Pneumoconiosis Act 1979 payments: 2026 lump sum tables and calculator
Last updated · By Mustafa Bilgic · Amounts from S.I. 2026/378 and the Payment of Claims Regulations 1988 on legislation.gov.uk
This page sets out both official payment tables in full, who can claim, how the age and the assessment are fixed, and what the planned change for dependants means in pounds. The calculator works out a payment for a person with the disease or for a dependant, under the current rules and under the draft rules.
1979 Act payment calculator
Tables from S.I. 2026/378, with the draft rules for 31 October 2026
Regulation 4(1) pays the dependant the difference between the Table 1 amount at that age and at the age at death.
Who can claim a 1979 Act payment
The Act covers pneumoconiosis, byssinosis and diffuse mesothelioma, and an order adds asbestos-related primary carcinoma of the lung and unilateral or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening. GOV.UK explains that pneumoconiosis here includes asbestosis, silicosis and kaolinosis. Section 2 of the Act sets four conditions for a person with one of these diseases:
- Disablement benefit: Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is payable for the disease, or would be but for the assessment being below the level at which it is paid. Nothing is paid for disablement of less than 1%.
- No employer to sue: every relevant employer has ceased to carry on business. GOV.UK puts it as being unable to take civil action because your former employer has stopped trading.
- No civil claim: you have not brought any action, or compromised any claim, for damages for the disablement. An action dismissed other than on its merits, for example because it was brought too late, is disregarded.
- No DMPS application: no application has been made to the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme for the disease.
A dependant can claim after a death if no 1979 Act payment was made to the person who died. Section 3 decides who the dependant is, in order: a spouse or civil partner who lived with the person or was maintained by them; if there is none, children under 16, under 21 and not in full-time work, or permanently incapable of self-support; then a partner who lived with the person as a married couple or as civil partners; and finally relatives who were wholly or mainly dependent on them. Where two or more people qualify, the Secretary of State can pay one of them or divide the payment between them.
Table 1: payments to people with the disease from 1 April 2026
Find your age in the first column and your percentage assessment across the top. The amounts fall as age rises. A person assessed at 50% receives £80,534 at age 50, £42,611 at 60 and £12,206 at 70.
| Age | 10% or less | 11%-20% | 21%-30% | 31%-40% | 41%-50% | 51%-60% | 61%-70% | 71%-80% | 81%-90% | 91%-100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 or under | £49,161 | £87,794 | £103,005 | £105,934 | £108,858 | £111,199 | £113,541 | £115,882 | £118,221 | £120,566 |
| 38 | £47,755 | £84,275 | £99,902 | £103,478 | £106,513 | £108,858 | £111,199 | £113,541 | £115,882 | £118,221 |
| 39 | £46,350 | £80,765 | £96,802 | £101,017 | £104,180 | £106,208 | £108,858 | £111,199 | £113,541 | £115,882 |
