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Personal injury claims compensation calculator for Northern Ireland

This personal injury claims calculator (for Northern Ireland) helps you find out how much compensation you could be entitled to.

Follow the 5 steps below for a quick, up-to-date estimate of how much your claim might be worth.

Disclaimer:

This Personal Injury Claims Compensation Calculator Guide is based on the Guidelines for the Assessments of Personal Injury Cases in Northern Ireland (2019 ). It gives an estimate of the compensation a plaintiff might be entitled to, but it can't replace specific advice from a personal injury solicitor. A range of other factors relating to your individual circumstances could mean that your claim is worth substantially more, or less, than the figures set out in this guide.

Step 1. How personal injury claims are calculated

If you have been hurt in an accident, it should be no secret that you might be entitled to compensation.

But the question is how much?

How much compensation you can claim depends on a wide range of different factors, like how severe your injuries were, what medical treatment you needed, if you can make a full recovery, plus many others.

Knowing how personal injury claims are calculated will help you make sure that you are claiming for everything you’re entitled to, and you’re not leaving anything out.

Here is how it works: your compensation payment is made up three different parts – General Damages, Special Damages, and Adjustment/Deductions:
Personal Injury Compensation Claim Calculator Northern Ireland
To understand what each of these part of the calculation actually covers, you can find out more about each one below: 

What are "general damages"?

General damages is the part of your claim that compensates you for specific injuries.

They cover any pain and suffering that was caused by your injury, plus any loss of amenity that you have experienced.

For example, say you are a keen footballer. If you injured your leg in a road traffic accident and then couldn’t play football anymore, that would be a loss of amenity.

(You can find a full list of General Damages for specific injuries below)

What are "special damages"?

Special damages compensate you for any financial losses that you experienced as a result of your injuries.

For example, if you hurt your back in a workplace accident, you might lose pay as a result of taking time off work.

You might also lose pension contributions, you might have to pay for physiotherapy/doctor visits, medication, travel to hospital, etc.

You would ask for all of these expenses to be refunded to you under the Special Damages part of your personal injury claim.

(You can see a list of common Special Damages you can claim for below)

What are deductions or adjustments?

After you add up your General Damages and your Special Damages, you’ll have a rough idea of the amount you could claim in compensation.

But there are other factors that may have an impact on the amount that you actually receive in compensation.

For example, a common one is when the accident was partially your fault (contributory negligence) – this will often lead to a reduction being applied to your payment.

(You can see some more examples below)
Now you should have a good idea of what makes up a typical personal injury compensation payment. 

The next step is to use this information to calculate a compensation estimate for your own injury.

So let’s begin by calculating the first part of the equation, which is General Damages ↓.

Step 2. Calculate your general damages

The first part of the calculation is to find out how much you can claim in General Damages.

Remember, General Damages compensate you for the effects of your specific injury/injuries.

To get an estimate of what you might be entitled to in General Damages, find the closest description of your injury from the list below and make a note of the compensation amount that corresponds to that injury.
Personal Injury Claims Calculator Northern Ireland
(Please bear in mind that for some injuries, the compensation ranges are very wide – tens of thousands of pounds in some cases. These figures are from the Guidelines for Assessment of Personal Injury Cases in Northern Ireland (2019 Edition). If you want to narrow these ranges down, you will have to contact a personal injury solicitor for advice on your specific case.)

1. How much can I claim for a head injury?

Brain injuries

Very Severe: £360,000 – £670,000

Moderately Severe: £250,000 – £550,000

Moderate: £45,000 – £460,000

Minor: £40,000 – £90,000

Head injuries

Serious: £3,500 – £20,500

Moderate: £20,500 – £37,500

Epilepsy

Established Epilepsy: £85,000 – £185,000

Other Epileptic Condition: £7,500 – £48,500

Psychiatric/psychological injuries

General Psychiatric Damage: Up To £210,000

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: £4,500 – £120,000

Sight/vision damage

A wide range of injuries spanning from minor injury to complete loss of both eyes: 

Up to £600,000

Hearing

A wide range of injuries spanning from mild hearing loss to complete deafness & loss of speech: 

