Judicial College Guidelines for Personal Injury Compensation | Definition
The Judicial College (JC) publishes the 'Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases' as a guide to help legal professionals determine the financial value of a personal injury claim.
How will my compensation be calculated?
General damages
General damages are intended to compensate you for any pain, suffering and loss of amenity your injury has caused. General damages also reflect the impact an injury has had on your life, including, for example, the loss of hobbies or career.
It is difficult to put a financial value on an injury. Is a broken arm worth more or less than an amputated toe? Which deserves higher compensation, loss of hearing or loss of taste and smell?
The Judicial College guidelines include tables that set out compensation levels for everything from lung disease to chronic pain.
Click here to find a specific injury in the compensation tables.
Special damages
You would be awarded Special Damages for any costs and financial losses you have incurred as a result of your injuries.
Examples of things you can claim for include:
- Lost earnings (including future earnings)
- Medical treatment costs
- Physiotherapy
- Travel costs
- Costs of care
- Costs of adapting your home or car
How much compensation will I receive?
The Judicial College Guidelines are referred to by solicitors, insurance companies and the courts as a guide only. Your case will be considered on its own merit.
Compensation awards range from a few hundred to many thousands of pounds - depending on the type and severity of the injury.
For example, in 2023 a minor hand injury receives general damages ranging from £737 to £3,460 under the guidelines. Claimants with quadriplegia can expect to receive between £258,740 and £322,060.
The 'plus 10%' rule
It is in everyone's interest that personal injury claims are settled as quickly and efficiently as possible.
To encourage cases to settle out of court, you would be awarded an extra 10% on top of the JCG tariff if the defendant later fails, in court, to beat your offer to settle the claim.
Where can I see the complete table of compensation awards?
To see the comprehensive list of Judicial College Personal Injury Awards, see:
The Complete 2023 Judicial College Injury Tables
Calculate your compensation now
Assessing the value of your claim at the outset can be complicated, particularly if you have multiple injuries.
Our Injury Compensation Calculator (updated 2023) will give you an instant estimate of how much compensation you could receive (including general and special damages).
The calculator will also tell you if you are eligible to claim and what you can claim for.
How we can help you with your injury claim
Your solicitor will fight for the best possible compensation settlement for you, and the highly-experienced panel of solicitors have an excellent track record of winning injury claims.
![Tick icon]()
FREE
consultation![Tick icon]()
Find out
if you can claim![Tick icon]()
No obligation
to start a claim
FREEIf you have any questions, or would like to start a No Win No Fee injury claim, we are open:
Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9:30am-5pm
Call us for FREE advice on 0800 376 1001, or arrange a call back from a friendly, legally-trained advisor:
Handled with the utmost professionalism... extremely kind, courteous and empathetic.
Author:
Howard Willis, Personal injury solicitor
About the author
Howard qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years. He is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and is a recognised Law Society Personal Injury Panel expert.