WSIB NEL Benefit Calculator
Complete guide to understanding and estimating your non-economic loss benefit
The WSIB Non-Economic Loss Benefit Calculator helps injured workers understand how their non-economic loss benefit is calculated. If you have a permanent impairment due to a work-related injury or illness, you are eligible for a non-economic loss benefit under Section 46 of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. This benefit compensates you for the physical and functional loss resulting from your injury, separate from any loss of earnings benefits you may receive.
What is WSIB Non-Economic Loss Benefit?
A non-economic loss benefit is paid when you have an ongoing impairment after your work-related injury or illness has reached a point where it is not expected to improve. This point is called the maximum medical recovery date. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act defines permanent impairment as a physical or functional abnormality or loss, including disfigurement, which results from an injury and any psychological damage arising from the abnormality or loss that continues to exist after you reach maximum medical recovery.
It is important to understand that a non-economic loss benefit is not related to any loss of earnings benefit you may be receiving, and it is not connected to your ability to work. The benefit is only for the impairment resulting from your work-related injury or illness. If you have non-work-related pre-existing conditions, those are not included in the calculation.
How the Degree of Permanent Impairment is Determined
To determine the degree of your permanent impairment, WSIB has a team of registered nurses with extensive training and expertise in the evaluation of permanent impairments. They review your claim using the evaluation criteria set out in the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Third Edition, Revised. They also use policy and supplementary practice guidelines for your specific impairment diagnosis, along with all relevant health-care information in your file.
Once the degree of permanent impairment is decided for the specific area of your injury, WSIB determines the whole person impairment percentage. This percentage represents the degree to which your whole body is impaired as a result of your work-related injury.
Understanding Whole Person Impairment
The whole person impairment percentage is calculated through a series of conversions. For example, a complete amputation of the index finger represents a 100 percent impairment of the finger. The 100 percent impairment of the finger represents a 20 percent impairment of the hand. The 20 percent impairment of the hand represents an 18 percent impairment of the arm, and the 18 percent impairment of the arm represents an 11 percent impairment of the entire body.
How Your WSIB NEL Benefit is Calculated
The dollar value of your non-economic loss benefit is calculated by multiplying your whole person impairment percentage by a base dollar value. The base amount is set out in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and varies based on the year you reached maximum medical recovery.
This base amount is then adjusted according to your age at the time of injury. An age adjustment amount is added for every year you were under the age of 45 at the time of the injury, or subtracted for every year you were over 45, up to a maximum of 20 years.
NEL Calculation Example 1: Worker Over Age 45
Consider a worker who was 52 years old at the time of injury, which is 7 years over age 45. They reached maximum medical recovery in 2018. The base amount for people whose maximum medical recovery date is in 2018 is $59,981.69, and the adjustment amount is $1,333.42 per year.
The base amount is reduced by the age adjustment factor:
$59,981.69 - ($1,333.42 × 7) = $50,647.75 (adjusted base amount)
The adjusted base amount is then multiplied by the whole person impairment percentage. If the whole person impairment is rated at 15 percent, the NEL benefit is:
$50,647.75 × 15% = $7,597.16
NEL Calculation Example 2: Worker Under Age 45
Consider a worker who was 40 years old at the time of injury, which is 5 years under age 45. They reached maximum medical recovery in 2018 with the same base amount of $59,981.69 and adjustment amount of $1,333.42 per year.
The base amount is increased by the age adjustment factor:
$59,981.69 + ($1,333.42 × 5) = $66,648.79 (adjusted base amount)
Using the adjusted base amount, the NEL benefit for a 15 percent whole person impairment is:
$66,648.79 × 15% = $9,997.32
Base Amounts by Year of Maximum Medical Recovery
The base amount for NEL calculations varies each year. Here are some reference values:
| Year of Maximum Medical Recovery |
Base Amount |
Age Adjustment Amount |
| 2018 | $59,981.69 | $1,333.42 |
| 2019 | $61,067.29 | $1,357.63 |
| 2020 | $62,153.80 | $1,381.83 |
| 2021 | $63,240.31 | $1,406.03 |
| 2022 | $64,326.82 | $1,430.23 |
| 2023 | $65,413.33 | $1,454.43 |
| 2024 | $66,499.84 | $1,478.63 |
| 2025 | $67,586.35 | $1,502.83 |
How NEL Benefits Are Paid
Non-economic loss benefits are paid as either a lump sum or monthly payment, depending on whether the benefit amount is under or over an established threshold. The threshold is set annually and based on the year the person reaches maximum medical recovery.
If your NEL benefit is at or under the threshold, it is automatically paid as a lump sum. If your benefit is over the threshold, it is automatically paid as a lump sum after 30 days unless you choose to have the benefit paid monthly. If you are eligible to choose a monthly NEL benefit payable for life, you have 30 days from the date of the decision letter to decide the method of payment. Once the method of payment is decided, it cannot be changed.
What If Your Condition Gets Worse?
WSIB can review your non-economic loss benefit if your work-related impairment has significantly and permanently worsened, and if 12 months have passed since your last NEL decision. This review is called a non-economic loss redetermination. To request a redetermination, contact your Case Manager who will provide you with more information about the process.
Important Note About Processing Times
WSIB is currently reviewing 4,500 decisions about non-economic loss benefits that were made between January 2012 and December 15, 2018. As a result of this review, it is now taking longer than eight to ten weeks to complete a decision for newly referred non-economic loss cases. WSIB is working to improve timelines so that decisions can be delivered as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About WSIB NEL Benefits
Because waiting 8 to 10 weeks for a decision without knowing what you might get is stressful. This WSIB NEL benefit calculator shows you your estimated lump sum or monthly payment based on your whole person impairment percentage. No surprises when that decision letter arrives.
This Ontario WSIB NEL estimator is for workers with a permanent impairment from a workplace injury. If you have lost function in a finger, hand, arm, leg, or any body part, this tool helps you estimate your non-economic loss benefit. Separate from lost wages — you can get both.
100% free. No sign up, no credit card, no hidden fees. This WSIB permanent impairment benefit calculator works for any worker in Ontario with an approved claim. It costs nothing to estimate your lump sum or monthly NEL payment.
No way. This WSIB whole person impairment tool does not save or share anything. No name, no claim number, no medical details. Your answers stay in your browser. We never see them and we never sell your data. Completely private.
Yes. This Ontario workplace impairment calculator follows official WSIB rules using the AMA Guides. That means the conversion from body part impairment to whole person percentage, the option to choose lump sum or monthly payments if over threshold, and the ability to request redetermination if your condition worsens. It won't approve your NEL, but it tells you what to expect before your decision letter arrives.