Up to £500,000

Smell/taste damage

A wide range of injuries spanning from minor loss to total loss

£22,500 – £75,000

Facial injuries

A huge range of injuries spanning from the loss of a tooth to serious, permanent facial disfigurement: 

Up to £275,000

Hair damage

Mild Damage: Up To £25,000

Moderate Damage: Up To £30,000

Severe: Up To £90,000

2. How much can I claim for neck / back / shoulder injuries?

Paralysis

Quadriplegia: £475,000 – £700,000

Paraplegia: £380,000 – £575,000

Neck injuries

A wide range of injuries spanning from a minor neck complaint to incomplete paraplegia: 

Up to £370,000

Whiplash

Minor: Up to £12,500

Moderate: £12,500 – £30,000

Severe: £30,000 – £60,000

Back injuries

Minor: Up to £30,000

Moderate: £17,000 – £50,000

Severe: £35,000 – £300,000

Shoulder injuries

Mild: Up to £12,000

Minor: Up to £14,000

Moderate: £20,000 – £30,000

Serious: £25,000 – £90,000

3. How much can I claim for arm / elbow / wrist injuries?

Arm injuries

Mild: Up to £17,000

Moderate: £17,000 – £50,000

Serious: £50,000 – £85,000

Severe: £110,000 – £150,000

Elbow injuries

Moderate/Minor: Up to £17,000

Less Severe: £17,000 – £42,000

Severe: £42,000 – £85,000

Wrist injuries

Uncomplicated Colles’ Fracture: Up to £9,000

Minor: Up to £7,000

Mild: Up to £17,000

Moderate: £21,000 – £50,000

Serious: £34,000 – £70,000

Severe: £42,000 – £87,000

Work-related upper limb disorders

Minor: Up to £9,500

Moderate: Up to £10,000 – £14,000

Significant: £17,000 – £34,000

Serious: £21,000 – £50,000

4. How much can I claim for hand / finger injuries?

Hand injuries

Minor: Up to £18,000

Moderate: £18,000 – £72,500

Significant: £72,000 – £135,000

Serious: £85,000 – £145,000

Severe: £100,000 – £210,000

Finger injuries

Wide range of injuries spanning from a minor fracture of one finger to total loss/amputation of multiple fingers: 

Up to £140,000

Thumb injuries

Minor: Up to £12,500

Mild: Up to £15,000

Moderate: £17,000 – £30,000

Serious: £24,000 – £42,000

Severe: £35,000 – £60,000

Most Severe: £45,000 – £75,000

Vibration white finger

Moderate: Up to £12,500

Significant: £12,000 – £20,000

Serious: £21,000 – £34,000

5. How much can I claim for internal organ injuries?

Chest/lung Injuries

Smoke Inhalation: £6,000 – £24,000

Minor: £8,500 – £17,000

Moderate: £12,000 – £21,000

Serious: £25,000 – £110,000

Severe: £110,000 – £180,000

Most Severe: £180,000 – £245,000 

Lung disease

Mild Respiratory Condition: Up to £9,000

Bronchitis/ Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease: £15,000 – £50,000

Aggravation of Pre-Existing Asthma: £17,000 – £50,000

Occupational Asthma: £35,000 – £70,000

Pleural Thickening with Functional Impairment: £25,000 – £50,000

Minimal/Mild Asbestosis: £34,000 – £60,000

Moderate/Severe Abestosis: £50,000 – £100,000

Lung Cancer/Mesothelioma: £100,000 – £200,000

Elbow injuries

Moderate/Minor: Up to £17,000

Less Severe: £17,000 – £42,000

Severe: £42,000 – £85,000

Digestive system injuries

Non-Traumatic: Wide range of injuries spanning from minor cramps up to severe toxicosis: 

Up to £210,000

Moderate: £8,500 – £24,000

Significant: £24,000 – £42,000

Serious: £42,000 – £100,000

Reproductive system injuries

Female:

Failed Sterilisation: £24,000 – £36,000

Infertility: Up to £150,000

Severe Damage: Up to £200,000

Male:

