The Injuries Resolution Board, explained for the person making or facing a claim

The process, in order

1. 1

   The application

   The Board's own form (online, €45; by post, €90), the medical report on the Board's form from the treating doctor, and your identity. The Board says in terms that a solicitor is not needed to make a claim; a claimant may use one, and the Board's customer service team can help with the form. Tick the mediation box in Section 7 of the application form. There is no extra fee.

2. 2

   The Formal Notice and the respondent's 90 days

   The Board serves a Formal Notice on each person the claimant names as liable, with a copy of the medical report, under section 13 of the 2003 Act. The respondent has 90 days to consent to assessment, mediation, both, or neither; A respondent who does not reply within the period is deemed to have consented to assessment (section 14(1)(c)); the Board may decline to assess where the respondent charge is not paid, and decides case by case. Consenting, not consenting or failing to reply is not an admission of liability (section 16). The respondent pays the Board €1,200.

3. 3

   No consent: an Authorisation

   If the respondent declines, the Board issues an Authorisation and the claim can go to court. The limitation clock, paused since the application, resumes six months after the Authorisation issues.

4. 4

   Mediation, about 3 months

   Typically conducted over the telephone through a series of separate calls with the mediator; the parties need not speak to each other. Where the parties agree, the mediator drafts the agreement in writing and both sign and return it. Section 18C(3): either party may, within 10 days of completing the mediation, state in writing that they no longer accept the agreement. If neither side withdraws in the 10 days, the Board issues an Order to Pay under section 38 (section 18C(4)). A party can leave mediation at any stage with no consequence for the claim; communications in the mediation are confidential and cannot be used in a later assessment or in court. The Board's 2025 agreement rate was 54%.

5. 5

   The assessment, within 9 months of consent

   An assessment is made on the documents: the medical report, the Board's own medical examination where it arranges one, and the claimant's vouched expenses. There is no hearing. An assessment is the amount of damages the claimant is entitled to on the assumption that the respondent is fully liable (section 20(1)). The Board must have regard to the Personal Injuries Guidelines when assessing general damages (section 20(5) as amended by the Judicial Council Act 2019). The Board may extend only where, because of the particular circumstances of the claim, an assessment within 9 months would not be possible or appropriate; it must give written notice with reasons before the 9 months end, naming a date no more than 6 months after them (section 49(4) and (5)).

6. 6

   The Notice of Assessment: 28 days and 21 days

   Section 30: the claimant has 28 days from service of the notice to state in writing whether they accept; a rule under section 46 can allow longer. A claimant who does not accept in writing within the period is deemed not to have accepted it (section 31(1)). A respondent who does not state in writing within the period whether they accept the assessment is deemed to have accepted it (section 31(2)). Under the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2013 the respondent must repay the Department of Social Protection for welfare payments made because of the injury; the Notice of Assessment sets out the amounts.

7. 7

   Order to Pay, or Authorisation

   Where both sides accept, the Board issues an Order to Pay, which has the same standing as a court order (section 38). Where either side rejects, or the claimant is silent, an Authorisation issues and the claimant may bring proceedings; section 51A then applies to costs where the respondent had accepted. Where the claimant is under 18 or lacks capacity, acceptance must be approved by a court (section 35).

What the Board is not

• Not a court: it decides no question of liability. An assessment is the amount of damages the claimant is entitled to on the assumption that the respondent is fully liable (section 20(1)).
• Not for medical negligence: Medical negligence: claims arising from health services, a medical or surgical procedure, or medical advice or treatment are excluded (the Board's own FAQ). They have the same two-year clock and go to a solicitor and the courts.
• Not a place that needs a solicitor: The Board says in terms that a solicitor is not needed to make a claim; a claimant may use one, and the Board's customer service team can help with the form.
• Not binding on anyone until both sides accept: an assessment either side rejects ends in an Authorisation, and section 51A then governs costs.
• Not slow by the standards of the alternative: the Central Bank’s figures put a Board settlement at under three years and a litigated one at about five.

The Board guides

1. Accept or reject the Board's assessment: the 28 days and what each choice meansYou have 28 days to accept a Board assessment in writing; silence is rejection. The respondent has 21 days; silence is acceptance. The Order to Pay, the Authorisation, and section 51A in plain words.
2. How long does a claim take at the Injuries Resolution Board?The statutory shape is 90 days plus 9 months plus 28 days. The Board's averages are about 9 months for an assessment and 3 months for mediation; the Central Bank gives 5 years litigated. What makes it longer.
3. How the Injuries Resolution Board works, from the form to the Order to PayThe personal injury claim process in Ireland step by step: the Board's €45 form, the respondent's 90 days, the 9 months to assess, the 28 days to accept, and what follows if either side says no.
4. Making a claim to the Injuries Resolution Board without a solicitorThe Board says you do not need a solicitor to make a claim, and its FAQ covers the form. Where that answer stops: a rejected assessment, a High Court figure, a child, a fatal claim. Section 149 and legal aid.
5. Mediation at the Injuries Resolution Board: the calls, the agreement and the 10-day cooling-offHow the Board's mediation works: opt in on Section 7, calls with an independent mediator, a signed agreement, a 10-day cooling-off, then an Order to Pay. 54% agreed in 2025, in about 3 months.
6. PIAB, the Injuries Board and the Injuries Resolution Board: one body, three namesThe Personal Injuries Assessment Board of the 2003 Act became the Injuries Resolution Board under the 2022 Act in 2023. Why searches still say PIAB, the vacuum company that shares the name, and the portal address.
7. The Board's assessment: the 9 months, and how a figure is reachedHow the Injuries Resolution Board assesses a claim: on the documents, assuming full liability, with regard to the Guidelines, special damages vouched, within 9 months of consent or a 6-month extension.
8. The Injuries Resolution Board application form: the fee, the documents and the portalWhat the Injuries Resolution Board's form asks for: the €45 online or €90 postal fee, Form B from your doctor, proof of identity, the respondent's details, Section 7 for mediation, and what can follow later.
9. The Injuries Resolution Board medical report: Form B and what your doctor recordsThe Board's Medical Assessment Form (Form B): who completes it, what the doctor records, the recoverable cost, the Board's own examination, psychological injuries, and what not to ask the doctor to write.
10. The respondent's 90 days: consent, mediation, silence or declinedThe Board serves a Formal Notice on the respondent, who has 90 days to consent to assessment, mediation, both or neither. What each option means for you, deemed consent, and the €1,200 charge.