Chapter 4 of 9: What an injury is worth, guide 2 of 9
Head, shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle brackets: the honest answer to an injury claim calculator
Checked 14 October 2026against the Acts, the Board's pages and the Personal Injuries Guidelines. Written for the injured person. Covers the Republic of Ireland.
There is no injury claim calculator in Ireland, only the Guidelines' bracket for each described injury. The head, shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle sections quoted exactly, and why no site can give a figure.
The search is for a calculator, so the honest answer comes first: there is none. The Injuries Resolution Board does not publish one, the Personal Injuries Guidelines contain no formula, and no site can supply what the law does not. What exists is a bracket for each described injury. This guide gives five sections of the Guidelines, head, shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle, exactly as set, and explains what a bracket can and cannot tell you.
Why there is no calculator
The Guidelines ask the decision-maker to identify, "by reference to the dominant injury sustained, the relevant damages bracket in the Guidelines which most closely matches that supported by the evidence", and then to decide where within the bracket the injury sits, "top, middle or bottom, having regard to the evidence, the presence or absence of other lesser injuries and all relevant considerations".
Two judgments, both on the medical evidence, neither of them arithmetic. The Board makes them on the documents under section 20 of the 2003 Act; a court makes them at trial. A form on a website cannot see the medical report, so it cannot make either. It can show the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this, which is what the injury checker does, and stop there.
Every figure below is the 2021 figure. The 16.7% increase approved by the Judicial Council in December 2024 is not in force; the changes page explains.
The recovery-period pattern
Across the orthopaedic chapter the minor brackets follow one pattern: the injury is described by how long a substantial recovery took. Within six months is €500 to €3,000 in every section below; six months to a year or two years is the next step; one to two years or two to five years the next. For a minor injury, duration is the main measure, and the considerations in each section then move the injury within the bracket.
Head injuries
Chapter 3 of the Guidelines covers head injuries. For minor head injury the Guidelines say "the brain damage, if any, will have been minimal" and the considerations are the severity of the initial injury, the period taken to recover from any symptoms, and the extent of any continuing symptoms such as headaches or dizziness. The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this, with the Guidelines' own headings.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Most severe brain damage | up to €550,000 |
| (b) Severe brain damage: conscious, but total dependency and requiring constant care | €300,000 to €400,000 |
| (c) Serious and moderate brain damage (i): moderate to severe intellectual deficit, constant care required | €200,000 to €350,000 |
| (c) Serious and moderate brain damage (ii): modest to moderate intellectual deficit, some independence retained | €120,000 to €220,000 |
| (c) Serious and moderate brain damage (iii): a good recovery will have been made, with persistent defects | €60,000 to €140,000 |
| (c) Serious and moderate brain damage (iv): brain damage similar to (iii) above but able to return to similar work | €25,000 to €60,000 |
| (d) Minor brain damage or head injury (i): where a substantial recovery takes place in two to five years | €12,000 to €25,000 |
| (d) Minor brain damage or head injury (ii): where a substantial recovery takes place in one to two years | €6,000 to €12,000 |
| (d) Minor brain damage or head injury (iii): where a substantial recovery takes place in six months to one year | €3,000 to €6,000 |
| (d) Minor brain damage or head injury (iv): substantial recovery within six months | €500 to €3,000 |
| (e) Established epilepsy: Grand mal | €120,000 to €180,000 |
| (e) Established epilepsy: Petit mal | €70,000 to €140,000 |
| (f) Other epileptic conditions | €10,000 to €37,000 |
Shoulder injuries
Section D of chapter 7. The considerations are: age; the nature, severity and duration of injury and consequential symptoms; whether the injury is to the shoulder of the dominant upper limb; the presence or risk of degenerative changes; the extent of required medical intervention and treatment; impact upon work; interference with quality of life and leisure activities; impact on personal relationships; and prognosis. The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Severe shoulder injuries: damage to the brachial plexus nerves | €100,000 to €150,000 |
| (b) Serious shoulder injuries: dislocation with brachial plexus damage, a fractured humerus with permanently restricted movement, or a rotator cuff injury with persisting symptoms notwithstanding surgery | €40,000 to €75,000 |
| (c) Moderate shoulder injuries: frozen shoulder with symptoms persisting for some years, or soft tissue injuries where intrusive symptoms will be permanent | €18,000 to €35,000 |
| (d) Minor shoulder injuries (i): where a substantial recovery takes place within two years | €6,000 to €12,000 |
| (d) Minor shoulder injuries (ii): where a substantial recovery takes place within one year | €3,000 to €6,000 |
| (d) Minor shoulder injuries (iii): where a substantial recovery takes place within six months | €500 to €3,000 |
The Guidelines give two examples of the minor two-year bracket: "soft tissue injury to the shoulder causing considerable pain but where there has been an almost complete recovery and a simple fracture of the clavicle with good recovery".