Infertility: Up to £120,000

Serious Damage: Up to £180,000

Severe Damage: Up to £250,000

Kidney injuries

Moderate: £40,000 – £60,000

Serious: £75,000 – £120,000

Severe: £170,000 – £250,000 

Bowel injuries

Mild: £20,000 – £50,000

Moderate: £60,000 – £90,000

Serious: £60,000 – £100,000

Severe: £120,000 – £210,000

Bladder injuries

Moderate: £21,000 – £42,000

Serious: £60,000 – £100,000

Severe: £120,000 – £210,000

Spleen injuries

£34,000 – £50,000

Hernia injuries

Female:

Moderate: £5,000 – £15,000

Serious: £18,000 – £34,000

Male:

Moderate: £5,000 – £15,000

Serious: £18,000 – £34,000

Severe: Up to £50,000

6. How much can I claim for hip / pelvis injuries?

Pelvis / hip injuries

Minor: Up to £25,000

Moderate: £30,000 – £70,000

Serious: £60,000 – £100,000

Severe: £75,000 – £135,000

Most Severe: £110,000 – £185,000

Injuries Sustained During Childbirth: £25,000 – £55,000

7. How much can I claim for leg / foot injuries?

Leg injuries

Huge range of injuries spanning from trivial cuts/bruising right up to full amputation: 

Up To £475,000

Knee injuries

Mild: Up to £21,000

Minor: £25,000 – £40,000

Moderate: £34,000 – £60,000

Serious: £50,000 – £100,000

Severe: £60,000 – £120,000

Ankle injuries

Mild: Up to £24,000

Minor: £24,000 – £60,000

Moderate: £50,000 – £100,000

Serious: £58,000 – £120,000

Achilles injuries

Mild: £9,000 – £18,000

Minor: £12,000 – £25,000

Moderate: £25,000 – £42,000

Serious: £30,000 – £60,000

Foot injuries

Mild: Up to £25,000

Minor: £25,000 – £50,000

Moderate: £50,000 – £100,000

Serious: £78,000 – £150,000

Severe: £90,000 – £180,000

Amputation of One Foot: £150,000 – £250,000

Amputation of Both Feet: £200,000 – £400,000

Toe injuries

Mild: Up to £18,000

Moderate: £17,000 – £42,000

Serious: £24,000 – £45,000

Severe: £30,000 – £50,000

Amputations: £40,000 – £85,000

8. How much can I claim for skin / scarring injuries?

Dermatitis

Mild: Up to £15,000

Minor: £12,000 – £24,000

Moderate: £17,000 – £35,000

Serious: £26,000 – £50,000

Severe: £42,000 – £85,000

Scarring (to parts of the body other than the face)

Due to the huge number of factors involved, it is not possible to give accurate guidance on body scarring awards here.

Get in touch if you would like to be directed to a solicitor who can give you specific advice on your situation.

9. What if my injury is not on this list?

Other injuries

The above list consists of broad categories only – don’t worry if your specific injury isn’t mentioned!

It does not does not mean that you are not entitled to compensation, it just means that you need a little bit of specific advice.

If you would like to be put in touch with a personal injury solicitor that can give you specialist advice about your exact injury, just let us know and we’ll do our best to help.
If you have more than one injury, make a note of each compensation amount that corresponds with each of your injuries – but bear in mind that your final compensation award may have to be adjusted to reflect the fact that you have multiple General Damages claims.

Once you have an estimate for the General Damages part of your personal injury, you can move on to the next part of your claim – Special Damages ⇩.

Step 3. Calculate your special damages

If you suffer financial losses as a result of your injury, you will be able to ask for them to be refunded to you as part of the “Special Damages” part of your claim.

For this reason, it is very important that you keep a full record of receipts for any money that you spend or costs that you incur in connection with your injury. This will make it much easier to claim the money back at a later date.

Examples of items you can claim for under Special Damages

• lost earnings from taking time off work
• medical expenses (treatment from a doctor, physiotherapist, etc.)
• any equipment you need for injury rehabilitation
• travel costs (buses/taxis/trains/fuel, parking, etc.)
• damage to possessions (e.g. phone, jewellery, laptop, glasses, clothes, etc)
• the cost of any domestic help you needed after the accident – and this can include family/friends
There is a wide range of things you can claim back under Special Damages, and this means that a lot of people don’t actually claim for everything they are entitled to.

