By Lewis Cobain. Last Updated 1st July 2025. If you’re wondering ‘can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?’ then this guide can help.
If you did not take time off for your injuries or illness. Can you still claim compensation if you did not take time off work? If you take time off work after an accident, this is often used as evidence towards the severity of your injuries when making a personal injury claim. Depending on the nature of your injury or illness, and your job role, it may not be necessary for your to take time off. If you can keep working, and if you want to do so, you have the same rights to claim compensation as if you did take time off.
Read the rest of our guide below to find out more about whether you can claim compensation if you did not take time off work and how much compensation you may be entitled to. You can also start your claim by calling us now on 0800 073 8804
Select A Section
- A Guide To Accident At Work Claims With No Time Off
- Should I Take Time Off After An Accident?
- Had An Accident At Work But Didn’t Take Time Off – Will I Need Evidence Of My Injuries?
- What Is The Time Limit When Making A Personal Injury Claim?
- What Can I Claim Compensation For After A Personal Injury?
- Examples Of Compensation For Different Injuries
- How To Make A No Win No Fee Claim If You Did Not Take Time Off Work After An Accident
- Why Legal Expert Are Best Placed To Help You
- Talk To Our Team today
- Useful Links
A Guide To Accident At Work Claims With No Time Off
In this guide, we’ll address the question of ‘Can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?’.
It is a fairly common misconception to think that you can not claim compensation if you carried on working. In fact, we are often asked “can I claim compensation if I did not take time off work?” The answer is almost always yes. Whether or not you took time off does not affect your ability to claim. If you did carry on working, or if you were given time off work at full pay, you will not be able to claim for lost earnings in your compensation claim as you did not lose any. You are, however, still entitled to be compensated for your injury and any other effects it has had on you, as well as, other costs encountered.
Should I Take Time Off After An Accident?
The choice of whether or not to take time off work after an accident should depend upon how you feel and any medical advice you have been given. However, there are things you can think about when deciding what to do. Sometimes people are worried and may ask questions such as “do I get paid if I get injured at work”, prompting them not to take time off. Remember, you should get statutory sick pay, as well as compensation for lost earnings if you do so.
Start by looking at how serious are your injuries and what type of injury do you have. If you have to stay in hospital this will likely mean missing work. If you suffer an injury which leads to some moderate pain you may still be able to work. The average time off for whiplash is not that long.
Next, look at what your job involves on a day-to-day level. Will your injuries prevent you from carrying out tasks, or would the be aggravated by them? If you have a physical job you may need to take time off work, especially after a manual handling accident. If you work in an office where you sit all day and have a relatively easy commute, even after a road traffic accident you may not need to take time off.
The most important part of your decision should be based on medical advice. What are your doctors telling you. Remember as part of your accident at work rights, you have the right to take time off if you need to do so. You may also be told that going back to work too soon could make your recovery much longer.
If you do take time off, you need to follow your employers procedure for how to report injury absence.
Had An Accident At Work But Didn’t Take Time Off – Will I Need Evidence Of My Injuries?
As part of the workplace accident claim process, you will need proof of your injuries and how they were caused. Following an accident at work, No Win No Fee solicitors are not likely to take on your claim if you have no evidence that you have been injured.
If you had an accident at work, we have featured some examples of evidence that can prove your injuries:
- Photographs of your injuries
- A diagnosis from your doctor or medical professional
- Hospital records that prove the extent of your injuries
- A report in your workplace accident book with details of your injuries
Not all types of evidence are listed above. We can offer you further information on what evidence may be used in your claim. We can also answer any questions such as, ‘I had an accident out of work, what can I claim?’.
What Is The Time Limit When Making A Personal Injury Claim?
The time limit for making a personal injury claim is usually 3 years from the accident date, as set down by the Limitation Act 1980. We should emphasise that this time limit still applies if you were injured but didn’t take time off work, however, certain exceptions may apply in some cases.
These exceptions are:
- Injured children (those under 18) will have the 3 years counted from their 18th birthday as they cannot claim for themselves. This will give them until the age of 21 to start any potential claim.
- Persons lacking sufficient mental capacity will have time limit halted altogether if they cannot manage the claims process themselves.
In order to get a potential claim started a lot sooner, any adult who meets the suitability requirements could act as a litigation friend for the injured person. A litigation friend “directs the proceedings” on behalf of another person, making decisions about the claim in coordination with the injured individual’s solicitor. To ask our advisors, “Can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?”, learn more about personal injury claims time limit or to find out if any exceptions are relevant to your particular circumstances, call the number below today.
What Can I Claim Compensation For After A Personal Injury?
If you’re wondering ‘can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?’, you may also be wondering what damages could be compensated.
As with any personal injury claim, there are several components which can go towards the final settlement you recieve. If you are going to claim compensation if you did not take time off work, the bulk of your claim could be in general damages for the injury itself. The next part of a claim for an injury at work, no time off will be special damages (excluding loss of income). In this case you could be entitled to claim for medical expenses, the costs of treatment, getting to and from doctors appointments and other related travel costs. You can also claim for the costs of care if needed, though if able to work it is less likely that you will need to make this type of claim.
