What this pneumoconiosis pension calculator helps you check
Workers formerly exposed to dust in mining, stone processing or foundries need to distinguish ordinary industrial-accident disability benefits from the Korean pneumoconiosis scheme.
This calculator combines an official pneumoconiosis grade with a 2026 daily wage to estimate the monthly and annual formula amount.
Workers can compare a grade change, while survivors can reconcile the pension paid or decided at death with the statutory survivor cap.
Use the result to prepare questions about diagnosis, reassessment, survivor claims and separate consolation eligibility with the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service, COMWEL.
Korea-specific 2026 rules
Articles 36 and 91-3 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act provide a pneumoconiosis compensation pension comprising a basic component and a disability component.
Its structure differs from ordinary grade 1–14 disability lump sums and pensions.
Selecting a similar grade in an ordinary calculator can therefore apply the wrong formula.
This tool does not diagnose pneumoconiosis or infer a grade from radiographic patterns or cardiopulmonary function.
Use the official assessment, or retain an explicitly hypothetical grade and the pending-evidence state.
Records to prepare and the main inputs
Grade and regime
Select grade 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13.
Without an official grade, keep the unassessed option and check the diagnostic process first.
The current scheme, a legacy lump sum, protected old pension and continuing-care transition are different cases.
The selected regime affects whether this formula can provide an amount.
Daily wage and evidence
The 2026 notified pneumoconiosis wage is KRW 149,055 per day.
Confirm its applicability under Act Article 36(6) and Decree Article 25, or enter the agency-assessed daily wage.
Selecting the notified amount does not automatically check its applicability.
Record the document name, verification date and assumptions in the note for reconciliation with the saved result.
Changes and old lump sums
The earlier grade and change date compare pension amounts at the same 2026 wage.
For an old lump sum, also enter the grade for which that lump sum was paid.
Omitting the old grade could overstate the new disability component, so the tool withholds that amount until the required input exists.
Survivor and limitation records
Prepare recognition of death due to pneumoconiosis, eligible survivor count, death date and the annual pension paid or decided at death.
For limitation review, identify when the specific right became exercisable and obtain prior claim receipts.
An unknown condition is shown as evidence pending and is distinct from a rejection.
2026 formula and pension amounts by grade
Calculate the two components separately
The minimum-wage amount in Act Article 36(7) is the hourly minimum wage multiplied by 8.
For 2026, KRW 10,320 × 8 gives KRW 82,560 per day.
The annual basic component is KRW 82,560 × 60% × 365 = KRW 18,080,640, or KRW 1,506,720 per month after division by 12.
The annual disability component is the applied daily wage × the days in Annex 6.
Add the two annual components, then divide by 12 for the monthly reference.
Annual compensation pension = KRW 18,080,640 + applied daily wage × Annex 6 days
The table assumes that the 2026 notified wage of KRW 149,055 applies, the current scheme is used and no legacy lump-sum deduction is needed.
The 2026 daily compensation-wage bounds are KRW 82,560–268,299.
The interactive result retains the original wage and separately shows any bounded amount.
Do not copy these totals into a case with another wage or a legacy deduction.
Current-scheme grade examples using the 2026 notified daily wage of KRW 149,055| Grade | Annex 6 days | Monthly (KRW) | Annual (KRW) |
|---|
| 1 | 132 | 3,146,325 | 37,755,900 |
| 3 | 132 | 3,146,325 | 37,755,900 |
| 5 | 72 | 2,401,050 | 28,812,600 |
| 7 | 72 | 2,401,050 | 28,812,600 |
| 9 | 24 | 1,804,830 | 21,657,960 |
| 11 | 24 | 1,804,830 | 21,657,960 |
| 13 | 24 | 1,804,830 | 21,657,960 |
How to use the calculator
- Select the person and regime. Choose worker or survivors and reconcile occupational recognition and transitional records.
Keep unknown conditions unchecked rather than treating an application as approval.
- Enter the grade and daily wage. Verify the official grade and agency wage, including the old paid grade when a legacy lump sum exists.
Comma-formatted numbers are supported, while missing or invalid inputs do not establish zero entitlement.
- Add change or survivor details. The grade comparison holds the wage constant.
For survivors, verify eligible persons and the annual pension at death; otherwise retain the explicit 2026 formula assumption.
- Read the amount and evidence state together. Check pending and withheld reasons, not just the monthly figure.
Use the exercisable-right date and claim history to prepare a limitation discussion.
- Save and verify the actual claim process. TXT and print include the evidence states and note.
Ask COMWEL which application and records are needed, and raise consolation payments and unpaid installments separately.
