Complete loss of wrist function
£58,110 to £73,050For complete functional loss, including cases where the wrist has been surgically fused.
Start your claim ↗Personal injury compensation guide
What could your injury claim be worth?
Explore the guideline brackets used when valuing pain, suffering and loss of amenity. Select an area of the body to see the figures - then learn what else forms part of a compensation claim.
Explore the guidelines
Select where
you were injured.
The figures shown are the 17th edition brackets for general damages. They do not include lost earnings, care, treatment or other financial losses.
Compensation for wrist injuries
Wrist compensation depends on remaining movement, permanent pain or stiffness, treatment and the length and completeness of recovery.
Significant permanent disability
£29,900 to £47,810Some useful movement remains, but disability is significant and permanent.
Less severe permanent wrist injury
£15,370 to £29,900Some permanent disability remains, such as continuing pain and stiffness.
Long recovery with minor residual symptoms
£7,420 to £12,630Recovery takes longer than 12 months and is complete or nearly complete.
Uncomplicated Colles' fracture
In the region of £9,070For an uncomplicated fracture of the distal radius.
Very minor wrist injury
£4,310 to £5,790A minor fracture or soft-tissue injury requires short-term support and resolves fully or virtually fully within about a year.
This is guidance, not a quote. The bracket is only one part of a valuation. Medical evidence, recovery, financial losses, liability and the effect on your life must all be considered.
How compensation is calculated
Your injury is onlyone part of the picture.
A personal injury settlement is usually built from two different kinds of loss. They are assessed separately and then brought together.
General damages
Compensation for the injury itself: your pain and suffering, the effect on daily life and the things you have been unable to do.
- Nature and severity of the injury
- Recovery time and long-term prognosis
- Effect on work, family life and independence
- Psychological as well as physical consequences
Special damages
Compensation for the financial effect of the injury, including losses already incurred and reasonable future needs supported by evidence.
- Lost earnings and pension loss
- Treatment, rehabilitation and travel
- Care, support and help at home
- Equipment, adaptations and future expenses
Claim considerations
How your compensation gets valued
What happened, and what is expected next?
Independent medical evidence helps establish diagnosis, treatment, recovery and whether symptoms are likely to continue.
How has the injury changed your life?
Work, mobility, sleep, relationships, hobbies, confidence and independence can all affect where an injury sits within a bracket.
What have you lost or needed to spend?
Documents and expert evidence help quantify earnings, care, treatment and other past or future losses.
Was the other party entirely at fault?
If responsibility is shared, compensation may be reduced to reflect contributory negligence. The evidence determines the percentage.
Compensation by injury type
A guide to personal injury compensation brackets.
These summaries help you find the relevant part of the Judicial College Guidelines. Select any heading to return to the interactive body guide.
Compensation for head and brain injuries
The guideline examples run from minor brain injury at £2,690-£15,580 to very severe brain damage at £344,150-£493,000.
Explore head & brain brackets ↗Compensation for facial injuries and scarring
Facial scarring examples range from £2,080-£4,310 for a trivial cosmetic effect to £36,340-£118,790 for very severe scarring.
Explore face brackets ↗Compensation for neck injuries
Non-tariff guideline examples extend from up to £2,990 for recovery within three months to around £181,020 for the most severe neck injuries.
Explore neck brackets ↗Compensation for shoulder injuries
Shoulder injury examples run from up to £2,990 for recovery within three months to £23,430-£58,610 for severe injury.
Explore shoulder brackets ↗Compensation for chest and rib injuries
Examples range from up to £4,820 for painful rib or soft-tissue injuries lasting weeks to £122,850-£183,190 for the most serious chest injury.
Explore chest & ribs brackets ↗Compensation for arm injuries
Other arm injury brackets run from £8,060-£23,430 for a simple forearm fracture to £117,360-£159,770 for severe injury short of amputation.
Explore arm brackets ↗Compensation for elbow injuries
The brackets extend from up to £15,370 for moderate or minor injury to £47,810-£66,920 for a severely disabling elbow injury.
Explore elbow brackets ↗Compensation for wrist injuries
Wrist injury examples range from £4,310-£5,790 for very minor injury to £58,110-£73,050 where wrist function is completely lost.
Explore wrist brackets ↗Compensation for hand, finger and thumb injuries
Examples range from up to £5,800 for minor hand, finger or thumb injury to £171,680-£245,900 for the effective loss of both hands.
Explore hand & fingers brackets ↗Compensation for back injuries
Non-tariff examples run from up to £2,990 for recovery within three months to £111,150-£196,450 for the most severe back injury.
Explore back brackets ↗Compensation for hip and pelvic injuries
The examples range from up to £4,820 for a minor soft-tissue injury to £95,680-£159,770 for the most severe pelvic or hip injury.
Explore hip & pelvis brackets ↗Compensation for leg injuries
Examples range from up to £14,450 for simple tibia, fibula or soft-tissue injury to £293,850-£344,150 for loss of both legs.
Explore leg brackets ↗Compensation for knee injuries
Knee injury examples range from up to £16,770 for less serious moderate injury to £85,100-£117,410 for the most severe cases.
Explore knee brackets ↗Compensation for ankle injuries
Ankle injury examples run from up to £16,770 for modest injury to £61,090-£85,070 for very severe cases.
Explore ankle brackets ↗Compensation for foot and toe injuries
Foot injury examples range from up to £16,770 for modest injury to £206,730-£245,900 for amputation of both feet.
Explore foot & toes brackets ↗Questions about claim value
What the figures can - and cannot - tell you.
Is the Judicial College bracket the value of my whole claim?
No. The bracket helps assess pain, suffering and loss of amenity. A claim can also include proven past and future financial losses, while liability or contributory negligence can affect the final total.
Why can two people with the same injury receive different compensation?
The diagnosis may be similar, but recovery time, prognosis, treatment, age, work, care needs and the impact on daily life can be very different. The medical evidence and the individual facts decide where a case sits.
Are whiplash injuries valued using these brackets?
Not always. Many road-traffic whiplash injuries lasting no more than two years are assessed under a statutory tariff. Other injuries and losses may still need to be valued separately.
Do I need receipts for special damages?
Good evidence is important. Payslips, invoices, receipts, mileage records, care records and expert evidence can all help establish what has been lost or spent because of the injury.
A figure needs context
Tell us what happened.
We'll look at the whole picture.
The first conversation is free and confidential. There is no pressure to proceed.
The guideline figures on this page are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines, 17th edition, and concern general damages only. They are broad guidance, may require updating and cannot replace legal advice based on medical and financial evidence. Different rules can apply to statutory whiplash claims.