MACT Compensation Calculator (India)
The Sarla Verma and Pranay Sethi method, worked out head by head, each with its authority.
The working
| Head | Amount |
|---|
The working appears here once you enter the age and the income.
Fixed amounts in the Motor Vehicles Act
- ₹5,00,000 Death — compensation without proving fault MV Act s.164(1), (2). Payable by the owner or insurer whatever the fault. Accepting it under the s.149 procedure ends the claim petition (s.166, second proviso).
- ₹2,50,000 Grievous hurt — compensation without proving fault MV Act s.164(1). “Grievous hurt” as in s.116 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (s.164, Explanation).
- ₹2,00,000 Hit and run — death MV Act s.161(2)(a); Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022. A fixed sum, or any higher amount the Central Government prescribes.
- ₹50,000 Hit and run — grievous hurt MV Act s.161(2)(b); Hit and Run Scheme 2022. A fixed sum, or any higher amount the Central Government prescribes.
Notes
An estimate, not legal advice: the Tribunal decides the income, the dependency and every head on the evidence, and awards “just compensation” (s.168).
For general information only, not legal advice. Templates are generic starting points — have a qualified lawyer review anything you rely on.
About the MACT Compensation Calculator (India)
When someone dies in a road accident, the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awards their family “just compensation” (Motor Vehicles Act s.168). For a death claim the Supreme Court has laid down a structured method: take the income of the deceased, add future prospects by age and kind of work, deduct what they would have spent on themselves, multiply by an age multiplier, and add three conventional heads — loss of estate, loss of consortium and funeral expenses.
Enter the age, the income and the family, and the calculator applies Sarla Verma, Pranay Sethi, Magma General and Satinder Kaur step by step, with the 10% increase in the conventional heads every three years and the stand-in income the Supreme Court set for homemakers in Shishupal. Each line shows its working and its authority. It also lists the fixed amounts in the Act — no-fault compensation under s.164 and hit-and-run compensation under s.161. Interest, and the final award, are for the Tribunal to decide.
How to use it
- Enter the age of the deceased in completed years and the kind of work: a permanent job, self-employed or on a fixed salary, or a homemaker.
- Enter the income as proved — per month or per year — and the income tax paid in a year, which is deducted (“actual salary less tax”). For a homemaker the stand-in figure of ₹30,000 a month is filled in; add any earnings.
- Say whether the deceased was married and how many family members depended on them, and who claims consortium: the spouse, each child and each parent.
- Optionally add medical and other expenses proved, the contributory negligence of the deceased, and any amount already received (interim relief, compensation under another law).
- Read the itemised working and the total. Copy it for your lawyer, or print it.
Examples
₹45,000 a month · income tax ₹24,000 a year · permanent job · 3 dependants
₹5,16,000 a year after tax + 50% future prospects = ₹7,74,000; less one-third = ₹5,16,000; × 16 = ₹82,56,000 loss of dependency; plus ₹18,150 + ₹48,400 × 3 + ₹18,150 conventional heads = ₹84,37,500.
Homemaker · ₹30,000 a month for loss of domestic care · 4 dependants · 4 claimants for consortium
₹3,60,000 + 40% = ₹5,04,000; less one-fourth; × 16 = ₹60,48,000; with ₹48,400 × 4, ₹18,150 and ₹18,150 the total is ₹62,77,900 — the award in Shishupal v Surjeet.
Common uses
- A family checking whether an insurer’s settlement offer is in line with the Supreme Court’s method.
- An advocate preparing the compensation table for a claim petition or an appeal.
- A student of motor accident law working through the multiplier method.
The formula
Loss of dependency = (yearly income − tax) × (1 + future prospects) × (1 − personal expenses) × multiplier
Total = loss of dependency + loss of estate + loss of consortium × claimants + funeral expenses + expenses proved, less the deceased’s share of contributory negligence and any amount already received.
- Future prospects (Pranay Sethi para 61(iii), (iv)): permanent job — 50% below 40, 30% from 40 to 50, 15% from 50 to 60; self-employed or fixed salary — 40%, 25% and 10%; nothing at 60 or over.
- Personal and living expenses (Sarla Verma paras 30–32): married — one-third with 2 to 3 dependants, one-fourth with 4 to 6, one-fifth with more than 6; a bachelor — one-half, or one-third with a large dependent family.
- Multiplier (Sarla Verma para 42): 18 for ages 15 to 25, 17 for 26–30, 16 for 31–35, 15 for 36–40, 14 for 41–45, 13 for 46–50, 11 for 51–55, 9 for 56–60, 7 for 61–65 and 5 for 66–70 — by the age of the deceased (Pranay Sethi para 61(vii)).