Three worked examples checked against the formula
Current grade 7: KRW 2,401,050 per month
KRW 149,055 × 72 days produces an annual disability component of KRW 10,731,960.
Adding the basic component of KRW 18,080,640 gives KRW 28,812,600 annually and KRW 2,401,050 monthly.
This example assumes verified 2026 notified-wage applicability, official grade 7 and the current scheme.
It does not establish claim approval or payment.
Grade 13 to 7: KRW 596,220 monthly increase
In the current scheme, the increase from 24 to 72 days is 48 days.
KRW 149,055 × 48 equals KRW 7,154,640 per year, or KRW 596,220 per month.
The same-year basic component is unchanged, so it is not added twice.
A change dated 2026-10-19 gives an effective start of 2026-11-01.
Legacy grade 13 lump sum, now grade 7: KRW 2,102,940 monthly
Deduct the old grade 13 allocation of 24 days from the new grade 7 allocation of 72 days, leaving 48 days.
The disability component of KRW 7,154,640 plus the basic component of KRW 18,080,640 gives KRW 25,235,280 annually or KRW 2,102,940 monthly.
Do not pay the entire new 72-day component again.
Verify the old record and the transitional provisions of Act No. 10305.
Grade changes and the 2010 transitional rules
Article 91-3(3) applies a changed grade from the month after the change.
The comparison uses identical 2026 assumptions instead of mixing different annual wage and minimum-wage levels.
A change from grade 13 to 11 remains in the 24-day band and can therefore produce a zero increase in the disability component.
This does not decide other legal consequences of reassessment.
Check the old payment history first
Transitional Article 2(3) of Act No. 10305, promulgated May 20, 2010, provides the basic component for old pneumoconiosis lump-sum recipients.
Article 2(4) uses the difference between new and old Annex 6 days after a qualifying grade change.
Article 2(1)–(2) separately protects a higher old disability pension and requires another comparison.
Transitional Articles 3 and 4 address continuing medical care, re-care and related survivor benefits at the transition.
The tool withholds amounts for protected old pension and continuing-care branches; an improved grade relative to an old lump sum also requires separate agency review.
Pneumoconiosis survivor pension and its cap
Under Article 91-4, the starting amount for eligible survivors of a worker who died from pneumoconiosis is the pension paid or decided at death.
It cannot exceed the survivor-compensation-pension amount under Article 62(2) and Annex 3.
If no pneumoconiosis diagnosis was completed before death, Article 91-4(3) requires separate checks including the posthumously determined grade.
The direct-entry field takes an annual amount, not a monthly deposit.
47% plus 5% per eligible person
Annual survivor cap = applied daily wage × 365 × [47% + min(eligible persons × 5%, 20%)].
Include the recipient in the count: 1 person gives 52%, 2 give 57%, 3 give 62%, and 4 or more give 67%.
Starting at 52% and adding the first person again overstates the cap.
Confirm eligible persons under Article 63, including relationship, livelihood, age, disability and residence conditions.
At a KRW 149,055 daily wage, current grade 1 and one eligible survivor, the annual cap is KRW 28,290,639.
This is lower than the worker pension of KRW 37,755,900, so the combined survivor reference is KRW 28,290,639 annually or KRW 2,357,553.25 monthly.
For four or more eligible persons, the annual cap is KRW 36,451,400.25 and the addition stops at 20%.
The result is the combined amount; beneficiary priority, individual division and agency rounding need separate confirmation.
Five-year limitation and the calendar reference
Article 112 sets a five-year limitation period for pneumoconiosis compensation and survivor pension rights.
Adding five years to every diagnosis date does not establish one fixed filing deadline for every case.
Review interruption by a claim under Article 113, exercisability under Civil Act Article 166 and accrual of each periodic installment.
A passed reference does not establish loss of the whole pension
The tool adds five calendar years to the user-entered exercisable-right date and labels the result as before holiday adjustments.
Check Civil Act Articles 157 and 160 on commencement and calendar calculation and Article 161 on Saturday and public-holiday expiry.
The five-year calendar reference for 2024-02-29 is 2029-02-28, not a final legal-expiry determination.
Prior or unknown claims trigger interruption review first.
Use a passed reference to investigate unpaid installments and possible interruption, rather than assuming that all future benefits are lost.
Practical situations to review with family
Preparing a first claim after retirement
Collect dust-exposure work history, diagnosis and assessment records before estimating from a remembered wage.
Confirm notified-wage applicability and whether the grade is officially decided.
Ask the responsible COMWEL branch for the appropriate application.
