Whole-Person Impairment (WPI) Calculator

Why WPI matters for your claim

WPI thresholds gate access to several compensation entitlements:

• NSW workers comp common-law damages — 15% WPI threshold
• VIC workers comp common-law — "serious injury" gateway (often 30% psychiatric WPI or specific other tests)
• WA workers comp common-law — 15% WPI threshold
• SA workers comp lump sums — 5% WPI minimum threshold
• Motor accident schemes — most have impairment-based gateways for non-economic loss damages

Where your impairment is borderline near a threshold, the formal assessment is critical and warrants specialist legal preparation.

How WPI is formally assessed

Australian schemes use various editions of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (most schemes use 4th, 5th, or 6th edition; SIRA-approved Guides also exist). Assessment is by:

• An accredited medical assessor (occupation-specific, e.g. orthopaedic surgeon for spine, psychiatrist for mental health)
• Following structured chapter-by-chapter assessments in the relevant Guide
• Combining multiple impairments using the Combined Values Chart

The assessment is often the single most important medico-legal report in a workers compensation or motor accident claim. Specialist lawyers will time the assessment carefully — typically once your prognosis has stabilised.

This calculator is an indication only. Real WPI percentages depend on detailed clinical findings and the specific assessment Guide used in your state. The AMA Guides are highly technical; pre-assessment estimates can vary significantly from actual outcomes.