UK Personal Injury Compensation Calculator (2026)

Be honest and evidence-led — a "severe" whiplash needs medical documentation of ongoing symptoms past 12 months. Match the severity to what your GP/consultant has actually written.

RTA unlocks the whiplash tariff (if applicable); workplace unlocks employer liability considerations; public place relates to Occupiers' Liability Act.

Critical for whiplash tariff banding: ≤3m, 4–6m, 7–9m, 10–12m, 13–15m, 16–18m, 19–24m. Use medical notes, not self-estimation.

Lost earnings: gross net of Statutory Sick Pay already received. Medical: receipts only. Care hours/week: ONLY if care is actually being provided by a family member — commercial rate at £15/hr, tapered 75% for family.

Future lost earnings apply if you can't return to your pre-accident role. This gets multiplied by the age-appropriate Ogden multiplier — a young claimant with career-ending injury can see very large future-loss figures.

Low/mid/high range reflects JCG bracket width. Consult a PI solicitor with the mid figure as your opening settlement target. Court-track allocation tells you what level of legal support is typically needed.

The Civil Liability Act 2018 and Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021 (effective 31 May 2021) replaced JCG bands with a statutory tariff for RTA whiplash ≤24 months. Pre-2021 JCG value for a 12-month whiplash: ~£4,100. Post-2021 tariff: £1,250. This was justified by the government as fraud-reduction but roughly halved general damages for minor RTA whiplash. Non-RTA whiplash (workplace, sports) still uses full JCG — a material difference that changes case strategy.

RTA whiplash claims ≤£5k in personal injury value now flow through officialinjuryclaim.org.uk — a government-backed DIY portal. No legal costs are recoverable regardless of outcome. Medical evidence comes via a single instructed medical expert (MedCo). Issuers must respond within 30 days. 60%+ of UK RTA whiplash claims now go through this portal; most claimants DIY. Solicitors typically decline these cases as uneconomic.

Ogden Tables convert future annual loss into present-day capital using a statutory discount rate. Current rate (England & Wales, reviewed periodically): −0.25%. Negative means future money is valued MORE than present money — producing higher multipliers. For a 35-year-old with £15k/year future loss to age 68: multiplier ~29.8, lump sum ~£447k. Pre-2017, the rate was +2.5% producing multipliers ~40% lower. Any rate review (expected ~2027) could materially change future-loss quantum.

CFA: solicitor paid only if you win, takes up to 25% of general damages + past pecuniary losses as success fee. ATE: insures you against paying the defendant's costs if you lose (needed because costs regime in multi-track allows "loser pays"). Most CFA agreements include ATE premiums deducted from compensation at settlement. Some solicitors offer "No Deduction" CFAs on simple cases — always shop around. Since 2013 (LASPO) success fees and ATE are NOT recoverable from the losing party — they come from your compensation.

Pair this with the Maternity & Paternity Pay Calculator if injury overlaps with family leave, the Probate DIY vs Solicitor for estate admin after fatality, and the Credit Card Payoff Planner for managing injury-related debt while the claim is ongoing.