PTSD Claims and Compensation: All You Need to Know
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a recognised psychiatric injury, and UK law treats it exactly like a physical one: if someone else's negligence caused the traumatic event, you can claim compensation — whether or not you were physically hurt as well. That surprises many people. A driver who walks away from a serious crash without a scratch, but who can no longer get into a car, has a claim.
This guide covers who can claim, what the current compensation brackets are, and the routes that apply to special cases like assaults and military service.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a frightening or life-threatening event. The NHS estimates it develops in around 1 in 3 people who go through severe trauma. Symptoms can start within weeks or surface months later, and typically include reliving the event through flashbacks or nightmares, avoiding reminders of it, feeling detached from family and friends, trouble sleeping, and being easily startled.
PTSD is diagnosable and treatable — NICE-recommended treatments include trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and EMDR. A formal diagnosis matters for a claim, so see your GP about symptoms even if you're unsure they "count". They do.
Who Can Claim
You can claim if the traumatic event was caused by someone who owed you a duty of care and breached it, within the last three years (or three years from your diagnosis being linked to the event). Common claim situations include:
- Serious road accidents — as driver, passenger, cyclist, pedestrian or witness closely involved
- Traumatic accidents at work, or witnessing one — including occupations with repeated trauma exposure
- Violent crime and assault — claimed through CICA, the government's criminal injuries scheme, rather than against the attacker
- Military service — service-related PTSD has its own routes; see our military injury guide
- Traumatic childbirth or serious medical events — these only give rise to a claim where negligent care caused the event, and we are not currently taking medical negligence claims
How Much Compensation for PTSD?
The Judicial College Guidelines (18th edition, April 2026) bracket PTSD by severity and prognosis:
| Severity | What it means | Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Less severe | Virtually full recovery within 1–2 years | £5,210 – £10,800 |
| Moderate | Largely recovered, continuing effects not grossly disabling | £10,800 – £30,580 |
| Moderately severe | Significant disability for the foreseeable future, better prognosis with professional help | £30,580 – £79,080 |
| Severe | Permanent effects preventing work or functioning at pre-trauma level | £79,080 – £132,990 |
These figures are indicative brackets, not promises — your award depends on the medical evidence in your case, and some claims do not succeed. Two people can experience the same event and receive very different awards, because the bracket follows the impact on your life, not the event itself.
On top of the bracket, your claim includes financial losses: earnings lost to time off or reduced capacity to work, the cost of therapy and treatment, and travel and care costs. For severe PTSD that ends a career, future loss of earnings often becomes the largest part of the claim.
Estimate your compensation
PTSD compensation calculator
Based on the Judicial College Guidelines, 18th edition (2026).
| General damages (pain, suffering and loss of amenity) | £0 |
| Special damages (earnings, care, expenses) | £0 |
| Estimated total | £0 |
Figures are the indicative general-damages brackets in the Judicial College Guidelines, 18th edition (April 2026). This is an estimate, not a valuation — your actual award depends on the medical evidence in your case, and some claims do not succeed.
Check if you can claimWhat the Claim Process Looks Like
In practice, your solicitor sends the claim to the at-fault party's insurer, who will usually arrange for you to be assessed by an independent consultant psychiatrist — your own GP records support the claim, but the formal valuation rests on specialist evidence. Most claims settle by negotiation without going near a courtroom; proceedings are only issued where liability or value can't be agreed, and even most of those settle before trial.
Be prepared for the insurer to test the claim. Psychiatric injuries attract more scrutiny than fractures because there's no scan that shows them — which is exactly why early diagnosis, a consistent treatment record, and a specialist report matter so much.
Evidence That Strengthens a PTSD Claim
- A diagnosis from your GP or a mental health professional, as early as possible
- A record of treatment — therapy sessions, referrals, prescriptions
- Evidence of the event itself: police or incident reports, witness details
- A record of impact: time off work, activities you've stopped, changes those close to you have noticed
Common Questions
Can I claim for PTSD if I wasn't physically injured?
Yes. PTSD is an injury in its own right. You can also claim for it alongside physical injuries from the same accident — each is valued separately and added together.
Can I claim PTSD compensation after an assault?
Yes, through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, which compensates victims of violent crime under its own tariff — you don't sue the attacker. The time limit is generally two years, shorter than the normal three, so start promptly. See our CICA guide.
What about PTSD from my job itself, not one accident?
Claims for cumulative trauma exposure — emergency services, for example — are possible where an employer failed to provide proper support systems despite known risks. These are more complex than single-event claims and turn on what the employer knew and did.
Will claiming affect my treatment or benefits?
Claiming doesn't affect NHS treatment. A large award can affect means-tested benefits, which is what personal injury trusts exist to protect.
How long do PTSD claims take?
Longer than simple physical injury claims, because the prognosis drives the value and psychiatric prognosis takes time to establish. Straightforward cases can settle within a year to eighteen months; severe cases are worth valuing patiently — settling before the prognosis is clear almost always undervalues the claim.
Related Guides
CICA Criminal Injuries Compensation
Military Injury Compensation Claims
How Much Compensation for Personal Injury?
Personal Injury Claim Time Limits UK
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