- Conventional heads (Pranay Sethi para 61(viii)): loss of estate ₹15,000, loss of consortium ₹40,000 and funeral expenses ₹15,000, increased by 10% every three years — ₹18,150, ₹48,400 and ₹18,150 after two increases, the figures the Supreme Court applies in its current judgments. Consortium is paid to each claimant: spousal to the husband or wife, parental to each child, filial to each parent (Magma General); loss of love and affection is part of it, not an extra head (Satinder Kaur).
Homemakers
In Shishupal @ Shish Ram v Surjeet the Supreme Court directed that, where the death of a homemaker is concerned, a composite ₹30,000 a month be taken as the stand-in income for loss of domestic care — the household she ran, the care of the children and the support of the spouse or parents — where all three heads are met, revised by 10% every three years; for a homemaker who also worked, it is added to her proved income. The Court framed the figure for a woman who ran the home, while accepting that men can be homemakers too, and added 40% for future prospects for a homemaker of 35. The calculator fills in ₹30,000 a month: change it if the Tribunal applies another figure.
Fixed amounts in the Motor Vehicles Act
- No-fault compensation (s.164): ₹5 lakh on death and ₹2.5 lakh on grievous hurt, payable by the owner or insurer without proof of fault. Accepting it under the s.149 procedure ends the claim petition before the Tribunal (s.166, second proviso).
- Hit and run (s.161; Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022): ₹2 lakh on death and ₹50,000 on grievous hurt, or any higher amount the Central Government prescribes.
- Time limit (s.166(3)): a claim is made within six months of the accident; the Tribunal may admit it within a further twelve months if the claimant was prevented by sufficient cause.
- Interest (s.171): simple interest at a rate, and from a date not earlier than the claim, that the Tribunal fixes.
Sources
- Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — ss.161, 164, 166, 168, 171
- Sarla Verma v Delhi Transport Corporation, (2009) 6 SCC 121 — paras 30–32, 40–42
- National Insurance Co. Ltd. v Pranay Sethi, (2017) 16 SCC 680 — para 61 (Constitution Bench)
- Magma General Insurance Co. Ltd. v Nanu Ram, (2018) 18 SCC 130 — consortium
- United India Insurance Co. Ltd. v Satinder Kaur, (2020) 9 SCC 644 — love and affection within consortium
- Shishupal @ Shish Ram v Surjeet (Supreme Court, civil appeal from SLP (C) No. 33915 of 2025) — loss of domestic care
Limitations
- An estimate, not legal advice. The Tribunal decides the income, the number of dependants and every head on the evidence; the amount you get can be higher or lower.
- Death claims of victims aged 15 or over only. For children, injury and disability claims (loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, attendant charges) the Tribunal assesses each case differently.
- Interest is not calculated: its rate and start are at the Tribunal’s discretion (s.171).
- The conventional heads use the 10% increase for each three full years after Pranay Sethi; a Tribunal may apply the increase from another date — change the number of increases if so.
- Workmen’s compensation (Employees’ Compensation Act) and insurance policy claims follow other rules.
Privacy
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Frequently asked questions
How is compensation for a death in a road accident calculated?
By the Supreme Court’s structured method: the yearly income after tax, plus future prospects (Pranay Sethi), less the deceased’s personal expenses (Sarla Verma), times the multiplier for their age — the loss of dependency — plus loss of estate, loss of consortium for each claimant and funeral expenses. The Tribunal can adjust any head on the evidence.
What is the multiplier for my relative’s age?
From the Sarla Verma Table: 18 up to 25, 17 for 26–30, 16 for 31–35, 15 for 36–40, 14 for 41–45, 13 for 46–50, 11 for 51–55, 9 for 56–60, 7 for 61–65 and 5 for 66–70, using the age of the deceased.
How much is loss of consortium now?
Pranay Sethi fixed ₹40,000, to be increased by 10% every three years; after two increases it is ₹48,400 for each claimant — the spouse, each child and each parent. Loss of estate and funeral expenses rose the same way, from ₹15,000 to ₹18,150.
Is a self-employed person’s income treated differently?
Only for future prospects: 40%, 25% or 10% (below 40, 40 to 50, 50 to 60) instead of the 50%, 30% or 15% added for a permanent job. In both cases the income is taken after tax, as proved before the Tribunal.
What is no-fault compensation under section 164?
₹5 lakh on death and ₹2.5 lakh on grievous hurt, which the owner or insurer must pay without the claimant proving anyone’s fault. A claimant who accepts it through the s.149 procedure gives up the claim petition (s.166, second proviso).
Is there a time limit to file a MACT claim?
Section 166(3) asks for the claim within six months of the accident; the Tribunal may admit it within a further twelve months if the claimant shows sufficient cause for the delay.