Wrist injuries
Section H of chapter 7. The considerations are those for the elbow: age; whether on the dominant arm; the extent and duration of pain and suffering; the extent, nature and duration of all treatment; cosmetic impact where relevant; the presence or risk of degenerative changes; impact on work; interference with quality of life and leisure activities; impact on independence and ability to self-care; and psychological sequelae including depression. The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Severe wrist injuries: complete loss of function in the wrist, such as where an arthrodesis has been performed | €60,000 to €80,000 |
| (b) Serious wrist injuries: significant permanent disability but some useful movement remains | €40,000 to €60,000 |
| (c) Moderate wrist injuries: some permanent disability, such as a degree of persisting pain or stiffness | €20,000 to €40,000 |
| (d) Minor wrist injuries (i): where a substantial recovery or a recovery to nuisance level takes place without surgery within two to five years | €10,000 to €18,000 |
| (d) Minor wrist injuries (ii): where a substantial recovery takes place without surgery between six months and two years | €3,000 to €10,000 |
| (d) Minor wrist injuries (iii): where a substantial recovery is made within six months | €500 to €3,000 |
The minor brackets, the Guidelines say, are for "injuries which cause no permanent damage and do not result in permanent loss of function such as a Colles' Fracture, undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures necessitating the application of plaster of Paris or bandages". A broken wrist in plaster that healed well is described here, by its recovery period.
Knee injuries
Section N of chapter 7. The considerations include age; scarring; the nature, severity and duration of pain; the nature, extent and duration of all treatment; the presence or risk of degenerative changes; limitation of movement or instability in the joint; interference with quality of life and leisure activities; impact on social and domestic life; impact on work; psychological sequelae; and prognosis. The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Severe knee injury (i): disruption of the joint, osteoarthritis, gross ligamentous damage, and an arthroplasty or arthrodesis has taken place or is inevitable | €75,000 to €110,000 |
| (a) Severe knee injury (ii): leg fracture extending into the knee joint causing constant, permanent pain | €55,000 to €75,000 |
| (a) Severe knee injury (iii): less severe knee injuries, with continuing symptoms and the risk of degenerative changes | €35,000 to €55,000 |
| (b) Moderate knee injuries: dislocation, torn cartilage or meniscus with minor instability, wasting, weakness or other mild future disability | €15,000 to €35,000 |
| (c) Minor knee injuries (i): where a substantial recovery or a recovery to nuisance level takes place within one to two years | €6,000 to €12,000 |
| (c) Minor knee injuries (ii): where a substantial recovery takes place without surgery between six months and one year | €3,000 to €6,000 |
| (c) Minor knee injuries (iii): where a substantial recovery takes place within six months | €500 to €3,000 |
Ankle injuries
Section O of chapter 7. The considerations are: age; severity and duration of pain; the nature and extent of all treatment; scarring; the presence or risk of degenerative changes; instability in the joint or limitation of movement; effect on enjoyment of life, sport and leisure activities; impact on work; and prognosis. The table gives the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like this.
