By Cat Way. Last Updated 21st July 2025. If you were involved in an incident that resulted from another party’s actions, you may be eligible to begin a personal injury claim if the accident was caused by a third party who owed you a duty of care being negligent. However, did you know you could also include any financial losses in your claim too? This part of your compensation is known as special damages.
Special damages are not a fine or a penalty but instead are designed to put you back in the same financial position you were in prior to the injury. In this guide, we’ll explain what financial losses your claim could include. We’ll also provide details of how the claims process works.
Legal Expert can help if you decide to claim. We provide a telephone consultation and legal advice on a no-obligation basis. Where your claim appears strong enough, we could connect you with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors. We will explain what No Win No Fee means later on in this guide.
If you are ready to begin a personal injury claim right away, why not give us a call on 0800 073 8804 today? Alternatively, read on to learn more about how special damages are calculated.
Select A Section
- What Do Special Damages Cover In Personal Injury Claims
- How Long Do I Have To Claim For Special Damages?
- How To Claim For Damages – Evidence Needed In Claiming Damages
- How Long Will my Claim For Personal Injury Damages Take?
- Personal Injury Compensation Calculator
- Claiming For Special Damages In Personal Injury Claims With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Resources
What Do Special Damages Cover In Personal Injury Claims
Special damages in personal injury claims compensate you for any financial losses you incurred due to the injuries you sustained in your accident. Some examples of financial losses you may be compensated for include:
- Lost wages – you may miss out on wages if you take time off work because of your injuries.
- Lost work benefits- these may also result from time off work and include missed pension contributions, bonuses and holiday entitlement.
- Medical costs – Depending on the nature of your injuries, you may need to pay for medical procedures or medication.
- Travel costs – you may spend money travelling to and from medical appointments.
- Childcare cost s- you may need extra support with your children after sustaining injuries.
- Home modification costs – you may need special equipment in your house to support you after sustaining injuries, such as ramps and stairlifts.
Contact our helpful advisors to ask, ‘What are special damages and could I claim them?’ to find out if you can claim compensation for losses not listed in this section.
Can I Claim For Future Loss Of Earnings Under Special Damages?
Compensation through special damages can sometimes take into account losses you will or may continue to suffer until your injury heals. If you are claiming a loss of earnings, you could potentially be able to make a claim for any future loss of earnings. This is compensation for how your injury may affect your ability to work going forward.
This can be calculated or requested based on several factors, including:
- Your age
- The site of injury
- The expected length of your injury
- Missed bonuses or pension contributions
- The field you were working in and your potential job prospects
- Earning prospects based on the average of the field you are working in
Our advisers are specialists who could value your claim, including any future financial losses you may be likely to face.
If you wish to learn more information about personal injury claims or how much you could receive in compensation for both general and special damages, then please reach out for a free valuation.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For Special Damages?
An important part of claiming general and special damages is ensuring that your damages claim is made within the correct time limit. This time limit is set out by the Limitation Act 1980, and states that in order to claim general or special damages for a personal injury, your claim must be made within three years of your injury.
However, there are some exceptions in place to this time limit. For example, if you are under the age of 18, then the time limit is frozen until you turn eighteen. The time limit then reinstates and ends when you turn twenty-one. At any point during this time, someone else can make a damages claim on your behalf as a litigation friend.
Similarly, if the injured party is lacking the mental capacity to claim for yourself, the time limit is frozen and a litigation friend can claim on your behalf. If you have the ability to recover the appropriate capacity, then the time limit will reinstate on the date of recovery.
To learn more about claiming special damages for a personal injury, contact our team of advisors today.
How To Claim For Damages – Evidence Needed
When making a claim for damages, both general and special, you need to be able to provide the relevant evidence to support your claim. A copy of your medical records, stating your injury and the treatment you received for it, could be used as evidence to help support your general damages claim.
When making a claim for special damages, some of the evidence you could supply include:
- Payslips to prove a loss of earnings if you’ve required time off work.
- Receipts for taxi rides to medical appointments to help prove travel costs.
- Invoices for care expenses if you’ve required a carer to help you with your injury.
