Korea Traffic Accident Disability Compensation Calculator

Estimate Korean traffic accident disability compensation using McBride-style labor loss, disability grade, Hoffman or Leibniz present-value discounting, consolation money, nursing care, comparative fault, and deductions.

Victim and disability

Gender

Body area

Income, costs, and deductions

Income basis

Present-value method

Death or family consolation options

Final estimated compensation

₩161,130,397

After fault and prior payments

Total before fault

₩201,412,996

All damages before comparative fault

Effective loss rate

25.2%

Occupation and overlap applied

Monthly lost income

₩882,000

300 working months

Damage breakdown

Past/future treatment and devices
₩0
Lost income selected
₩171,412,996
Consolation money
₩30,000,000
Family consolation
₩0
Nursing care
₩0
Fault deduction
-₩40,282,599
Prior payments deducted
-₩0

Hoffman vs Leibniz

Hoffman coefficient
194.346
Hoffman lost income
₩171,412,996
Leibniz coefficient
172.969
Leibniz lost income
₩152,558,658

This Korea-based calculator reuses the Korean McBride loss-rate, occupation-class, 2026 daily-wage, life-expectancy, Hoffman, Leibniz, consolation-money, nursing-care, comparative-fault, and deduction logic. Actual disability grades depend on medical appraisal and court or insurer review.

Related calculators

What is the traffic accident disability compensation calculator?

This calculator estimates Korean traffic accident compensation when permanent disability remains after treatment. It evaluates disability grade, labor capacity loss, active damages, lost income, consolation money, nursing care, comparative fault, and deductions. It uses the same pure calculation logic as the Korean page, including McBride-style labor loss and Hoffman or Leibniz present-value discounting.

Permanent disability means lasting physical impairment after treatment is completed. Korean practice classifies disability from grade 1, the most severe, to grade 14, the mildest. The grade affects consolation money, insurance limits, and the labor capacity loss rate that drives lost-income damages.

Korea-based calculator

This tool is based on Korean motor vehicle compensation practice, Supreme Court working-age precedent, 2026 daily-wage assumptions, and disability compensation formulas. It is an estimate only. Actual disability grade and damages depend on medical appraisal, evidence, insurer review, and court judgment.

Who this is useful for

  • Traffic accident victims waiting for permanent disability assessment
  • People comparing an insurer settlement offer with an independent estimate
  • Claimants preparing a damages lawsuit and estimating lost income
  • Lawyers and judicial scriveners explaining a compensation range to clients
  • Loss adjusters simulating disability grade and labor-loss scenarios
  • Legal professionals comparing Hoffman and Leibniz present-value methods
  • Students or researchers studying Korean traffic accident compensation

Disability grade standards

What is a permanent disability grade?

A permanent disability grade classifies the severity of physical impairment caused by an external event such as a traffic accident. Korean motor vehicle compensation rules and Supreme Court practice use the grade when estimating consolation money, insurance limits, and labor capacity loss.

Major grade bands, 2026 reference

  • Grades 1-3, severe: brain death, quadriplegia, blindness, paraplegia - consolation KRW 60-80 million, loss rate 70-100%
  • Grades 4-7, moderate: post-spine surgery disability, joint loss, disc herniation - consolation KRW 30-45 million, loss rate 25-70%
  • Grades 8-11, mild: deformity after fracture, motion limitation, residual nerve symptoms - consolation KRW 12-25 million, loss rate 7-25%
  • Grades 12-14, minor: minor scars, intermittent pain, mild nerve symptoms - consolation KRW 5-10 million, loss rate 1-7%

A real grade is determined from medical records and physical appraisal by a qualified doctor, insurer medical reviewer, court-appointed appraiser, or relevant disability board. The calculator grade is only a scenario input.

McBride disability table

The McBride disability table was developed by American orthopedic surgeon Earl D. McBride and is widely used in Korean courts as a reference for labor capacity loss after traffic accidents. It separates body part, impairment type, and occupation class.

