Last Updated On 14th May 2025. If you’re thinking about making a compensation claim, something that may be on your mind is how much compensation you may receive. This article explains how compensation amounts are decided for successful claims.
For many people, the act of receiving compensation is the very point of making a claim. For others, it’s more about the principle.
Regardless, it really helps to understand how compensation is calculated, and on this page we explain just that.
You can also find lots of links to case studies that explain the claims process in more depth and how compensation amounts are calculated.
How Is Compensation Calculated?
When it comes to personal injury and medical negligence claims in England and Wales, compensation is calculated based on two main categories: general damages and special damages.
General damages cover the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity caused by the injury. This includes both physical and psychological harm.
The Judicial College Guidelines provide a framework for valuing injuries, setting out compensation ranges based on severity. For example, a minor whiplash injury might attract a few hundred pounds, while a life-altering spinal injury could result in millions. Courts also consider medical evidence, expert opinions, and how the injury affects day-to-day life.
Special damages, on the other hand, deal with the financial impact of the injury. This includes lost earnings, medical costs, care expenses, and any adaptations needed to homes or vehicles. Unlike general damages, special damages require solid evidence—things like receipts, payslips, and medical invoices.
A key principle is that compensation should restore the injured party, as much as possible, to the position they were in before the injury. This means future losses—like ongoing medical care or loss of earning capacity—are also considered.
Ultimately, each case is unique. Our skilled solicitors will assess all aspects, ensuring your claim reflects the true extent of the harm suffered. Get in touch today to see how much compensation you could be entitled to
Compensation Amounts – General Damages
As discussed above, the Judicial College Guidelines provide a framework for valuing compensation amounts for the physical and/or psychological harm sustained in the incident. We’ve put together a table using figures from this document to help you give an idea of how compensation is calculated for this part of your claim. However, it is only intended to help illustrate how calculating a personal injury compensation amount is done. Please only use it as a guide. Also note, the figure in the first row was not taken from the Judicial College Guidelines.
| Injury Type | Severity | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple with financial losses | Very Serious | Up to or more than £1,000,000 |
| Brain Damage | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Paralysis | Paraplegia | £267,340 to £346,890 |
| Female Reproductive System | Infertility with sexual dysfunction and other complications | £140,210 to £207,260 |
| Chest Injuries | Total removal of 1 lung and/or serious heart damage | £122,850 to £183,190 |
| Back | Severe (ii) | £90,510 to £107,910 |
| Pelvis and Hips | Severe (ii) | £75,550 to £95,680 |
| Hand Injuries | Serious Hand Injuries | £35,390 to £75,550 |
| Arm Injuries | Permanent and Substantial Disablement | £47,810 to £73,050 |
| Knee | Moderate (i) | £18,110 to £31,960 |
Calculating Financial Losses
When an injury disrupts your life, the financial fallout can be severe. That’s where special damages come in, covering the money you’ve lost—or will lose—as a direct result of the injury.
One of the most significant claims is for loss of earnings. If the injury forces you to take time off work, you can recover lost wages, including bonuses and overtime. If your earning potential is permanently affected, compensation can cover future losses too. Calculating this requires expert reports on career prospects, wages, and pension losses.
Medical expenses also form a crucial part of financial compensation. This includes treatment costs, private consultations, therapy, medication, and any specialist equipment needed. In serious cases, home adaptations—like wheelchair ramps or accessible bathrooms—may be required, and the cost of these can be recovered.
Care and assistance are another key area. If family members provide care—whether helping with dressing, cooking, or mobility—they may be able to claim for their time. Likewise, if professional care is needed, those costs can be included.
The golden rule is to keep records. Every receipt, invoice, and payslip strengthens your case. Without proof, claims for financial losses may be rejected or undervalued. A strong, well-evidenced claim ensures you’re fully compensated, easing the financial burden caused by injury or medical negligence.
How Do I Start My Compensation Claim?
The first step to making a compensation claim is finding out if you have good grounds to pursue one. An advisor from our team can help with this for free.
You can ask about starting a personal injury or medical negligence claim in our live chat, call an advisor at any time day or night on 0800 073 8804 or fill out our contact us form. From here, an advisor will discuss the incident that caused your injury. This will help establish whether you have a legitimate claim. They will look at:
- Whether you were owed a duty of care in that situation. A duty of care is a legal obligation where one party has to take reasonable steps to protect the well-being, health and safety of others. There are a lot of daily situations in which you are owed one, including at work, on the road, while out and about in public places and in medical settings.
- Was there a breach in this duty? For example, did your employer fail to adhere to workplace health and safety legislation?
- If a breach of duty occurred, did you suffer an injury?
Together, these three points form ‘negligence’. In order to have a valid claim, you must be able to prove that negligence occurred. If it has and if you would like to proceed with our services, you could be connected to one of our No Win No Fee solicitors (we’ll explain this in a minute).
In addition to establishing whether you could have a valid claim, an advisor will discuss compensation amounts with you. They’ll provide you with a free estimation of your potential compensation. Furthermore, they can also advise on what evidence you could gather to help support your claim.
Claiming Compensation With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
The legal process can seem daunting if you are unfamiliar with it. A solicitor can help with eligible claims. Our solicitors have secured millions in compensation amounts for claimants. And they can help you. As part of the No Win No Fee service they offer, they could:
- Help with calculating a personal injury compensation amount with more accuracy. This will help ensure that you receive a settlement that is fair and fully reflects the harm you suffered.
- Connect you with experts and specialists to ensure your injuries are well-managed. For example, a physical therapist to help recover sooner and with less lasting damage.
- Explain any complex terminology.
- Make sure all paperwork involving the claim is sent on time.
- Advise on compelling evidence that you can submit to help support your claim. This will also help ensure that how your compensation amounts are determined is accurate.
- Speak to witnesses and take statements. This will also help support your claim.
As stated above, this is part of a No Win No Fee service. Our solicitors provide this type of service under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). What this means for you and your claim is that:
- Your solicitor is not going to ask you to pay for their services when the claim commences.
- They also won’t take service payments as the claim progresses.
- Won’t charge for their work on it, should it prove unsuccessful.
When a claim is successful, your solicitor will take a success fee out of your compensation before transferring it to you. This is a legally limited percentage that is also formally agreed upon before work on the claim starts.
Contact Us Today
If you would like to find out more about how is compensation calculated, or learn whether you have good grounds to launch a claim, get in touch with a friendly advisor. They’re available around the clock by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Filling out our contact us form
- Asking about compensation amounts in our live chat.