Examples Of Compensation For Different Injuries
If you’re wondering ‘can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?’, you may also be wondering how much you could be entitled to.
In our personal injury compensation calculator below, we look at some of the most common types of injury suffered as a result of accidents in the workplace. These figures should be taken as illustrative as the final amount you could be entitled to will also reflect any of the other forms of compensation listed above. Your award will also reflect the severity and nature of your injury, and the impact it has had upon your everyday life.
Compensation Table
Please note that these amounts are intended to serve as guidance only. The first entry is not a JCG figure.
| Injury Type | Severity | Guideline Payout Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Serious Injuries as well as Significant Financial Harm | Very Serious | Up to £500,000 + |
| Other Arm Injuries | Severe (a) | £117,360 to £159,770 |
| Permanent and Substantial Disablement (b) | £47,810 to £73,050 | |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (a)(iii) | £55,500 to £68,330 |
| Moderate (b)(i) | £30,500 to £46,970 | |
| Kidney Damage | Loss of 1 Kidney (c) | £37,550 to £54,760 |
| Facial Disfigurement | Significant Scarring | £11,120 to £36,720 |
| Less Significant Scarring | £4,820 to £16,770 | |
| Wrist Injuries | Recovery over 12 months (d) | £7,420 to £12,630 |
How To Make A No Win No Fee Claim If You Did Not Take Time Off Work After An Accident
No win, no fee agreements are also sometimes called Conditional Fee Agreements (CFA) and they are a way of offering legal services to clients. The agreement will set out the conditions under which your personal injury lawyer will conduct your accident at work no time off claim. It will also state how they can expect to be paid as well as when. The CFA will also say what you can expect to pay the solicitor. This means everything is agreed upfront and you will not have to worry about the circumstances of making a payment.
We offer these types of agreement to help our clients through what can be a difficult time physically, emotionally, and even financially. It means there are no upfront costs, and no big bills you are unable to pay. If your solicitor does not win your case, they won’t charge you a penny.
Why Legal Expert Are Best Placed To Help You
Are you wondering ‘can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?’. If so, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team at Legal Expert today for free advice and support.
We work with a panel of dedicated and specialist personal injury solicitors and lawyers across the country. Whilst every personal injury claim is unique, we will always try to find a solicitor or lawyer who has a wealth of experience in claims similar to yours.
Talk To Our Team Today
You can start your claim today by calling our team on the number above. You can also use the contact us form on this page, or send us the details of your claim in an email to [email protected], requesting a call back.
However you get in touch, talk to our team now and find out whether you can claim compensation if you did not take time off work.
‘Can you claim compensation if you did not take time off work?’ and other FAQs
What qualifies as a work-related injury?
Regardless of whether an employee was injured while working from home, in the workplace or out on a job somewhere, they could be entitled to make a work-related injury claim if their employer was responsible for them at the time.
Does my employer have to pay me if I am off sick?
If you need time off work for your work-related injury, your employer is required to pay you Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you meet eligibility conditions and you’re off for more than 4 days in a row. However, please be aware that SSP is different to your usual wage.
Can I claim on behalf of someone else?
By acting as a litigation friend, you could be able to pursue a claim on behalf of someone else, whether that’s your next of kin, your child or a loved one.
Should I get a lawyer?
Though there isn’t technically any legal requirement for claimants to have a lawyer, they can significantly increase a claim’s chances of success and even maximise the final settlement figure.
What is a No Win No Fee agreement?
By claiming on this basis, you enter into an agreement with your lawyer stipulating that you only have to pay them on the condition that they win your claim. Therefore, you’d only pay them using a small chunk of your settlement rather than having to pay out of pocket.
How much could compensation could I claim?
As claims are valued on a case-by-case basis depending on the severity of each claimant’s suffering, there’s no way of estimating your payout without looking into your circumstances. Therefore, please get in touch today if you’d like a free consultation.
Should I accept first offer of compensation?
If you choose to work with a lawyer from our panel, they will handle every step of your claim. Therefore, when it comes to making big decisions, such as which offer of compensation to accept, you can rely on their guidance to secure you the maximum compensation that you deserve.
How can I contact Legal Expert?
Please refer to our contact section for some options of how to get in touch. In the meantime, you can use our chat feature to get a live response from one of our specialist advisors now.
Useful Links
Below, you can find a list of guides which may tell you more about accident at work claims:
- Discover more answers to your queries on our accident at work FAQs page
- Can I claim compensation if I’ve left the company?
- Injured due to tiredness or fatigue – can I claim?
- I hurt myself at work, can I make a claim?
- What to do if you cut off your finger at work
- I suffered a burn injury at work, how much could I claim in compensation?
- I was injured at work – what are my rights?
- Is my employer liable for an accident at work?
