Fourth Schedule explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The Fourth Schedule lists injuries that the Code deems to cause permanent disablement, together with the percentage of loss of earning capacity for each. Part I lists injuries deemed to cause permanent total disablement; Part II lists injuries deemed to cause permanent partial disablement. These percentages drive the amount of employee's compensation under section 76.
Part I has six injuries, each at 100 per cent loss of earning capacity, deemed permanent total disablement (s.2(56)). Part II has fifty injuries deemed permanent partial disablement (s.2(55)), each with a stated percentage, from 90 per cent for amputation through the shoulder joint down to 1 per cent for loss of part of a toe. A combination of Part II injuries adding up to 100 per cent is deemed permanent total disablement. Section 76(1)(c) pays that percentage of the total-disablement compensation. The Central Government can add to or delete from the Schedule (s.152(1)).
Why it matters
When an injury is on the list, the loss of earning capacity is fixed by law; no medical assessment of the percentage is needed for that injury. That shortens disputes and makes claims predictable. Employers and insurers use the table to estimate exposure, and workers use it to check their award. For injuries not on the list, a medical practitioner assesses the loss. Our labour law compliance service can help you read the Schedule with s.76 when assessing claims and insurance. For the compensation rules see section 76.
How the Schedule operates
| Provision | Effect |
|---|---|
| s.2(56), proviso | Permanent total disablement is deemed for every Part I injury and for any combination of Part II injuries where the aggregate percentage amounts to one hundred per cent |
| s.2(55), proviso | Every Part II injury is deemed permanent partial disablement |
| s.76(1)(c)(i) | For a Part II injury, the compensation is the percentage of the permanent total disablement compensation specified in the Schedule |
| s.76(1)(c)(ii) | For an injury not in the Schedule, the percentage is proportionate to the loss of earning capacity assessed by the medical practitioner |
| s.76(1), Explanation 1 | For more than one injury from the same accident, compensation is aggregated, but not beyond the amount for permanent total disablement |
| s.76(1), Explanation 2 | In assessing an unlisted injury, the medical practitioner must have due regard to the percentages for listed injuries |
| s.152(1) | The Central Government can add or delete by notification |
This article does not quote a compensation amount or the factors in s.76; see our note on section 76 for the formula as it reads in the Code.
Part I: injuries deemed to cause permanent total disablement
| No. | Injury | Loss of earning capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loss of both hands or amputation at higher sites | 100 per cent |
| 2 | Loss of a hand and a foot | 100 per cent |
| 3 | Double amputation through leg or thigh, or amputation through leg or thigh on one side and loss of other foot | 100 per cent |
| 4 | Loss of sight to such an extent as to render the claimant unable to perform any work for which eye-sight is essential | 100 per cent |
| 5 | Very severe facial disfigurement | 100 per cent |
| 6 | Absolute deafness | 100 per cent |
Part II: injuries deemed to cause permanent partial disablement
Part II has 50 entries. The main ones, with the percentage printed in the Schedule:
Upper limb
| Injury | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Amputation through shoulder joint | 90 |
| Amputation below shoulder with stump less than 20.32 cm from tip of acromion | 80 |
| Amputation from 20.32 cm from tip of acromion to less than 11.43 cm below tip of olecranon | 70 |
| Loss of a hand, or of the thumb and four fingers of one hand, or amputation from 11.43 cm below tip of olecranon | 60 |
| Loss of thumb and its metacarpal bone | 40 |
| Loss of thumb | 30 |
| Loss of four fingers of one hand | 50 |
| Loss of three fingers of one hand | 30 |
| Loss of two fingers of one hand | 20 |
| Loss of terminal phalanx of thumb | 20 |
| Guillotine amputation of tip of thumb without loss of bone | 10 |
The Schedule prints the centimetre measurements in square brackets in the scanned text; use them as printed in the official Schedule when assessing a claim.
Lower limb
| Injury | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Amputation of both feet resulting in end bearing stumps | 90 |
| Amputation at hip | 90 |
| Amputation through both feet proximal to the metatarso-phalangeal joint | 80 |
| Amputation below hip with stump not exceeding 12.70 cm from the tip of great trochanter | 80 |
| Amputation below hip with stump exceeding 12.70 cm but not beyond middle thigh | 70 |
| Amputation below middle thigh to 8.89 cm below knee | 60 |
| Amputation below knee (stump exceeding 8.89 cm) | 50 |
| Amputation of one foot resulting in end bearing; amputation through one foot proximal to the metatarso-phalangeal joint | 50 |
| Loss of all toes of both feet through the metatarso-phalangeal joint | 40 |
| Loss of all toes of both feet proximal to the proximal inter-phalangeal joint | 30 |
| Loss of all toes of both feet distal to the proximal inter-phalangeal joint; loss of all toes of one foot through the metatarso-phalangeal joint | 20 |
Eyes
| Injury | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Loss of one eye, without complications, the other being normal | 40 |
| Loss of vision of one eye, without complications or disfigurement of eye-ball, the other being normal | 30 |
| Loss of partial vision of one eye | 10 |
Fingers and toes (single digits)
| Digit | Whole | Two phalanges | One phalanx | Tip (guillotine amputation without loss of bone) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Index finger | 14 | 11 | 9 | 5 |
| Middle finger | 12 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| Ring or little finger | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
For toes: great toe through the metatarso-phalangeal joint is 14 per cent and part with some loss of bone 3 per cent. Any other toe is 3 per cent through the joint and 1 per cent for part with some loss of bone. Two toes of one foot (excluding the great toe) are 5 and 2 per cent; three toes are 6 and 3 per cent; four toes are 9 and 3 per cent.
Central Rules, 2026 and the Schedule
The Code and Rules we read do not attach a separate rule to the Fourth Schedule. Medical assessment for unlisted injuries, review and commutation follow Chapter VII of the Code (see sections 79 to 81). Where the State Government is the appropriate Government, the State's own rules apply to the procedural steps.
A worked example
A worker loses two fingers of one hand and the terminal phalanx of the thumb of the same hand in a press accident at a factory. The listed percentages are 20 (two fingers) and 20 (terminal phalanx of thumb). For the same accident s.76 aggregates the compensation, so the combined loss is 40 per cent, well below 100 per cent, and he has permanent partial disablement. If the same injuries together reached 100 per cent on the Schedule's numbers, the law would deem permanent total disablement. The aggregate can never exceed what permanent total disablement would pay. (Illustrative; consult the Schedule and s.76 for the exact computation.)
Need help reading a disablement claim?
Matching each injury to an entry, aggregating percentages and deciding when a medical assessment is needed takes care. Our labour law compliance team can help you review a claim, insurance cover and the records the Code expects.
Key takeaways
- Part I: six injuries, 100 per cent, deemed permanent total disablement.
- Part II: fifty injuries, each with a fixed percentage, deemed permanent partial disablement.
- Combinations reaching 100 per cent count as permanent total disablement.
- Unlisted injuries are assessed by a medical practitioner with regard to the listed percentages.
- Compensation for more than one injury from one accident is aggregated but capped at the total-disablement amount.
- The Central Government can amend the Schedule (s.152(1)).
Read next
- Section 76: Amount of compensation
- Third Schedule: Occupational diseases
- Disability benefit under ESI: temporary and permanent
- Section 2 definitions: Employment injury, dependant, disablement and maternity terms
Disclaimer: Based on the Code on Social Security, 2020 (as enacted) and, where noted, the Code on Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 344(E), 8 May 2026), as on 30 September 2026. The Code is in force from 21 November 2025; some provisions may be notified later, and State Governments make their own rules for establishments where the State is the appropriate Government. Verify the current position before acting.