Lump sum compensation for a permanent psychological impairment
A lump sum is calculated from the assessed degree of permanent impairment, multiplied against the maximum statutory compensation figure, with an additional amount for a DPI of 30% or more.
Lump sum compensation for permanent impairment is calculated under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Regulation 2025 by multiplying the maximum statutory compensation figure by the worker's assessed degree of permanent impairment (DPI). The Regulation's own worked example: a worker assessed at 10% DPI, against a maximum statutory compensation of $422,295, receives a lump sum of $42,229.50. That $422,295 figure reflects the FY2025-26 QOTE ($1,953.70); applying the Act's own indexation formula in s 205 (varying proportionately with QOTE, rounded up to the nearest $5) to the confirmed FY2026-27 QOTE of $1,994.50 gives a calculated figure of $431,115 for the current financial year. That number is this site's own arithmetic, not an independently published figure, so a worker relying on their own estimate should get the insurer's actual Notice of Assessment rather than this page's calculation.
An additional amount for higher-impairment claims
For a DPI of 30% or more, the Regulation's Schedule 3 adds a further amount on top of the base calculation, on a graduated scale: 8.15 times QOTE at 30% DPI, 100.59 times QOTE at 50% DPI, and 216.15 times QOTE, the maximum, for a DPI of 75% to 100%.
Assessed by a tribunal, not a doctor
As the Medical Assessment Tribunal guide sets out, a psychological injury's DPI can only be assessed by a Medical Assessment Tribunal, and that assessment is final with no second opinion available. The lump sum figures above only apply once that assessment has actually been made.