Permanent incapacity meaning and compensation limits under WICA
When a work injury leaves a lasting effect on your ability to work, WICA pays a lump sum based on your percentage of permanent incapacity (% PI). The percentage is set by a doctor, and the dollar amount is set by a MOM formula with a statutory floor and ceiling. If your claim has so far been processed for temporary incapacity only, there is a separate 1-year deadline for asking for permanent incapacity to be assessed at all.
Tell us what happened
Speak with an employment lawyer about your situation
Most useful for senior and management-level roles and larger claims.
Step 1 of 2
How the assessment works
A doctor assesses your percentage of permanent incapacity once your medical condition has stabilised, applying the Ministry of Manpower's assessment guide on traumatic injuries and occupational diseases for WICA. As most injuries stabilise within 6 months from the date of the accident, the Ministry of Manpower says compensation may be based on the extent of incapacity at that 6-month mark, called current incapacity, rather than waiting indefinitely for a final permanent figure.
Once the doctor's assessment is in, the Ministry of Manpower or the insurer issues a Notice of Assessment (NOA) or Notice of Computation (NOC) stating the percentage and the resulting compensation amount. Use the compensation calculator to see the range that percentage falls into before the notice arrives.
On who does the assessing: the Ministry of Manpower says you can seek treatment from any hospital or medical institution, with no restriction on the type, and in the same breath that your employer can request for you to be treated or assessed by a company-approved hospital or medical institution. Both are true at once, so an assessment arranged through your employer is a normal part of the process rather than a sign something has gone wrong. If the percentage that comes back looks wrong to you, disagreeing with it is what the objection window is for, and that window is short: see objecting to a Notice of Assessment.
The compensation limits
The formula is: amount payable equals average monthly earnings, multiplied by an age multiplying factor, multiplied by the percentage of permanent incapacity. That result is then bounded between a statutory minimum and maximum, which the Ministry of Manpower revised for accidents from 1 November 2025 onward. Those limits are the width of the scheme, not an amount you are promised.
| Accident date | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1 November 2025 | $97,000 | $289,000 |
| From 1 November 2025 | $116,000 | $346,000 |
Where the doctor or dentist awards 100% PI, the Ministry of Manpower adds a further 25% on top of the compensation amount, at 100% only. Under the Ministry of Manpower's rules the insurer must then pay you within 21 days from the date the NOA or NOC was served, assuming no one disputes it.
If your claim was processed for temporary incapacity only
Not every claim reaches a permanent incapacity assessment on its own. If yours was processed only for temporary incapacity, meaning medical leave wages and medical expenses, and the injury turns out to have a lasting effect, you have to ask for permanent incapacity to be assessed, and there is a deadline on asking. The Ministry of Manpower's instruction is to contact your designated insurer for the application form and a blank doctor's memo, get the doctor to fill in the memo certifying that you are likely to have suffered permanent incapacity, and "submit the application form and doctor's memo within 1 year from the date of accident".
If you disagree with the assessment
You, your employer, or the insurer can dispute the % PI figure within 14 days of the Notice of Assessment being issued, per the Ministry of Manpower. A PI dispute is re-assessed by a panel of two senior consultants appointed by the Work Injury Compensation Medical Board, and that panel's assessment is final. The objecting party pays the Medical Board fee and the cost of any tests the board requires, whatever the outcome, so this is a decision with a cost attached rather than a free second opinion. The full process is on objecting to a Notice of Assessment.
If your situation involves more than the injury claim itself, for example a dismissal or unpaid salary alongside it, see who to contact for an employment dispute to find the right body for that part.
Case review
Assessment feels too low? Get matched with a law firm
Tell us what happened. Your enquiry comes to the Work Rights SG team and we read every one. We do not have a referral arrangement with a law firm in place at the moment, so we are not passing enquiries to anyone.
Not every case needs a lawyer. This is most useful if you were in a senior or management role, or the money at stake is substantial. For straightforward cases the free MOM and TADM route these guides describe usually gets there on its own.
Frequently asked questions
How is permanent incapacity (% PI) assessed?
A doctor assesses your percentage of permanent incapacity after your medical condition has stabilised, using the Ministry of Manpower's assessment guide on traumatic injuries and occupational diseases. The Ministry of Manpower says most injuries stabilise within 6 months of the accident, so compensation may be based on the extent of incapacity at that point, known as current incapacity. You can seek treatment at any hospital or medical institution, and your employer can also ask for you to be treated or assessed at a company-approved one; if you disagree with the percentage that comes back, the objection route is the remedy.
What compensation do I get for permanent incapacity?
The Ministry of Manpower's formula is average monthly earnings times an age multiplying factor times the percentage of permanent incapacity, bounded between a statutory minimum and maximum. For accidents from 1 November 2025 the Ministry of Manpower sets that band at $116,000 to $346,000 per 100% PI; for accidents before that date it is $97,000 to $289,000 per 100% PI. Those are the scheme's outer limits, scaled by your percentage, not an amount anyone is promised.
What happens if the doctor assesses 100% PI?
The Ministry of Manpower adds a further 25% on top of the compensation amount when the doctor or dentist awards 100% PI. That uplift applies at 100% only, not at 99% or below.
My claim was only processed for temporary incapacity. Can I still claim permanent incapacity?
Yes, but there is a 1-year deadline on it. The Ministry of Manpower's instruction is to contact your designated insurer for the application form and a blank doctor's memo, get your doctor to fill in the memo certifying that you are likely to have suffered permanent incapacity, and "submit the application form and doctor's memo within 1 year from the date of accident". That year runs from the accident date, not from the date your temporary incapacity payments stopped, so do not wait for the injury to be formally called permanent before asking your insurer for the form.
What if I disagree with the % PI assessment?
You, your employer, or the insurer can dispute it within 14 days of the Notice of Assessment, per the Ministry of Manpower. The objecting party pays the Medical Board fee and the cost of any tests the board requires, whatever the outcome, and the board's assessment is final. See objecting to a Notice of Assessment for how that process works.
Last updated How we check this
↑ Back to topWork Rights SG provides general information about employment rights in Singapore. It does not create a lawyer–client relationship. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified employment lawyer.