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MN Comp BuddyA Minnesota work comp resource

Updated 10/01/2025

Minnesota Workers' Comp Settlement Calculator

Choose the claim task first, then enter your DOI, AWW, and the wage-loss periods that match that scenario.

Built and written by Daniel Swenson, Minnesota workers' compensation attorneyLast updated: October 1, 2025
Checking unpaid or underpaid benefits. Best when the worker wants to know what should already have been paid and whether the claim is drifting toward a NOID, claim petition, or hearing.

Start with the claim task

Basics

Your date of injury determines which benefit rates apply.

Gross (before taxes) weekly pay. Not sure? Calculate your AWW.

Enter the DOI first and the first to-date period will auto-start there. Future periods will auto-start after the last to-date period.

To-date exposure

Defaults to today. Use this to set the cutoff date for what should already have been paid.

Period #1

Tip: Benefits often switch back and forth (TTD → TPD → TTD). Add a row each time your work status changes.

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.

Minnesota has no settlement formula: a workers’ comp settlement is a negotiated number, usually built by adding what each benefit is worth: future wage loss (TTD/TPD), permanency (PPD), and sometimes future medical, then discounting for the risk each side faces if the dispute goes to a hearing. (Minn. Stat. § 176.101, § 176.521.)

Reviewed by Daniel C. Swenson, Minnesota workers' compensation attorney, Robert Wilson & Associates. Rates verified through 2025-10-01. General information, not legal advice.

How a Minnesota workers’ comp settlement is actually valued

First, the honest part most settlement calculators skip: there is no chart or formula in Minnesota law that says what a claim settles for. Settlements resolve disputed claims through a Stipulation for Settlement that a compensation judge must approve (Minn. Stat. § 176.521). What you can do (and what this tool does) is add up what each benefit stream would pay if the claim stayed open, so you know what is actually on the table before anyone quotes you a number.

The buckets are: past wage loss the insurer has not paid, future wage loss (TTD up to the statutory cap, or TPD while you earn less on restrictions), permanency (your PPD rating turned into dollars on the schedule for your injury date), and sometimes future medical, though many Minnesota settlements deliberately leave medical open.

The negotiated number is usually those buckets discounted for risk: how likely each side is to win the disputed issues at a hearing, how long benefits would realistically continue, and how much certainty each side wants. An insurer paying $650 a week with a strong dispute pays less to settle than one with a weak dispute and years of exposure ahead.

That is why this tool reports exposure (the value of the claim if benefits keep flowing) rather than pretending to predict a settlement. Exposure is the anchor the adjuster and defense attorney are already using on their side of the table. Knowing it is how you evaluate an offer instead of guessing.

Worked example

A worker with a $1,200 AWW is on TTD at $800/week and has 60 weeks left before the 130-week cap, then expects a period of light-duty TPD averaging $300/week for 50 weeks, plus a 7% PPD rating (about $47,600 × 7% on a recent schedule). Exposure is roughly $48,000 TTD + $15,000 TPD + $3,332 PPD ≈ $66,000 before medical. If the insurer has a genuine dispute (say a contested IME saying you can work full duty), a settlement offer might land well below that; with no real dispute, an offer far below exposure is just a low offer.

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

No one is pushing you to settle and benefits are being paid on time. You do not have to settle, ever. Save this estimate so you have a baseline if an offer arrives.

Yellow: worth watching

You received a settlement offer, or a mediation or settlement conference is scheduled. Compare the offer to each bucket here, and find out exactly which benefits the stipulation would close, especially medical. Most MN comp attorneys review offers in a free consultation, and their fees are capped by statute (Minn. Stat. § 176.081).

Red: act quickly

You are being asked to sign a full, final, and complete stipulation (or you are unrepresented at a settlement conference) and the offer is far below the exposure shown here. A settlement usually closes those benefits permanently, and a judge’s approval does not mean the number was good. Talk to an attorney or the DLI ombudsman before signing.

Frequently asked questions

How much is my workers’ comp case worth in Minnesota?
There is no fixed answer or chart. The value is driven by your average weekly wage, how much future wage loss (TTD/TPD) is realistically left, your PPD rating, whether medical stays open, and how strong the disputes are. Adding those buckets at the correct rates for your injury date (which is what this calculator does) gives you the exposure figure negotiations start from.
Is there a Minnesota workers’ comp settlement chart?
No. Charts you find online are usually national averages or another state’s schedule, and they mislead more than they help. Minnesota values come from the statute: wage-loss rates under Minn. Stat. § 176.101 and the PPD schedule for your date of injury, not from a chart of "average settlements by body part."
Is exposure the same as settlement value?
No. Exposure is what the claim would pay if benefits kept flowing: the ceiling the negotiation works down from. The settlement number reflects disputes, risk, and how much each side values certainty. But you cannot judge an offer without knowing the exposure first.
Do I have to settle my Minnesota workers’ comp claim?
No. Settlement is voluntary. An insurer cannot force you to settle, and an open claim keeps paying benefits as long as you remain eligible. Settling trades those ongoing rights for a lump sum; sometimes that trade is smart, sometimes it is not.
What is a Stipulation for Settlement?
The written agreement that settles a Minnesota comp claim. It spells out what is paid and which benefits are closed, and it must be approved by a compensation judge (Minn. Stat. § 176.521). "Full, final, and complete" language typically closes wage-loss and PPD claims permanently; medical is often, but not always, left open.
Should I accept the insurer’s settlement offer?
Compare it bucket by bucket against your exposure: what is left of your wage-loss entitlement, your PPD value, and what closing medical would really cost you. A bigger check is not automatically better if it closes benefits you will need. Most MN comp attorneys will review an offer in a free consultation, and fees are capped by Minn. Stat. § 176.081.
Does a settlement close my medical benefits?
Only if the stipulation says so. Many Minnesota settlements close wage-loss claims but leave reasonable and necessary medical care for the work injury open. Closing medical is a big concession: it usually deserves real money, and sometimes Medicare’s interests have to be considered before it can happen.
How long does a workers’ comp settlement take in Minnesota?
After the parties agree, the stipulation is drafted, signed, and submitted to a compensation judge for approval, which commonly takes a few weeks. Payment is due within 14 days of the award being served, and late payment adds a penalty (Minn. Stat. § 176.221).

Sources

How we keep this math current, including our test suite and rate-change history: accuracy and source notes.