- Bank statements to prove any medical costs, such as having to pay for therapy for a mental injury.
Without any evidence, it could be difficult to successfully claim.
Do not hesitate to contact an advisor today if you have any questions about claiming damages in a personal injury claim. Our friendly advisors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to offer you free legal advice and help answer any questions regarding your particular claim.
How Long Will My Claim For Personal Injury Damages Take?
The amount of time it takes to claim special damages in a personal injury claim depends on the specific nature of your case. Each claim for compensation is made on an individual basis and must be assessed accordingly. Legal experts need to consider the different aspects of your claim. The common factors that influence the amount of time taken to settle include:
- Evidence- legal professionals will need to review the evidence you have provided to prove your financial losses, so the amount and complexity of the evidence could be important
- Liability- the defending party does not always accept liability in a personal injury claim, or it may not be possible to agree on a settlement. Sometimes, you need to await judgment from the court.
- Injuries- if you have suffered multiple or severe injuries, it may be more difficult to assess the appropriate level of compensation. In particular, it could take some time to determine how your injuries may affect your ability to earn an income in future
Get in touch with our team today to find out how special damages in personal injury claims are calculated. You can discuss what factors could impact the time scale of your specific case, as our advice is tailored to each individual client.
Personal Injury Compensation Calculator
You cannot make a claim for special damages in personal injury law without also claiming for general damages. These two heads of claim come together to form a personal injury compensation payout. Every successful claimant receives general damages because this head of claim covers the injuries you sustained and the way they affect your life.
When solicitors calculate this head of your claim, they may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG offers guideline compensation brackets for different severities of illnesses and injuries. In the following table, you can find some examples of these brackets, but it’s important to note that these aren’t guaranteed amounts. Please note that the first entry in this table is not part of the JCG.
JCG Table
| Injury | Severity Level | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries + Special Damages | Serious | Up to £250,000+ |
| Facial Disfigurement | Very Severe Scarring | £36,340 to £118,790 |
| Wrist | (a) Loss of Function | £58,710 to £73,050 |
| Severe Leg | (b) Moderate (iv) | £33,880 to £47,840 |
| Pelvis and Hips | Moderate (i) | £32,450 to £47.810 |
| Foot | Serious | £30,500 to £47,840 |
| Arm | Less Severe | £23,430 to £47,810 |
| Back | Moderate (ii) | £15,260 to £33,880 |
| Shoulder | Moderate | £9,630 to £15,580 |
| Skeletal | Fractures of Jaws (iii) | £7,880 to £10,660 |
As we’ve mentioned, the second head of compensation you could get for a personal injury is special damages. Contact our team today to start your claim, or read on to learn about the benefits of working with a solicitor to help you claim special damages.
Claiming For Special Damages In Personal Injury Claims With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
We provide a No Win No Fee service for all claims we take on. That means your solicitor won’t ask for payment unless you receive compensation.
If they accept your case, your solicitor won’t ask you for payment while your claim is ongoing or in order for them to start working on it. They also won’t ask to be paid if the case is unsuccessful.
If your claim is won, however, a success fee will be deducted from your compensation. It is a fixed percentage of your compensation (capped by law) and means you always get the majority of the compensation you’re awarded.
To find out if you could claim on a No Win No Fee basis, why not call today?
Contact Our Team
If you’d like to discuss a compensation claim including special damages, please:
- Call our advice line on 0800 073 8804.
- Use the live chat to connect with an advisor.
- Ask for a call back using this form.
- Email us at [email protected].
Resources
Please find a list of articles and guides that might help during your claim below:
Obtaining Medical Records – NHS information on how to get copies of your medical records.
Requesting CCTV Footage – Government advice on requesting copies of CCTV footage of yourself.
Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 – Legislation that means employers must be covered for any accident at work claims.
You can read more on personal injury claims by browsing our other gudies:
- Climbing wall activity accident claims
- Activity centre injuries – how to claim compensation
- Find out whether a mountain bike injury could entitle you to compensation
Thank you for reading about what special damages you could claim.
Written By Hambridge
Edited By Stocks.