| The Guidelines' heading | Bracket |
|---|---|
| (a) Severe ankle injuries: transmalleolar fracture with extensive soft tissue damage and deformity, or fractures causing degeneration such that arthrodesis will be necessary | €70,000 to €100,000 |
| (b) Serious ankle injuries: an extensive period of treatment or pins and plates, with significant residual disability | €45,000 to €70,000 |
| (c) Moderate ankle injuries: fractures, ligamentous tears and the like giving rise to less serious disabilities | €20,000 to €45,000 |
| (d) Minor ankle injuries (i): where a substantial recovery or a recovery to nuisance level takes place without surgery within two to five years | €12,000 to €20,000 |
| (d) Minor ankle injuries (ii): where a substantial recovery takes place without surgery between six months and two years | €6,000 to €12,000 |
| (d) Minor ankle injuries (iii): where a substantial recovery is made within six months | €500 to €3,000 |
What a bracket cannot tell you
A bracket is a range, often a wide one. Where an injury sits within it depends on the considerations above, all of them read from the medical evidence. Two people with the same fracture and the same recovery period may be described differently if one is a manual worker injured on the dominant side and the other is not.
Nor does the bracket say anything about liability or special damages. The Board assesses on the assumption the respondent is fully liable; a court may reduce an award for contributory negligence. Lost earnings, treatment and care are vouched and added separately; the special damages guide covers them.
Where there is more than one injury, the brackets are not added together. The Guidelines value the most significant injury in its bracket and then uplift it for the rest, so that the whole "should be proportionate and just when considered in light of the severity of other injuries which attract an equivalent award under the Guidelines". The Guidelines explained guide quotes the passage in full.
For scale rather than prediction: the Board's median award in 2025 was €14,020, and 74% of its awards were for minor injuries. Both are on the figures page, and the Board figures guide explains why neither is a figure for any one claim.
Where this leaves you
If you came looking for a calculator, what you have instead is the bracket for an injury described like yours, the considerations that move it, and the knowledge that the Board or a court does the placing on the medical evidence. That is the whole of what the law provides. The injury checker shows the Guidelines' bracket for an injury described like yours, drawn to scale, with the Guidelines' own words beside it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a personal injury claims calculator for Ireland?
No. The Board does not publish one and the Guidelines do not contain a formula. What exists is a bracket for each described injury, and a list of considerations that place an injury within it on the medical evidence. Any site offering a calculated figure is guessing, because the Board or a court does the placing.
How are injury claims calculated in Ireland?
General damages are found by matching the dominant injury to a bracket in the Personal Injuries Guidelines and then placing it at the top, middle or bottom on the evidence. Special damages, such as lost earnings and expenses, are vouched and added. The Board does this on the documents; a court does it at trial.
What is a broken wrist worth?
The Guidelines describe a Colles' fracture or an undisplaced fracture in plaster, with no permanent loss of function, as a minor wrist injury: €500 to €3,000 where there is a substantial recovery within six months, €3,000 to €10,000 between six months and two years, and €10,000 to €18,000 within two to five years. A fracture with permanent disability is described in the moderate, serious or severe brackets.
What is a knee injury worth?
A minor knee injury, such as a twist, bruise or laceration, runs from €500 to €3,000 with a substantial recovery within six months to €6,000 to €12,000 within one to two years. A dislocation or torn cartilage with mild future disability is moderate, €15,000 to €35,000, and the severe brackets run from €35,000 to €110,000. The prognosis in the medical evidence decides the description.
What is a minor head injury worth?
The Guidelines' minor brain damage or head injury brackets run by recovery period: €500 to €3,000 with a substantial recovery within six months, €3,000 to €6,000 within six months to a year, €6,000 to €12,000 within one to two years, and €12,000 to €25,000 within two to five years. The considerations are the severity of the initial injury, the time taken to recover and any continuing symptoms such as headaches or dizziness.