  • Class I, professional: doctors, lawyers, professors - multiplier 0.85
  • Class II, office work: office workers, civil servants - multiplier 0.90
  • Class III, skilled work: drivers, technicians - multiplier 1.00
  • Class IV, manual work: construction workers, farmers - multiplier 1.10
  • Class V, heavy labor: mining, logging, loading - multiplier 1.20

The same grade can produce a different loss rate depending on occupation. A neck-disc disability may reduce an office worker less than a construction worker because the job depends less on physical movement.

How lost income is calculated

Meaning of lost income

Lost income is the income the victim would have earned until working age if the disability had not occurred. The calculation takes the monthly income, multiplies it by the labor capacity loss rate, and converts future income to present value.

Formula

lost income = monthly income x labor capacity loss rate x present-value coefficient

  • Monthly income: proven actual income or daily wage x 22 working days
  • Loss rate: McBride-style loss rate adjusted by occupation class
  • Remaining work months: (working age - current age) x 12 months
  • Present value: Hoffman simple-interest method or Leibniz compound-interest method

Hoffman vs Leibniz

Future income must be discounted to present value. Korean courts commonly use the Hoffman method, which is based on simple interest. Insurers often compare or prefer the Leibniz method, which uses compound interest.

Hoffman method

  • Simple-interest discount
  • Produces a larger present-value coefficient
  • Generally more favorable to the victim
  • Uses the 5% statutory interest rate

Leibniz method

  • Compound-interest discount
  • Produces a smaller present-value coefficient
  • Generally more favorable to the at-fault side or insurer
  • Also uses the 5% statutory interest rate

The longer the remaining work period, the larger the gap. With 25 years remaining, the lost-income difference can reach tens of millions of won or more. Litigation preparation usually starts from the Hoffman result while settlement discussions compare both methods.

How to use the calculator

Step 1: Enter basic information

Enter current age, gender, and working age, default 65. If the accident was fatal, switch to the death calculation so the death consolation standard applies.

Step 2: Set disability information

Choose a body area and select a typical impairment preset, or directly enter grade and loss rate. Select occupation class to adjust the labor capacity loss. If two or more body areas are impaired, use the combined-loss option.

Step 3: Enter income and damage items

Use proven monthly income, daily wage, or housework income. Enter past medical costs, future treatment costs, assistive device costs, and nursing care if severe disability requires assistance.

Step 4: Set comparative fault and deductions

Enter the other party fault ratio and any insurance payment already received. Choose Hoffman or Leibniz to compare present-value methods.

Step 5: Review and use the result

The result shows final expected receipt, damage categories, fault deduction, prior-payment deduction, and Hoffman vs Leibniz comparison. Use it as a consultation or negotiation reference.

Example scenarios

Scenario 1: Grade 7 cervical disc disability after surgery

A 40-year-old office worker has cervical disc herniation after a rear-end collision and undergoes surgery. After treatment, motion limitation remains and grade 7 disability is expected.

Example inputs

  • Monthly income: KRW 3.5 million / labor capacity loss: 28% for office Class II
  • Remaining work period: 25 years, or 300 months / Hoffman method
  • Lost income: about KRW 180 million / consolation money: KRW 30 million
  • After an 80:20 fault split, final compensation can be around KRW 180 million depending on costs and deductions

Scenario 2: Checking an insurer settlement offer

A 35-year-old delivery driver tears a knee ligament in a motorcycle accident and receives a KRW 40 million settlement offer. Using daily wage, grade 10 disability, and 15% loss rate can produce an estimated total around KRW 120 million, showing that the insurer offer may be low.

In that situation, formal loss adjustment, lawyer consultation, or litigation review may be appropriate.

Scenario 3: Litigation strategy for severe brain injury

A lawyer represents a 50-year-old self-employed client with severe brain injury, grade 2 disability, 90% labor capacity loss, and nursing needs. Lost income, nursing care through life expectancy, victim consolation, and family consolation can exceed KRW 1 billion before fault.

The Hoffman-Leibniz difference can be hundreds of millions of won in severe cases, so method selection becomes a core litigation issue.

Components of total damages

1. Active damages

These are costs already paid or expected to be paid because of the accident.

