Which whiplash tariff applies to your claim?
Two whiplash tariff schedules are currently in use. Which one applies is determined by a single date — your accident date. This page explains the rule, why the confusion exists, and the edge cases that catch people out.
The tariff that applies to your claim is determined by your accident date — not the date you submitted the claim, not the date of your medical appointment, and not the date you settled. If your accident occurred on or after 31 May 2025, the updated tariff applies. If it occurred before that date, the original 2021 tariff applies. That is the rule.
The whiplash tariff is a government-set table of compensation values for soft tissue injuries arising from road traffic accidents in England and Wales. Since May 2025, two versions of that table have been in use simultaneously.
The original tariff was set in 2021 when the Whiplash Reform Programme came into effect. Following a statutory review, the Lord Chancellor determined that the figures had not kept pace with inflation. The Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 introduced an uprated version — approximately 15% higher across all bands — for accidents occurring on or after 31 May 2025.
Both schedules remain active because claims from before May 2025 are still in progress. The two-tariff situation is not something that was originally planned for — it is a consequence of a large number of ongoing claims straddling a regulatory change. It will persist until all pre-2025 claims have concluded.
The confusion it creates is real. This page works through the rule, the common points of misunderstanding, and the edge cases that most guidance does not address.
The rule — accident date decides
One date. One question. The answer is fixed from the moment of the accident.
The updated tariff applies. These are the higher figures introduced by the Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025. They are approximately 15% higher than the original 2021 figures across all prognosis bands.
For a whiplash-only injury, the range is:
£275 (up to 3 months) to £4,830 (18 to 24 months).
The original tariff applies. These are the figures that have been in use since the Whiplash Reform Programme launched.
For a whiplash-only injury, the range is:
£240 (up to 3 months) to £4,215 (18 to 24 months). These figures are approximately 15% lower than the updated schedule.
Neither tariff schedule applies. The Whiplash Reform Programme — and with it the fixed tariff system — only applies to accidents occurring on or after 31 May 2021. Claims arising from accidents before that date are assessed under the pre-reform system, which used Judicial College Guidelines rather than a fixed statutory tariff.
Why two tariffs exist
The background to the 2025 uprating — and why it created the current two-schedule situation.
The Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021 fixed compensation amounts for the first time. Before 2021, whiplash compensation was assessed using the Judicial College Guidelines — a framework that allowed for individual assessment and produced more variable outcomes. The 2021 reform replaced that with a statutory table of fixed figures, removing scope for negotiation on the injury element of the claim.
The original figures were set at levels significantly lower than pre-reform averages. The government's stated intention was to reduce the cost and frequency of whiplash claims, which it argued had become disproportionate to the injuries being experienced.
The Civil Liability Act 2018 required the Lord Chancellor to carry out a statutory review of the tariff. That review was conducted between February and November 2024. It concluded that the figures had lost real value due to inflation since they were set in 2021 and recommended an uplift of 14 to 15 percent.
The Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 gave effect to that recommendation. The uprated figures came into force on 31 May 2025 — exactly four years after the original tariff launched. Claims arising from accidents on or after that date use the new figures.
Common points of confusion
The questions that come up most often — and why they arise.
The most common misunderstanding. People assume that because they submitted their claim after 31 May 2025, the higher figures apply to them. They do not. The accident date is the fixed point. A claim submitted in July 2025 for an accident that happened in February 2025 uses the original 2021 tariff.
This matters in practice because a significant number of claimants whose accidents occurred before May 2025 are currently navigating the medical and settlement stages of their claims. Those claims are governed by the original schedule, regardless of where they now sit in the process.
Many sources — including solicitor websites and legal information pages — quote only the current figures without making clear that a separate, lower schedule applies to earlier accidents. If you had your accident before May 2025 and have seen figures of £275, £565 or £4,830 quoted online, those are the updated figures. The figures that apply to your claim are approximately 15% lower.
This is not deliberate misdirection — it reflects how most guidance focuses on the current rules rather than transitional cases. But it creates a real expectation gap for claimants whose accident date puts them on the original schedule.
Some claimants whose accidents occurred before 31 May 2025 have had ongoing symptoms that extended past that date. This does not move the claim onto the updated tariff. The tariff schedule is fixed by the accident date. The duration of symptoms determines which prognosis band applies within that schedule — not which schedule is used.
In practical terms: if your accident was in December 2024 and your symptoms lasted fourteen months — taking you through to February 2026 — the compensation is calculated using the original tariff at the 12 to 15 month band (£2,040), not the updated tariff equivalent (£2,335).
Edge cases
Situations where the rule is clear but the application is less obvious.
Where a claim includes both whiplash injuries (which fall under the tariff) and other injuries (which do not), the tariff schedule question applies only to the whiplash element. The whiplash component is valued using the schedule determined by the accident date. The non-whiplash injuries are valued separately using Judicial College Guidelines, which are not subject to the tariff schedules.
The Supreme Court's 2024 ruling in Hassam v Rabot confirmed that compensation for non-tariff injuries is assessed separately — claimants with mixed injuries are entitled to full Judicial College Guidelines compensation for those injuries alongside the fixed tariff figure for whiplash. The schedule question therefore affects only one part of the calculation.
Some claimants wait before starting the claims process — sometimes for several months, occasionally for longer. Regardless of how much time passes between the accident and the claim being submitted, the accident date remains the reference point for the tariff schedule. A claim submitted two years after the accident uses the tariff that was in force for the accident date, not the submission date.
The only date that changes with delay is the limitation deadline. The three-year clock runs from the accident date. The tariff schedule does not shift. Delay affects whether you can still claim — it does not change which figures apply if you can.
An interim payment is an advance on compensation — a partial payment made before the claim is fully resolved. Where an interim payment has been made on a claim arising from a pre-May 2025 accident, the final settlement is still governed by the tariff set by the accident date. The interim payment does not change the applicable schedule. It is credited against the final figure, which remains calculated using the tariff determined by the accident date.
Both tariff schedules allow for an increase of up to 20% where exceptional circumstances apply — for example, where the injury is of exceptional severity or where the circumstances of the accident led to significantly increased pain and suffering. This uplift applies within whichever schedule governs the claim. It does not move a claim from one schedule to the other and does not change the base schedule applicable to the accident date.
Exceptional circumstances are assessed by the court and are not routinely applied. They are not a standard negotiating tool — they require evidence that the case sits genuinely outside the typical parameters for the prognosis band in question.
What to do next
Where to go from here, depending on what you need.
Both tariff schedules set out in full — all seven prognosis bands, whiplash only and whiplash with minor psychological injury, for accidents before and after 31 May 2025. With context on what the figures do and do not include.
The tariff calculator works through the claim value, likely deductions, and estimated amount received — not just the headline tariff figure. It accounts for the difference between claim value and what reaches your account.
The tariff schedule determines which set of figures applies. But the prognosis period recorded in your medical report determines which band within that schedule applies. The difference between one band and the next can be several hundred pounds — and the report is the document that fixes it.
How whiplash claims work end to end — who can claim, what the process looks like, how compensation is calculated, and what to check at each stage. Covers both tariff schedules in context.
The three-year limitation period runs from the accident date. If you have not yet submitted a claim, check how much time remains before the deadline. The limitation calculator gives the date and flags urgency where the window is closing.
Last reviewed: 31 March 2026
ClaimTalk provides general guidance only and not legal advice. Tariff figures are verified against GOV.UK and the relevant regulations. Always check the current Official Injury Claim tariff schedule before relying on them.
ClaimTalk cannot respond to questions about individual claims. If you need advice specific to your situation, a regulated solicitor is the appropriate route.