Estimate your bracket
Pick the closest injury category and severity. Add any provable financial losses (special damages).
Estimated bracket
£12,510 – £38,780
- General damages (PSLA):
- £12,510 – £38,780
- Special damages:
- £0
Moderate — residual discomfort, no surgery. Ligament damage, ongoing pain affecting work.
How the calculator works
UK accident-at-work compensation has two parts. General damages compensate for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA) using the brackets in the Judicial College Guidelines (17th edition, April 2024). Special damages are your provable financial losses — lost earnings, care, treatment, travel and equipment.
The figure above adds your weekly lost earnings × weeks off, plus a lump sum for care and expenses, to the middle of the JCG bracket for the injury you selected. It is a rough guide only. The real number turns on the medical report, prognosis and how the defendant's insurer assesses contributory negligence under the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945.
What the figure does not include
- Interest on past losses (added by the court at settlement).
- Pension loss for long-term or permanent injuries.
- Loss of congenial employment if you cannot return to your trade.
- Future loss of earnings calculated using Ogden multipliers for serious cases.
- Aggravated or exemplary damages (rare in workplace claims).
When the bracket is wrong
JCG brackets are starting points. The court adjusts up or down for:
- Multiple injuries (an "overall award" not a simple total).
- Pre-existing conditions made worse by the accident.
- Psychiatric injury layered on physical injury (often a separate bracket).
- Scarring, especially visible scarring on the face or hands.
- Need for future surgery the medical evidence treats as probable.
Next steps
Use the figure as a sense-check, not a target. The fastest way to refine it is to speak to a regulated solicitor who can commission the right medical evidence.
- How a UK accident-at-work claim works
- No win no fee CFAs explained
- Time limits — the three-year rule
- Compensation examples by injury type
FAQs
Is this calculator legally binding?
No. The brackets come from the Judicial College Guidelines (17th edition, April 2024) which courts use as a starting point. Your actual award depends on medical evidence, prognosis, and specific facts — only a regulated solicitor or the court can decide.
What is included in 'general damages'?
General damages compensate for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). They are separate from 'special damages', which cover financial losses such as lost earnings, care costs, treatment, travel and equipment.
Can I claim loss of earnings on top of the bracket figure?
Yes — past and future loss of earnings, pension loss, care provided by family, medical treatment and travel costs are added on top as special damages. For serious injuries these often exceed the general-damages figure.
Does contributory negligence reduce the figure?
Yes. Under the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945, if you were partly at fault — for example not wearing PPE that was provided — the court can reduce the award by the proportion of your fault, typically 10–50%.
How long do I have to claim?
Three years from the date of the accident, or from the date you knew the injury was caused by work (the 'date of knowledge'). For under-18s the clock starts on their 18th birthday. Industrial disease cases use the date of diagnosis.
Will I have to go to court?
Most UK accident-at-work claims settle before trial — typically over 95%. The defendant insurer usually makes an offer once medical evidence is exchanged. Court is only used if liability or quantum cannot be agreed.
Can you claim? Find out in four quick steps.
Enquiries may be referred to SRA-regulated UK solicitor firms where appropriate. No win, no fee is subject to solicitor assessment of your individual case.
0800 000 0000Where did the accident happen?
Pick the setting closest to your situation.
Information only — not legal advice. Figures are illustrative ranges based on the Judicial College Guidelines (17th edition, April 2024). Specific awards depend on the medical evidence in each case and should be confirmed with a SRA-regulated solicitor.