Keep unresolved items in the report as questions for the next consultation.
Worsening condition or death during long-term receipt
Compare old payment and new assessment records under the same formula assumptions.
For survivors, reconcile the decided annual pension rather than automatically multiplying the last bank deposit by 12.
Check whether the deposit included an adjustment, and ask separately about unpaid installments and consolation claims.
Interpretation limits and input tips
- Distinguish zero from withheld.
Missing old grades or outside-scope cases do not become a zero entitlement.
- The model uses 2026 notifications and minimum wage.
Historical annual arrears, future increases, inflation adjustments, suspension, recovery and coordination are outside the calculation.
- Keep fractions in the calculation and display at most two decimal places.
Check the agency decision for actual payment rounding and short-period settlement.
- Eligibility still needs confirmation when only the basic component remains.
Checking a box does not create agency approval; the fictional example is not evidence for your own case.
- Consolation payments are separate claims.
Do not add an assumed consolation payment or ordinary disability lump sum and describe the result as total receipt.
- Inputs stay in browser memory, while saving and printing include notes and evidence states.
Check that the note contains only information needed for the intended recipient before sharing it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an ordinary industrial-accident disability lump sum?
The current pneumoconiosis scheme uses its own pension instead of ordinary disability benefits.
Add the basic component to the Annex 6 disability component.
Do not import ordinary grade 1–14 lump-sum days.
An old pneumoconiosis lump sum requires a separate transitional check.
Is this basic component the senior basic pension?
No.
It is part of the pneumoconiosis compensation pension under Article 91-3 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act.
KRW 1,506,720 per month here is calculated from the 2026 minimum wage.
It is separate from the age- and income-related senior basic pension.
Does everyone automatically receive the notified wage?
KRW 149,055 per day is the 2026 notified wage.
Confirm applicability under Act Article 36(6) and Decree Article 25 with COMWEL.
Do not assume that this notification applies to everyone or replace the agency wage with an arbitrary division of a former monthly salary.
Does every worsening grade increase the disability component?
Annex 6 groups grades 1 and 3 at 132 days, grades 5 and 7 at 72 days, and grades 9, 11 and 13 at 24 days.
A change from grade 13 to 11 therefore adds no disability component at the same wage.
Other effects on care or consolation payments need their own review.
Does a legacy lump sum mean the disability component stays zero forever?
For an unchanged old grade, the simple transitional case pays only the basic component.
Transitional Article 2(4) of Act No.
10305 instead uses the new grade days minus the old grade days after a qualifying change.
Verify the old paid grade and the applicable regime together.
Should I count every child and grandchild as a survivor?
Use eligible survivors under Article 63, including the recipient, rather than every family member.
Livelihood, age, disability, nationality and residence, relationship and priority affect eligibility.
This tool does not determine eligibility or divide the combined amount equally among family members.
Are all pension rights lost five years after diagnosis?
That conclusion does not follow from diagnosis alone.
Review the five-year period under Article 112, claim interruption under Article 113, exercisability under Civil Act Article 166 and accrual of each installment.
The date here is only a calendar reference before holiday adjustments, not a finding that the entire entitlement has expired.
Are consolation payments or historical arrears included?
No consolation payment, historical annual wage adjustment, arrears total or ordinary civil damages are included.
Ask the responsible COMWEL branch about separate consolation eligibility and unpaid installments, taking prior claim receipts.
The displayed annual amount uses the selected 2026 assumptions.
Official sources and the next claim step
Official sources checked October 19, 2026.
The Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, Act No. 21375 effective July 1, 2026, was checked for Articles 36, 63, 70, 91-3, 91-4, 112 and 113, Annexes 3 and 6 and the transitional provisions of Act No. 10305.
Decree Article 25 uses the July 1, 2026 version; Rule Article 33 uses the February 2, 2026 version.
Notice 2025-88 provides KRW 149,055, Notice 2025-84 provides KRW 82,560–268,299, and Notice 2025-47 provides the KRW 10,320 hourly minimum.
These annual wage notifications apply January 1–December 31, 2026.
The official law API current text and annex content were checked; recheck annual validity and transitional applicability before future maintenance.
Take the reconciliation to COMWEL
Prepare the pension application, diagnosis and assessment result, wage and old-payment records and relevant survivor documents.
Rule Article 33 sets documents for its specified scope, including an initial medical-care application; check the actual pension-application attachments separately.
Ask the responsible branch about reassessment timing, consolation eligibility and unpaid installments to make the next step concrete.
Compare ordinary industrial-accident benefitsReview industrial-accident appeal timing