  • Past medical costs: hospitalization, surgery, medicine, physical therapy, and other paid treatment
  • Future medical costs: additional surgery, rehabilitation, follow-up care, and checkups
  • Assistive devices: prosthetics, orthotics, wheelchairs, aids, and replacement costs

2. Passive damages, or lost income

Lost income is the income the victim can no longer earn because of permanent disability. It is often the largest part of total damages.

  • Income basis: proven actual income if available, otherwise daily wage
  • Working age: age 65 under Supreme Court en banc decision 2019Da232918
  • Intermediate interest deduction: future income discounted by the 5% statutory interest rate

3. Consolation money

Consolation money compensates physical and mental suffering. It depends on disability grade, and severe disability or death can also generate family consolation money.

  • Permanent disability consolation: KRW 80 million for grade 1 down to KRW 5 million for grade 14, 2026 court-practice reference
  • Death consolation: KRW 100 million for the victim, KRW 30 million for spouse, KRW 20 million for each parent or child
  • Family consolation: may be recognized for close family members in severe grade 1-3 disability cases

4. Nursing care cost

Nursing care is recognized when severe disability, often grades 1-3, requires assistance in daily life. The daily cost is multiplied over life expectancy and discounted to present value.

For 2026 reference, professional nursing often falls around KRW 100,000-150,000 per day and family care around KRW 80,000-100,000 per day. Life expectancy uses Statistics Korea-style assumptions: age 81 for men and age 87 for women in the calculator.

FAQ

Q. Who determines the permanent disability grade?

It is determined through medical appraisal by a specialist. An insurer medical reviewer, court-appointed doctor, or official disability board may be involved. The calculator grade is only a forecast.

Q. Why is working age set at 65?

The Supreme Court en banc decision 2019Da232918 raised the general working age to 65, reflecting an aging society and higher labor participation. Certain professions can have a separate recognized retirement age.

Q. Which method should I use, Hoffman or Leibniz?

In litigation, the Hoffman method is commonly adopted and is generally more favorable to victims. Insurers may propose settlement amounts closer to the Leibniz method. Compare both results before negotiating.

Q. What is combined disability?

Combined disability means impairment in two or more body areas. The combined loss rate is not a simple sum. It uses an overlap formula, A + B x (1 - A). For example, 10% and 5% combine to 14.5%, not 15%.

Q. When is daily wage used?

Daily wage is used when actual income is difficult to prove, such as for some self-employed people, homemakers, or unemployed victims. The 2026 ordinary construction worker daily wage used here is KRW 178,956, and 22 working days gives about KRW 3.93 million per month.

Q. What if the insurer offer is too low?

Consider a formal loss adjustment, lawyer consultation, and possibly Financial Supervisory Service dispute mediation. Compare the economic benefit with lawyer retainer and success fees before filing suit.

Cautions when claiming damages

  • Limitation period: tort claims generally must be exercised within 3 years from knowing damage and tortfeasor and within 10 years from the accident under Article 766 of the Civil Act.
  • Secure evidence: diagnosis, medical records, income proof, accident photos, dashcam footage, and witness evidence are essential.
  • Settle after treatment stabilizes: settling before disability is fixed can be disadvantageous.
  • Use specialists: disability grade and damage calculation combine law and medicine, so consult a lawyer or loss adjuster.
  • Pre-existing conditions: if a prior condition contributed to the result, compensation can be reduced by contribution ratio.

Related statutes and precedent

  • Motor Vehicle Accident Compensation Guarantee Act: protects traffic accident victims and sets insurance-payment standards.
  • Supreme Court en banc decision 2019Da232918: raised general working age to 65.
  • Civil Act Articles 393 and 763: define the scope of damages and tort damages.
  • Civil Act Article 379: sets the 5% statutory interest rate used in Hoffman and Leibniz coefficients.

Estimate permanent disability compensation now

Enter disability grade, labor capacity loss, and income information to compare Hoffman and Leibniz compensation estimates.

Use the result for consultation, insurer negotiation, or litigation planning.