| 40 | £44,951 | £77,249 | £93,700 | £98,555 | £101,829 | £104,176 | £106,513 | £108,858 | £111,199 | £113,543 |
| 41 | £43,543 | £73,744 | £90,603 | £96,091 | £99,496 | £101,829 | £104,176 | £106,513 | £108,858 | £111,199 |
| 42 | £42,129 | £70,236 | £87,494 | £93,647 | £97,156 | £99,496 | £101,829 | £104,176 | £106,513 | £108,858 |
| 43 | £40,034 | £66,131 | £84,395 | £91,771 | £95,519 | £98,328 | £100,665 | £103,005 | £105,347 | £107,691 |
| 44 | £37,921 | £62,036 | £81,287 | £89,901 | £93,878 | £97,156 | £99,496 | £101,829 | £104,176 | £106,513 |
| 45 | £35,819 | £57,940 | £78,188 | £88,024 | £92,241 | £95,979 | £98,328 | £100,665 | £103,005 | £105,347 |
| 46 | £33,712 | £53,848 | £75,091 | £86,154 | £90,603 | £94,817 | £97,156 | £99,496 | £101,829 | £104,176 |
| 47 | £31,607 | £49,747 | £71,984 | £84,275 | £88,964 | £93,647 | £95,979 | £98,328 | £100,665 | £103,005 |
| 48 | £29,791 | £48,109 | £69,534 | £80,534 | £86,154 | £90,361 | £92,709 | £95,050 | £97,383 | £99,733 |
| 49 | £27,976 | £46,470 | £67,073 | £76,788 | £83,346 | £87,084 | £89,427 | £91,771 | £94,113 | £96,457 |
| 50 | £26,161 | £44,832 | £64,660 | £73,043 | £80,534 | £83,807 | £86,154 | £88,492 | £90,829 | £93,173 |
| 51 | £24,347 | £43,193 | £62,153 | £69,294 | £77,720 | £80,534 | £82,896 | £85,210 | £87,557 | £89,901 |
| 52 | £22,532 | £41,552 | £59,696 | £65,549 | £74,908 | £77,249 | £79,602 | £81,939 | £84,275 | £86,614 |
| 53 | £20,833 | £38,632 | £55,948 | £62,273 | £72,103 | £74,908 | £77,249 | £79,602 | £81,939 | £84,275 |
| 54 | £19,137 | £35,704 | £52,202 | £59,003 | £69,294 | £72,577 | £74,908 | £77,249 | £79,602 | £81,939 |
| 55 | £17,446 | £32,779 | £48,464 | £55,716 | £66,484 | £70,236 | £72,577 | £74,908 | £77,249 | £79,602 |
| 56 | £15,742 | £29,848 | £44,715 | £52,440 | £63,677 | £67,888 | £70,236 | £72,577 | £74,908 | £77,249 |
| 57 | £14,048 | £26,919 | £40,971 | £49,161 | £60,878 | £65,551 | £67,888 | £70,236 | £72,577 | £74,908 |
| 58 | £12,931 | £24,466 | £36,584 | £44,123 | £54,778 | £59,113 | £61,628 | £64,090 | £66,485 | £68,825 |
| 59 | £11,821 | £22,005 | £32,187 | £39,098 | £48,692 | £52,671 | £55,364 | £57,940 | £60,399 | £62,735 |
| 60 | £10,715 | £19,546 | £27,801 | £34,062 | £42,611 | £46,237 | £49,097 | £51,798 | £54,316 | £56,656 |
| 61 | £9,597 | £17,087 | £23,415 | £29,029 | £36,519 | £39,798 | £42,838 | £45,653 | £48,228 | £50,567 |
| 62 | £8,486 | £14,632 | £19,020 | £23,992 | £30,434 | £33,359 | £36,584 | £39,509 | £42,129 | £44,481 |
| 63 | £7,902 | £13,226 | £17,087 | £21,452 | £27,072 | £29,960 | £33,007 | £35,819 | £38,391 | £40,735 |
| 64 | £7,329 | £11,821 | £15,159 | £18,901 | £23,701 | £26,573 | £29,442 | £32,131 | £34,643 | £36,985 |
| 65 | £6,731 | £10,420 | £13,226 | £16,363 | £20,343 | £23,175 | £25,870 | £28,446 | £30,904 | £33,245 |
| 66 | £6,149 | £9,015 | £11,296 | £13,812 | £16,974 | £19,781 | £22,298 | £24,753 | £27,156 | £29,498 |
| 67 | £5,564 | £7,610 | £9,361 | £11,266 | £13,608 | £16,392 | £18,733 | £21,067 | £23,415 | £25,753 |
| 68 | £5,410 | £7,368 | £9,042 | £10,804 | £13,143 | £15,742 | £17,998 | £20,427 | £22,676 | £24,989 |
| 69 | £5,269 | £7,141 | £8,725 | £10,329 | £12,675 | £15,101 | £17,270 | £19,781 | £21,953 | £24,224 |