But remember, if you want to be able to claim something back as part of your Special Damages, you will need to have evidence.

So it is very important to track your spending and keep all of your receipts in a safe place, so you can use them as part of your claim.

When it comes to more complicated aspects of your claim (e.g. pension contributions, loss of business if you are self-employed, etc.), you might need to consult a personal injury solicitor who will help you make sure you are claiming for everything you’re entitled to.

Once you have added everything up, make a note of the total and move on to the next section – Adjustments/Deductions ↓.

Step 4. Apply any adjustments or deductions

At this stage, you should have two figures noted down – a figure for the General Damages part of your claim, and a figure for the Special Damages part of your claim.

If you add the two together, you should have a good “ball-park” idea of what your personal injury claim could be worth.

But you should bear in mind that this figure is not necessarily the final amount you will get for your claim; there may be adjustments and/or deductions made to that figure, depending on your circumstances.

Examples of adjustment/deductions can include:

Contributory negligence: if the accident that caused your injury was partially your fault, your compensation award may be reduced.

Multiple injuries: if you have multiple injuries, their effects may mix and overlap – so your compensation may be adjusted to reflect that.

Claim funding: depending on how you funded your claim, you might have to allocate some of your compensation to an insurance premium, benefits recovery, legal aid recovery, etc.

Tax: personal injury compensation payments are usually tax free, but there can be tax implications in some circumstances (e.g. tax can be payable on interest payments if your award is placed on deposit).
As you can imagine, all of this can get very complicated, very quickly.

It is impossible for an online personal injury claims compensation calculator to accurately estimate what impact deductions and adjustments might have in your case, because there are just too many different factors to take into account.

In reality, when you make your claim, many of these issues will be negotiated between you (or your solicitor) and the person you are claiming against (or their insurance company/solicitor).

So while the above is a good guide, the only way to get a truly accurate estimate for this is to consult a personal injury solicitor and ask them to review your specific case.

Now, all that’s left to do is to add everything up ↓.

Step 5. Your final calculation

Now you have approximate figures for how much your claim might be worth.

You have an estimate of the General Damages for your injury, you have calculated how much Special Damages you want to claim, and you understand that the final figure you receive may have to be adjusted, based on your circumstances.

So now, all you have to do now is the final calculation:

A simple example calculation for a moderate wrist injury:

General Damages
Moderate wrist injury £21,000 – £50,000
Special Damages
6 x weeks off work @ £450 per week £2,700
Doctor’s medical report £250
Physiotherapy (8 sessions @ £45 each) £360
Travel & parking for medical appointments £35
Replace damaged clothes/glasses £380
Deductions/Adjustments
(Check with a personal injury solicitor) TBC
Claim Estimate Total £24,725 – £53,725
At this stage, you might be wondering exactly how accurate these calculations might be.

The answer is that they are as accurate as they can be, without having access to all the information about:

• the circumstances that caused your accident
• the precise injuries you suffered
• exactly how those injuries have affected you
• and how much money you are out of pocket as a result.

A huge number of variables are involved any personal injury claim, and any one of them can affect the level of compensation you are entitled to. So as we have said already, it is impossible for any online personal injury claims calculator to arrive at an exact figure.

If you want to get a more precise assessment of the amount you should claim for your accident, and you want to be satisfied that you are claiming everything you are entitled to, you should contact a personal injury solicitor for legal advice relating to your specific circumstances.

To finish off...

Thanks for checking out our personal injury claims compensation calculator for Northern Ireland.

We hope it gave you some insight into how your compensation award will be calculated if you decide to make a personal injury claim.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to get in touch.

All the best!

The Lightlaw Team
Every effort is made to keep this accident claim calculator up to date. Although it is not to be regarded as legal advice, and cannot replace direct consultation with a solicitor, we strive to make sure this information is helpful, accurate and practical. If you are a Northern Ireland personal injury solicitor and have spotted an inaccuracy, you can submit a suggested change.
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