101, subd. 4, and Minn. Stat. § 176.101, subd. 5, for PTD statutory provisions.
This is an informational tool, not legal advice. Results depend entirely on the information you enter and may not reflect all statutory exceptions or fact-specific rules. Verify against the underlying statute and consult an attorney for case-specific decisions.
In Minnesota, qualifying for permanent total disability generally requires a whole-body permanent partial disability rating meeting one of three thresholds: 17% at any age, 15% if you were at least 50 at the time of injury, or 13% if you were at least 55 and had not finished 12th grade or earned a GED. Certain catastrophic injuries (total blindness, loss of both arms or both legs, paralysis, or total loss of mental faculties) qualify automatically, with no percentage threshold. (Minn. Stat. § 176.101, subd. 5.)
Reviewed by Daniel C. Swenson, Minnesota workers' compensation attorney, Robert Wilson & Associates. Rates verified through 2025-10-01. General information, not legal advice.
How the PTD impairment threshold works
Minnesota requires a minimum whole-body impairment to be eligible for PTD, and the required percentage drops with age and education.
Meeting the impairment threshold is only one gate. You still have to prove you are permanently and totally disabled.
Worked example
A 16% whole-body impairment meets the gate at age 50 but not at age 49 with only a high-school education. A 13% impairment can meet the gate at age 55 without a grade-12/GED. A catastrophic statutory injury meets the threshold regardless.
How serious is your situation?
Use your result as a screen. Green means the numbers line up; red means something is off and the dispute steps usually have firm deadlines.
Green: may be on track
You do not appear to meet the impairment gate yet. Save this and revisit if your rating increases.
Yellow: worth watching
You appear to clear one statutory gate. That does not mean you are PTD; it means you have cleared one threshold.
Red: act quickly
You meet the impairment gate and cannot return to sustained work. PTD is a high-stakes benefit with offsets and timing rules, so document everything and treat the claim carefully.
Frequently asked questions
- Does meeting the threshold mean I am PTD?
- No. The impairment threshold is one statutory gate. You still must prove permanent total disability on the facts.
- Why does age matter?
- The required impairment percentage is lower for older workers and those without a high-school diploma or GED.
Sources
How we keep this math current, including our test suite and rate-change history: accuracy and source notes.