Personal Injury Compensation Calculator

Compensation for a personal injury in England and Wales is built from two separate pots. General damages cover the pain, the suffering and the loss of amenity, meaning the things you can no longer do. Special damages cover money actually lost or spent, from wages to physiotherapy bills to taxi fares. The general damages figure comes from the Judicial College Guidelines, which set a bracket for each type of injury, and pain, suffering and loss of amenity is only ever one part of a claim.

Where you sit within a bracket depends on severity, how long recovery takes and whether anything is permanent. Under the 18th edition of the Guidelines, published in April 2026, a minor neck injury that clears within 2 years is worth up to £10,420 where the whiplash tariff does not apply, a moderate back injury £16,520 to £51,230, and a simple fracture of the forearm £8,730 to £25,370. At the severe end, the most serious back injuries reach £212,670 and severe psychiatric damage £152,900.

Whiplash is the exception to all of this. Since May 2021, road traffic whiplash injuries lasting up to 2 years have been paid on a fixed statutory tariff rather than valued by a judge, and the amounts are considerably lower than before. The tariff rises with the length of recovery, from £275 for a recovery inside 3 months to £565 at 3 to 6 months, £965 at 6 to 9 months, £1,510 at 9 to 12 months, £2,335 at 12 to 15 months, £3,445 at 15 to 18 months and £4,830 for anything from 18 to 24 months. Where minor psychological injury sits alongside the whiplash, a slightly higher tariff applies, from £300 up to £4,975. Severe or permanent neck injuries are not capped and keep their full Guidelines value. Claims under £5,000, which covers most whiplash, go through the online OIC portal without a solicitor.

Special damages are where a serious claim gets much of its value, and they are easy to under-record. Past and future loss of earnings is the biggest line, sometimes running for life where there is lasting disability. NHS treatment is free, but private physiotherapy and future care costs can be claimed, along with travel to hospital appointments and taxis while you cannot drive. Adaptations to a home or car, lost pension contributions, and the value of care given unpaid by a family member all count. So does the cost of work you can no longer do yourself, such as gardening or DIY, and any property damaged in the accident. Future earnings losses are calculated using a multiplier from the Ogden tables, which are based on life expectancy.

One thing an estimate cannot do is account for contributory negligence. Where your own actions played a part in the accident, a percentage reduction is applied to the whole award, and it can be substantial. That is a judgement rather than a calculation, and it is one of several reasons to get a proper valuation before accepting anything.

Most personal injury work is done on a conditional fee agreement, the no win no fee arrangement in its post-2013 form. Lose and you pay nothing. Win and the solicitor takes a success fee out of your compensation, capped at 25% of your general damages plus past financial losses, after any benefits recouped by the DWP. After the Event insurance, which covers the other side's costs if you lose, usually takes another £200 to £800 from a winning award. Total deductions commonly land between 20% and 30%, so ask for a written illustration of what you would actually receive before signing anything. Slater and Gordon, Irwin Mitchell, Thompsons and JMW are among the larger firms, and terms vary enough to be worth comparing.

Time limits come from the Limitation Act 1980 and they are strict. An adult has 3 years from the date of the accident, or from the date of knowledge where an injury such as an industrial disease only comes to light later. A child has 3 years from their eighteenth birthday. Where someone lacks mental capacity, time does not run until capacity returns. Criminal injuries claims through CICA have a shorter window of 2 years from the incident, extended only in exceptional cases. Waiting rarely helps, since evidence degrades, witnesses move on and medical records become harder to obtain, and a first consultation is usually free.