SOPWAREHOUSESOP
Menu

Free tool, no signup

OSHA penalty estimator

There is no formula here, only OSHA's published per-violation maximums multiplied by how many violations you enter. What comes out is a ceiling, not a quote: OSHA reduces proposed penalties for employer size, good faith, and inspection history, and its penalties page publishes no percentages for those, so this tool applies none of them. A real citation is almost always lower than the number below.

A condition that would probably not cause death or serious physical harm but is still a breach of a standard.

$16,550 per violation

A substantial probability of death or serious physical harm, where the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.

$16,550 per violation

Failing to post what OSHA requires, such as the job safety and health poster or a citation at the site of the violation.

$16,550 per violation

Intentional disregard for, or plain indifference to, the requirement. OSHA lists willful and repeated at the same maximum.

$165,514 per violation

A substantially similar violation cited before at the same employer. OSHA lists willful and repeated at the same maximum.

$165,514 per violation

Charged for each day the cited condition goes uncorrected beyond the abatement date, so this field counts days rather than violations.

$16,550 per day

Maximum exposure

$0

Enter how many violations of each type you are looking at. Leave the rest blank.

This is the statutory ceiling for amounts assessed after Jan. 15, 2026, not a quote and not a prediction. OSHA reduces proposed penalties for employer size, good faith, and inspection history, and its published penalties page does not give the percentages, so no reduction is applied here. A real citation is almost always lower than this number.

How it is calculated

These are the maximum amounts OSHA publishes, assessed after Jan. 15, 2026. Each line is the count you entered multiplied by the maximum for that type.

Type of violationMaximum
Other-than-serious$16,550 per violation
Serious$16,550 per violation
Posting requirements$16,550 per violation
Willful$165,514 per violation
Repeated$165,514 per violation
Failure to abate$16,550 per day beyond the abatement date

Failure to abate is the one that compounds. It is charged for every day the cited condition goes uncorrected past the abatement date, so the field beside it counts days, not violations. OSHA lists willful and repeated together at the same maximum; they are split into two lines here only so you can describe a case in the terms it was written up in.

State plan states set their own amounts. OSHA requires them to be at least as effective as the federal maximums, which means a state figure can be higher than the one shown here, never lower in effect.

Source: OSHA Penalties. Read 29 August 2026. If OSHA changes the page, this one changes with it.

This is an arithmetic upper bound for planning conversations, not legal advice and not a prediction of what OSHA would propose. Proposed penalties depend on gravity, employer size, good faith, and history, and are frequently reduced in an informal conference. Check the source page before quoting a number: OSHA adjusts these amounts for inflation each January.

Templates this leads into

A rate or a due date tells you where you stand. The written procedure is what closes it. These are the library entries this tool points at.

Browse the whole template library or start from Forklift.

Write the procedure behind the number

This tool is free and stays free. If you want the written SOPs to go with it, answer the facility questionnaire once and every template comes back with your equipment, your job titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.

Start free trial

14-day free trial, no credit card.