How To Calculate Compensation Amounts For A Personal Injury Claim?

By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 13th December 2023. If you’ve suffered an injury through no fault of your own, you could make a personal injury claim. Naturally, you may also be curious about typical payouts, so below, you can find a compensation chart to help.

We also offer advice on the criteria for making a claim and how you can take advantage of a No Win No Fee agreement to take legal action today.

If action is what you want to take, then we can help. Our No Win No Fee solicitors specialise in personal injury law and have successfully helped thousands of people over the years. They can help you too.

You can get in touch for a free case check or for some legal advice by:

Man with a broken arm using his laptop to calculate compensation amounts for his personal injury claim

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What Are The Criteria To Claim Personal Injury Compensation?

To be eligible to make a claim for personal injury compensation, you need to prove that you suffered your injury because a relevant third party breached their duty of care. A breach of duty of care that results in injury is known as negligence.

There are various situations where you are owed a duty of care, such as:

  • In the Workplace – The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states that your employer owes you a duty of care. Per their duty of care, they must take reasonable steps to ensure your safety whilst you are performing work-related duties and in the workplace.
  • In Public – Anyone who is in control of a public space is known as an occupier. Per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, an occupier must take all the necessary steps to ensure your reasonable safety whilst you are using that public space for its intended purposes. This is their duty of care.
  • On the Road – Per the Road Traffic Act 1988, all road users have a duty of care. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are all considered as road users. Per their duty of care, they must use the roads in a way that avoids causing harm to themselves and others. Additionally, they must follow the rules of obligations set out for them in the Highway Code.

If any of these relevant third parties were to breach their duty of care, this could result in an accident where you are injured. Later in this guide, we have provided a personal injury compensation chart with guideline compensation brackets for various injuries to help you gain a clearer idea of how much compensation you could potentially be awarded for a successful claim.

The Different Types Of Personal Injury Claims

A ‘personal injury claim‘ is a broad term that describes compensation claims made when someone has been injured in an accident that was not their fault, suffered a disease or illness or adverse mental health effects, due to the actions of a third party. As there are many different circumstances that can lead to personal injury, personal injury compensation levels can also vary significantly. Some of the most common forms of personal injury claims include:

  • Road traffic accidents: these can involve single or multiple vehicles, pedestrians and other motor vehicles, such as bikes.
  • Compensation calculator for an injury at work: a workplace accident can have serious consequences and may be complex to make.
  • Accidents at work – a claim calculator could help you assess whether your employer could be at fault, how much you could be entitled to in compensation, and what your lost earnings could be.
  • Slips, trips, and falls: these can happen in a variety of different places and ways and are one of the most common forms of injuries in the UK. We’ve even created a guide to slips, trips, and falls.
  • Claims for accidents on holiday: these can be made for accidents which happened on your holidays such as food poisoning or other circumstances.

How A Personal Injury Claim Is Calculated

When calculating a personal injury claims’ value, solicitors and the courts will seek and award a settlement that is proportional to the severity of the injuries suffered. In practice, this means that compensation claim amounts are higher for more severe injuries than for more mild ones.

Your solicitor will base the amount of compensation they think you entitled to on two main factors. These are how severe your injury was and the overall impact it has had on your mental health, as well as your life in general.

Different Kinds Of Personal Injury Compensation

It is important to remember that injury compensation amounts can differ depending on several factors. As such, the settlement you receive would reflect the individual facts and circumstances of your case.

Examples of the factors that can be considered to help calculate a personal injury claim payout include:

  • Severity
  • Future prognosis
  • Type of injury
  • Psychological impact
  • Financial impact

Additionally, there are two heads of claim that could form a personal injury settlement. These are called general and special damages. We have provided more details on these in the section below. 

Continue reading for more information. Alternatively, you can call our team to discuss the typical payouts for a personal injury in the UK. 

Personal Injury Compensation Chart

To help give you a better idea of what personal injury claim payouts could look like, we’ve constructed a personal injury compensation chart using guideline figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This is a document that solicitors often use when calculating general damages amounts, which is the head of your compensation that accounts for your injuries. The JCG provides guideline settlement awards for different injuries, as seen below, but please note that these aren’t guaranteed amounts.

 

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Injury Notes Amount
Multiple serious injuries with associated financial losses Serious combinations of injuries including financial costs such as loss of earnings, care costs and medical expenses for example. Up to £1,000,000+
Foot Injury – (a) Amputation Both feet are amputated with the ankle joints lost. £169,400 to £201,490
Foot Injury – (b) Amputation One foot is amputated, with the ankle joint lost. £83,960 to £109,650
Leg Injury – (b) Severe (i) An injury that does not require amputation but are of a severe level. Examples include the degloving of the leg and the gross shortening of the leg. £96,250 to £135,920
Leg Injury – (c) Less Serious (i) Fractures were an incomplete recovery is made and the persona may be left with a limp or metal implant. £17,960 to £27,760
Back Injury – (a) Severe (iii) Soft tissue injuries or dis lesions/fractures that, despite treatment, cause severe pain and impair the person’s sexual function and agility. £38,780 to £69,730
Back Injury – (b) Moderate (ii) Backache caused by frequent back injuries, such as the muscles and ligaments being distrubed. £12,510 to £27,760
Arm Injury – (b) One or both forearms have suffered serious fractures which results in a permanent cosmetic or function disability. £39,170 to £59,860
Arm Injury – (d) Forearm fractures that are simple. £6,610 to £19,200
Wrist Injury – (b) Some useful wrist movement remains, despite suffering from a permanent disability. £24,500 to £39,170
Wrist Injury – (d) A soft tissue injury or fracture that takes longer than 1 year to completely recover. £6,080 to £10,350