| 70 | £5,120 | £6,911 | £8,398 | £9,863 | £12,206 | £14,451 | £16,537 | £19,137 | £21,215 | £23,471 |
| 71 | £4,976 | £6,669 | £8,077 | £9,391 | £11,734 | £13,812 | £15,807 | £18,495 | £20,489 | £22,710 |
| 72 | £4,830 | £6,438 | £7,755 | £8,927 | £11,266 | £13,171 | £15,068 | £17,849 | £19,749 | £21,953 |
| 73 | £4,706 | £6,323 | £7,639 | £8,751 | £11,089 | £12,877 | £14,779 | £17,385 | £19,170 | £21,304 |
| 74 | £4,594 | £6,203 | £7,519 | £8,577 | £10,919 | £12,582 | £14,487 | £16,917 | £18,581 | £20,644 |
| 75 | £4,481 | £6,092 | £7,406 | £8,398 | £10,737 | £12,291 | £14,193 | £16,446 | £17,998 | £20,012 |
| 76 | £4,360 | £5,966 | £7,285 | £8,222 | £10,561 | £12,001 | £13,903 | £15,978 | £17,405 | £19,377 |
| 77 or over | £4,247 | £5,851 | £7,174 | £8,046 | £10,387 | £11,703 | £13,608 | £15,517 | £16,827 | £18,733 |
How your age and assessment are fixed
Under the current regulation 3, the age used is your age at your last birthday before the first day of the month in which the first decision was made that you had the disease, and the percentage is the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit assessment for the period just after that decision. If the Department for Work and Pensions cannot fix the date or the percentage, regulation 7 lets it pay an amount that appears just and equitable, using the latest possible date and the lowest possible percentage. The DWP's technical guidance says diffuse mesothelioma is assessed at 100%, so a person with mesothelioma is paid from the last column of Table 1.
Two other rules can change the figure. If you have already been paid under the 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme and are later found entitled under the 1979 Act for the same mesothelioma, the 1979 Act payment is reduced by the 2008 scheme payment (regulation 3(5)). And if pneumoconiosis was accompanied by tuberculosis when it was first diagnosed, regulation 6 builds the payment from £8,788 for each year of active tuberculosis, scaled down by the percentage assessment if it is below 100%, plus a Table 1 amount at a later age. The total can never be more than the payment would have been without tuberculosis.
Payments to dependants under the current rules
A dependant's payment is built from up to three parts, all set out in regulations 4, 5 and 8 of the Payment of Claims Regulations 1988:
- The age difference (regulation 4(1)): if Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit was payable before the death, the dependant receives the Table 1 amount the person would have had at the age when first assessed, less the Table 1 amount at their age at death, both at the same percentage.
- The death payment (regulation 4(2) and 4(6)): if the person died as a result of the disease, a further amount from Table 2 is added, using the age at the last birthday before death. Part A is used for pneumoconiosis and the other diseases, by percentage assessment. If no assessment was made for the period before death, the regulations use 10%. Part B is used for diffuse mesothelioma.
- Top-up and minimum: for a death from mesothelioma the payment must be at least £4,248 more than the regulation 4(6) figure (regulation 5), and no dependant receives less than £4,248 (regulation 8).
