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Guide · Personal injury
General vs Special Damages: Compensation Explained
Personal injury compensation is made up of 2 parts. General damages compensate you for the injury itself: your pain, suffering and the effect on your everyday life. Special damages repay your financial losses, such as lost earnings, treatment, care and travel, both past and future. Your total compensation is the two added together.
Understanding the difference helps you see what you can claim for, why records matter, and why your compensation may be more than you expect.
- General damages
- Pain, suffering and loss of amenity
- Special damages
- Financial losses, past and future
- Valued using
- Judicial College Guidelines (18th edition, April 2026)
- Discount rate
- +0.5%, since 11 January 2025
What are general damages?
General damages compensate you for the injury itself: the pain and suffering it causes, and your loss of amenity. Loss of amenity means the ways your injury has stopped you enjoying ordinary life, such as playing sport, looking after your children, enjoying hobbies or doing things you could do before.
They can't be worked out from a payslip or a receipt. Instead, they're valued using the Judicial College Guidelines, now in their 18th edition (April 2026), which set out indicative ranges for different injuries and levels of severity.
How are general damages worked out?
An independent medical expert examines you and writes a report on your injury, how long recovery is likely to take, any permanent effects and how it affects your daily life. That report is then compared with the Judicial College Guidelines, and with awards in similar cases, to find the right figure.
Two people with the same injury can receive different amounts if the effect on their lives is different. For example, a hand injury may have a bigger effect on the everyday life of a keen pianist than on someone without that hobby.
These are indicative ranges for general damages for some common injuries:
| Injury | Severity | Indicative range |
|---|---|---|
| Minor soft tissue injury | Sprains and strains to the neck or back | Up to £16,500 |
| Moderate back injury | Longer-lasting symptoms affecting mobility and work | £16,500 – £51,000 |
| Arm or shoulder injury | From soft tissue damage to fractures | £5,500 – £42,000 |
| Psychological injury | Depends on severity and duration | £2,000 – £150,000+ |
| Brain injury | Moderate to severe | £56,900 – £533,700+ |
| Amputation | Loss of a hand, arm, foot or leg | £113,500 – £372,500+ |
See more ranges in our guide to average compensation payouts.
What are special damages?
Special damages repay the financial losses and costs your injury has caused, to put you back in the financial position you'd have been in without the accident. They cover losses so far and losses you're likely to have in future.
Lost earnings so far
Wages, salary, self-employed income, overtime and bonuses you've lost because of your injury.
Future lost earnings
If your injury affects your ability to work long term, including lost pension.
Treatment and rehabilitation
Private physiotherapy, counselling, specialist treatment, prescriptions and equipment, now and in future.
Care and help
Paid care, and the value of care given by family and friends, even if they weren't paid.
Travel
Getting to and from medical appointments and treatment.
Adaptations
Changes to your home or vehicle, such as ramps, stairlifts or hand controls.
Damaged property
Clothing, phones, equipment or other belongings damaged in the accident.
Other costs
Any other financial loss caused by the accident that can be backed up with evidence.
Future losses are worked out using medical and expert evidence, actuarial tables known as the Ogden Tables, and the personal injury discount rate, which is set by the government and has been +0.5% in England and Wales since 11 January 2025.
Why keeping records matters
Special damages have to be backed up with evidence, so start keeping records as soon as you can:
- Receipts for anything you've had to pay for because of your injury
- Payslips, or a letter from your employer confirming lost pay
- Bank statements and invoices
- Letters and appointment cards from doctors and therapists
- A diary of care and help given by family or friends, with the time spent and tasks done
- Notes of journeys to medical appointments
We'll help you identify everything you can claim for, but the records you keep from the start make that much easier. See what to do after an accident.
How the two parts add up
Your total compensation is general damages plus special damages. Here's an illustrative example, not a real case, for a back injury with symptoms lasting 18 months:
| Part | What it covers | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| General damages | Pain, suffering and restricted movement for 18 months | £12,000 |
| Special damages: lost earnings | 8 weeks off work at £450 a week after tax | £3,600 |
| Special damages: treatment | 12 physiotherapy sessions and prescriptions | £980 |
| Special damages: travel | Travel to 8 medical appointments | £240 |
| Total | £16,820 |
In serious injury claims, special damages, especially future lost earnings and long-term care, are often far larger than general damages. In our £3.7 million forklift case, interim payments funded our client's housing, mobility and rehabilitation while the claim progressed.
What you can't claim for
Compensation aims to put you back in the position you'd have been in without the accident, not a better one. You can't claim for losses the accident didn't cause, losses you can't back up with evidence, or future losses without medical or expert support. We'll make sure your claim includes everything you're entitled to and is properly supported.
General and special damages: FAQs
Can I claim general and special damages at the same time?
Yes. Most personal injury claims include both, claimed together as one claim. We value both parts and set them out together when negotiating your compensation.
What if I don't have receipts for everything?
You may still be able to claim. Bank statements, card payments, emails, payslips and other records can help show what you've spent or lost, and some costs, such as travel to appointments, can be reasonably estimated. Start keeping records now for anything that's still to come.
Can I really claim for future losses?
Yes. Future losses, such as lost earnings, care and treatment, can be claimed if medical and other expert evidence shows you're likely to have them. They're worked out using actuarial tables and the personal injury discount rate, which is +0.5% in England and Wales.
Can I claim for care my family gave me?
Yes. If a family member or friend helped look after you because of your injury, you can usually claim for the value of that care, even if they weren't paid. Keep a diary of the help they give and the time it takes.
Does No Win No Fee cover both types of damages?
Yes. A No Win No Fee agreement covers your whole claim. If your claim succeeds, the success fee can't be more than 25% of your general damages and past financial losses, and compensation for future losses is protected. See No Win No Fee explained.
Is compensation taxed?
No. Compensation for a personal injury isn't subject to income tax or capital gains tax. Any interest or income you earn after investing it may be taxable in the usual way.
Want to know what your claim could be worth?
Talk to our team for free, with no obligation. We'll explain whether you can claim and help you identify everything your claim should include. Eligible claims are handled on a No Win No Fee basis.