 

Some compensation claim amounts also include special damages. This head of claim covers the financial impact of your injuries. For example, special damages could help recoup lost earnings if you’ve had to miss work to recover. It can also cover the cost of:

  • Essential travel
  • Over-the-counter medicines
  • Prescriptions
  • Help with cooking, cleaning, and childcare
  • Mobility aids
  • Home adjustments 

To claim under special damages, you need to provide proof of your losses. Because of this, keeping documentation of expenses related to your injuries can be helpful. 

Contact our team of advisors today to learn more about personal injury claim payouts.

Do I Need Evidence To Make A Personal Injury Claim?

As part of the claim process, you will be expected to submit evidence. This must show that you were owed a duty of care and when this was breached, you suffered injuries. The evidence you provide may affect personal injury compensation and how much your claim is worth.

Claims for pain and suffering compensation in the UK can be supported with the following evidence examples:

  • Medical records. In addition to your medical records, you might be asked to attend an independent medical exam. The purpose of this is to determine injury severity and what impact it is expected to have on your life.
  • Accident footage. This could be from CCTV, a mobile phone, dashcam or doorbell.
  • Witness contact information. Anyone who saw what happened can be contacted later for a statement if you note their contact details.
  • Photographs of the scene. For example, you may have suffered injuries in a car accident. You can submit photographs of damage to your vehicle.

Call our advisors to find out more about compensation claims amounts. Additionally, they can help you gather evidence based on the circumstances of your accident.

How Long Do You Have To Claim Compensation Payouts?

A time limit applies to pursuing accident compensation payouts. The Limitation Act 1980 states that you have three years from the date of your accident to begin a personal injury claim. However, there are circumstances where the limitation period is suspended, such as:

  • When a child is injured. The time limit is suspended until their 18th birthday.
  • When a claimant lacks the mental capacity to start a claim. The time limit is permanently suspended unless they regain the required mental capacity.

Compensation payouts could be claimed by litigation friends on behalf of the claimants while the time limit is suspended. The claimant can begin their own claim if the time limit resumes, 

If you have questions about the time limit, feel free to contact us at any time on our 24/7 advice line. Our advisors can also answer questions such as, ‘how is compensation calculated?’

What happens if I pass the time limit?

If the claim is not stated within this three year period, it will become what is termed ‘time-barred’ or statute-barred. It should be noted that there are some exceptions to this. A person who has suffered brain damage and who is no longer able to make decisions for themselves may bring a claim at any time should they recover enough. Similarly, for those with a mental illness, the three year period will begin when they are clinically able to make their claim.

If a child has suffered an accident or illness, their parents are able to bring the claim on their behalf or leave the claim till the child turns 18. The child will then have three years running between their eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays in which to make their claim.

No Win No Fee Compensation Claims

Now we have discussed the typical payouts for a personal injury in the UK, you might be ready to start a claim. If so, you may also be considering acquiring legal representation for your claim.

If you contact our advisors today and discuss your case, they may connect you with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors. By offering their services to you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), you typically won’t pay your solicitor upfront or throughout the progression of your claim for their work. Additionally, you will not be required to pay for their legal services if the claim fails.

Instead, your solicitor would deduct a success fee from your compensation if it ends successfully. This fee is a small and legally limited percentage.

Please contact an advisor to learn whether one of our solicitors could help you with your personal injury claim.

Get A Free Compensation Calculation And Legal Advice

Now, if you are wondering whether you are eligible to claim compensation and would like some free legal advice concerning your particular claim, you can contact our advisors today. Our friendly team of advisors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Furthermore, they can answer any specific questions you may have about starting a claim and could potentially help you calculate your personal injury claim. Additionally, if they believe that you may be eligible for compensation, they could put you in contact with our experienced and professional solicitors who could help you with your claim.

If you would like to discuss your claim with an advisor today, you can:

  • Call on 0800 073 8801
  • Email us at the address listed on our contact us
  • Or you can get some legal advice for free online by interacting with our live chat pop-up.

Please do not hesitate to contact us today if you have any questions or concerns about making a claim.

Useful Links Relating To A Personal Injury Compensation Calculator

Start a claim
Start your claim today with Accident Claims UK.

Making a personal injury claim
Information on making a personal injury claim from the UK Government.

NHS  Mental Health Resources

Those affected by negligence may experience various degrees of stress, anxiety and depression. Please take a look at the resources provided by the NHS and seek support.

Finally, thank you for reading our guide on using our personal injury claims calculator and the claims process. Furthermore, we hope you have learned a lot about using a personal injury compensation calculator.