| Age at death | A: 10% or less | A: 11%-20% | A: 21%-30% | A: 31%-49% | A: 50% or over | B: mesothelioma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 or under | £31,137 | £53,091 | £59,526 | £61,284 | £62,743 | £62,743 |
| 38 | £30,435 | £51,098 | £57,767 | £59,526 | £61,396 | £61,396 |
| 39 | £29,737 | £49,108 | £56,013 | £57,766 | £60,049 | £60,049 |
| 40 | £29,028 | £47,113 | £54,255 | £56,013 | £58,703 | £58,703 |
| 41 | £28,326 | £45,126 | £52,500 | £54,255 | £57,358 | £57,358 |
| 42 | £27,631 | £43,143 | £50,742 | £52,500 | £56,013 | £56,013 |
| 43 | £26,363 | £40,566 | £49,162 | £50,918 | £54,723 | £54,723 |
| 44 | £25,107 | £37,981 | £47,578 | £49,340 | £53,424 | £53,424 |
| 45 | £23,850 | £35,409 | £45,999 | £47,758 | £52,145 | £52,145 |
| 46 | £22,591 | £32,832 | £44,284 | £46,179 | £50,858 | £50,858 |
| 47 | £21,333 | £30,258 | £42,848 | £44,603 | £49,573 | £49,573 |
| 48 | £20,371 | £29,554 | £41,676 | £43,372 | £47,994 | £47,994 |
| 49 | £19,397 | £28,850 | £40,502 | £42,143 | £46,409 | £46,409 |
| 50 | £18,436 | £28,146 | £39,335 | £40,906 | £44,831 | £44,831 |
| 51 | £17,472 | £27,447 | £38,164 | £39,685 | £43,257 | £43,257 |
| 52 | £16,506 | £26,748 | £36,992 | £38,454 | £41,676 | £41,676 |
| 53 | £16,063 | £25,107 | £34,771 | £36,755 | £40,381 | £40,381 |
| 54 | £15,626 | £23,467 | £32,541 | £35,058 | £39,099 | £39,099 |
| 55 | £15,189 | £21,828 | £30,317 | £33,363 | £37,811 | £37,811 |
| 56 | £14,751 | £20,190 | £28,091 | £31,668 | £36,515 | £36,515 |
| 57 | £14,048 | £18,556 | £25,870 | £29,969 | £35,231 | £35,231 |
| 58 | £12,931 | £17,379 | £23,329 | £26,987 | £31,668 | £31,668 |
| 59 | £11,821 | £16,207 | £20,783 | £23,994 | £28,091 | £28,091 |
| 60 | £10,715 | £15,046 | £18,230 | £21,011 | £24,526 | £24,526 |
| 61 | £9,597 | £13,870 | £15,688 | £18,027 | £20,954 | £20,954 |
| 62 | £8,486 | £12,706 | £13,138 | £15,046 | £17,379 | £17,379 |
| 63 | £7,902 | £12,614 | £12,968 | £14,480 | £16,359 | £16,359 |
| 64 | £7,329 | £11,821 | £12,784 | £13,929 | £15,347 | £15,347 |
| 65 | £6,731 | £10,420 | £12,614 | £13,370 | £14,308 | £14,308 |
| 66 | £6,149 | £9,015 | £11,296 | £12,817 | £13,286 | £13,286 |
| 67 or over | £4,247 | £5,851 | £7,174 | £8,046 | £10,387 | £10,387 |
The change due on 31 October 2026
On 1 September 2026 the Department for Work and Pensions laid the draft Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 before Parliament. The press release said that on average sufferers receive £17,700 while dependants receive £10,700, and that in 2025, 2,730 sufferers received an award and a further 300 awards were paid to dependants at the lower rate. If both Houses approve the draft, it comes into force on 31 October 2026 and makes these changes for cases where entitlement first arises on or after that date:
- One table for everyone: Table 2 and the regulation 4(1) age difference are replaced: dependants are paid from the same table as people with the disease, using the age of the person at their date of death.
- A clear relevant date: a person with the disease is paid by their age on the date the claim is received, instead of an age tied to the first medical decision.
- No top-ups: the tuberculosis rule, the mesothelioma top-up and the £4,248 minimum are removed.
- Payment after death: if a person claims and dies before being paid, the payment goes to their personal representatives once probate, letters of administration or confirmation is shown.
The explanatory memorandum gives the effect in figures: a dependant of a person who died aged 37 or under with 50% disablement receives £62,743 today, while the sufferer's rate is £108,858; at age 67 the figures are £10,387 and £13,608. Existing entitlements continue under the current rules. The calculator shows both figures for a dependant, so you can see how much depends on the date entitlement first arises.
Worked examples
A person with the disease. A former quarry worker aged 62 is assessed at 40% for silicosis, and every employer has closed. Table 1 gives £23,992. Had the assessment been 50%, the figure would have been £30,434.
