Disability (Bodily Injury) Compensation Calculator

An important caveat first: the calculation here is an estimate and does not replace the official report prepared by the actuarial expert the court will appoint. This tool also calculates only the pecuniary (loss-of-earning-capacity) compensation; non-pecuniary (moral) compensation for pain and suffering is not set by a formula but is determined separately at the judge's discretion. For an assessment specific to your situation, you can get in touch with us.

What is disability compensation and who can claim it?

In legal terms, disability compensation is referred to as permanent loss-of-earning-capacity compensation. When an event causes a permanent loss in bodily functions, it is the monetary equivalent of this reduction in the person's capacity to earn an income. Unlike temporary loss of earning capacity (which lasts only until recovery), here the harm is permanent and continues for life.

This compensation can be claimed by the injured person whose bodily integrity has been harmed. The right to claim covers a broad field, independent of the type of event that caused the harm:

• Traffic accidents — those who are injured and left with a permanent disability as a driver, passenger or pedestrian.
• Work accidents and occupational diseases — employees injured at the workplace or in the course of the work.
• Medical error (malpractice) — patients left with permanent harm following a wrong diagnosis, surgery or treatment.
• Assault and intentional injury — victims left with permanent disability following a physical attack.
• Other torts — those harmed in situations such as product defects, animal attacks, or building/elevator accidents.

The disability ratio is the cornerstone of the compensation. This ratio is determined not by the person's own statement but as a percentage by an authorised medical board report and by the expert panel appointed by the court, on the basis of the relevant disability regulation.

How is disability compensation calculated?

In current Court of Cassation practice, disability compensation is calculated using an actuarial method that finds the present value of the income the person will be unable to earn over their lifetime. The framework of the calculation consists of the following steps:

1) Remaining life expectancy: the TRH-2010 life table

Based on the person's age and sex, the number of further years they are statistically expected to live (remaining life expectancy) is determined. The TRH-2010 National Mortality (Life) Table is used for this. The PMF-1931 table used in older calculations is no longer accepted as valid; the TRH-2010, based on current and domestic data, is applied.

2) The distinction between active and passive periods (two separate income figures)

Remaining life expectancy is divided into two in terms of working capacity, and a different income is taken as the basis in each period:

• Active period (age at accident → age 60, retirement): the person's actual net income is taken as the basis in this period. If the income can be documented, that documented income is used; if it cannot be documented, an assessment may be made on the basis of the minimum wage.
• Passive period (age 60 → end of remaining life expectancy): the person is assumed to no longer be actively working after retirement, and the net minimum wage is taken as the basis for this period (as of 2026, the monthly net minimum wage is 28,075.50 TL; gross 33,030 TL).

3) Progressive annuity and technical interest

The progressive annuity method is applied to discount future income losses to their present value: it is assumed that the annual income will increase by approximately 10% each year and will in turn be discounted at the same rate (10%); these two effects largely neutralise each other, so that approximately one year's income is reflected in the compensation for each year. The 1.8% technical interest application once adopted by the Court of Cassation is no longer valid; as a more conservative alternative, discounting at a technical interest rate of 1.65% is being discussed.

4) Disability ratio and fault ratio multipliers

The total gross income loss found with the method above is reduced to the final amount by the last two multipliers:

• It is multiplied by the disability ratio (for example, 20% disability means twenty per cent of the total).
• It is multiplied by (1 − the injured person's fault ratio). If the injured party is also at fault in the event, the compensation is reduced by this fault ratio.

Legal basis: compensation arising from bodily harm

The general framework of disability compensation rests on the tort and bodily-harm provisions of the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098 (TBKTBKTurkish Code of Obligations No. 6098The statute behind almost every private agreement in Türkiye — contracts, liability for harm, lease, employment, agency and unjust enrichment.Glossary →). The unlawful violation of a person's bodily integrity gives rise to the tortfeasor's liability to compensate.

Depending on the type of event, special laws also come into play and affect some of the parameters of the calculation:

• Traffic accidents: the Highway Traffic Law No. 2918 (KTK) — the liability of the vehicle operator and the insurer.
• Work accidents: the Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331 and the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510 — the employer's obligations and the SSI (SGK) income award.
• Medical error: the agency and tort provisions of the TBK together with the relevant health legislation.

Determining the correct legal basis and the competent court at the outset is decisive both for the limitation period and for the amount of compensation.

How the calculation differs in traffic, work-accident and malpractice cases

The basic logic of the disability calculation (TRH-2010, active/passive periods, disability and fault) is the same for every type of event; however, some important differences arise depending on the nature of the event:

• In traffic accidents, compensation is often first met by the compulsory traffic insurance (and, where applicable, the optional financial liability policy). An application can be made to the insurance company and then, if necessary, the route of the Insurance Arbitration Commission or the court can be followed.
• In work accidents, the capitalised lump-sum value of the permanent loss-of-earning-capacity income awarded by the SSI (SGK) is deducted from the calculated compensation; for this reason the final figure varies according to the size of the SSI payment. The competent court is the Labour Court.
• In malpractice, whether the treatment was carried out in a private hospital or in a public/university hospital affects whether the case will be heard in the ordinary courts or the administrative courts, and therefore the process.

The estimate in this tool does not include these event-type differences; to assess together which deductions and which process will apply in your actual file, you can get in touch.

The difference between pecuniary and non-pecuniary (moral) compensation

In bodily-harm cases, the two types of compensation are often claimed together; however, the two rest on entirely different foundations:

• Pecuniary compensation (the tool on this page) covers losses that can be measured in money: income loss arising from loss of working capacity, treatment and care expenses, impairment of economic future, and so on. This item can be calculated by the actuarial method described above.
• Non-pecuniary (moral) compensation covers losses that cannot be measured in money, such as the pain, distress and grief experienced by the injured party and the decline in their quality of life. This item is not calculated by a formula; the judge determines it at their discretion, taking into account the gravity of the event, the fault of the parties and their economic situation (TBK Art. 56).

We can assess your file together to determine which items you can claim and to what extent, and to see a realistic picture.

Frequently asked questions