A dependant, current rules. A man was assessed at 50% for asbestosis at 55 and died from it at 60 without a 1979 Act payment. His widow receives the age difference, £66,484 less £42,611, which is £23,873, plus Table 2 Part A at 60 and 50%, £24,526: £48,399 in total. Under the draft rules the payment would be the Table 1 amount at 60 and 50%, £42,611, which is less in this case because the age difference no longer counts. Where no disablement benefit was paid before the death, the draft rules usually give more: for a death at 60 assessed at 50%, £42,611 instead of £24,526. These examples are our own calculations from the published tables.
Time limits and how to claim
GOV.UK says you must claim within 12 months of the decision awarding Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, and that a dependant claim must be made within 12 months of the death. The Determination of Claims Regulations 1985 count the 12 months from the date disablement benefit first became payable, or from the death for a dependant, and let the Secretary of State extend the period in a particular case. The DWP's guidance asks people not to wait for the outcome of an industrial injuries claim before claiming, and to request claim form PWC1 from the Barnsley Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Centre. If you are unsure whether to claim this scheme or bring a civil claim, our guide to claiming against your employer and our page on claim time limits explain the civil route.
How the 1979 Act fits with other payments
The 1979 Act payment is paid on top of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, which is a weekly benefit. People with mesothelioma who cannot claim under the 1979 Act, for example because they were exposed while self-employed or through a relative's work clothes, may qualify for the 2008 scheme, and people who can trace no employer or insurer may qualify for the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme. Our Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme tariff page covers both, and explains that earlier 1979 Act and 2008 scheme payments are deducted from a DMPS payment. For a claim by a family after a death, see fatal accident compensation claims.
Sources and methodology
Both tables were read from the official PDF of S.I. 2026/378 and every row was checked against the revised Schedule on legislation.gov.uk, which already shows the 2026 amounts. The calculator applies regulations 3, 4, 5 and 8, and was tested on the four examples in the explanatory memorandum to the draft regulations, on the table edges and on the minimum and top-up rules.
- The Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, S.I. 2026/378, on legislation.gov.uk.
- The Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) (Payment of Claims) Regulations 1988, regulations 3 to 8 and the Schedule, on legislation.gov.uk.
- Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979, sections 1 to 3, and the Specified Diseases Order 1985, on legislation.gov.uk.
- Draft (No. 2) Regulations 2026 and explanatory memorandum, on legislation.gov.uk, and the DWP press release of 1 September 2026 on GOV.UK.
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit guide and technical guidance, on GOV.UK.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Pneumoconiosis Act payment in 2026?
It depends on your age and your disablement assessment. For cases where the conditions are first met from 1 April 2026, Table 1 runs from £4,247 to £120,566. For example, a person aged 60 assessed at 100% receives £56,656.
Who can claim under the 1979 Act?
A person disabled by pneumoconiosis, byssinosis, diffuse mesothelioma, diffuse pleural thickening or asbestos-related lung cancer who gets, or could get, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for it, whose relevant employers have all stopped trading, and who has not brought or settled a civil claim or applied to the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme.
Can the family claim after the person has died?
Yes, if no 1979 Act payment was made to the person. A spouse or civil partner comes first, then certain children, then a live-in partner, then dependent relatives. Today dependants are paid from Table 2, with a £4,248 minimum.
What is the time limit for a 1979 Act claim?
GOV.UK says within 12 months of the decision awarding Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, or within 12 months of the death for a dependant. The Secretary of State can extend the period in a particular case.
Does a 2008 scheme payment reduce a 1979 Act payment?
Yes. If you were paid under the 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma Scheme and are later found entitled under the 1979 Act for the same mesothelioma, the 1979 Act payment is reduced by the 2008 scheme payment. An application to the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme rules out a 1979 Act payment for that disease.
What changes on 31 October 2026?
If Parliament approves draft regulations laid on 1 September 2026, dependants will be paid from the same table as sufferers, using the age at death, and the top-up and minimum payments will end. The change applies only where entitlement first arises on or after 31 October 2026.