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Slip & Trip Compensation Calculator

Slip, trip, and fall claims arise in public places — supermarkets, shops, restaurants, hotels, pavements, car parks — where the occupier or highway authority owed a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 or the Highways Act 1980. This calculator estimates compensation using the Judicial College Guidelines, with the same severity-based structure used across personal injury work.

Slip and trip values typically skew lower than road traffic or workplace claims because the injuries are often less severe and recovery is usually shorter. Broken wrists, twisted ankles, knee injuries, and back strains are common. More serious cases — head injuries from falling onto hard surfaces, hip fractures in older claimants — sit at the higher end and use the same JC brackets as any other personal injury case.

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Slip and trip compensation calculator

Based on the Judicial College Guidelines, 18th edition (2026).

How This Calculator Works

Select the injury you sustained and the severity. The calculator identifies the relevant JC bracket and produces a low/mid/high range. Recovery time refines the position within the bracket. The special damages section captures any lost earnings, treatment costs, or other out-of-pocket expenses.

Factors That Affect Your Slip & Trip Claim

  • The type and severity of injury — wrists, ankles, knees and backs are most common
  • Where the accident happened — different occupiers, different insurers, different liability rules
  • Whether the hazard was reported before your accident
  • Whether warning signs or cones were in place
  • The cleaning, inspection, and maintenance records of the location
  • Contributory negligence — including footwear, distraction, alcohol consumption
  • Lost earnings, particularly for self-employed claimants
  • Pre-existing conditions that may have been aggravated by the fall

Liability in Slip & Trip Cases

Establishing liability is often the harder part of these claims. The occupier or highway authority must have failed to take reasonable steps to address a hazard they knew about or should have known about. CCTV footage, cleaning records, accident book entries, and witness statements all matter. Photographing the hazard at the time, getting witness contact details, and reporting the accident to the occupier are the three most important things to do immediately after a fall.

What This Calculator Doesn’t Capture

The calculator assumes the hazard is established and liability is reasonably clear. Many slip and trip cases fail not because the injury isn’t worth a claim but because the evidence of fault isn’t strong enough — particularly for highway authority pothole claims, where the 14-day inspection regime under the Highways Act provides a complete defence if the authority can show reasonable inspection. The calculator also doesn’t reflect any small claims track adjustment (claims under £1,500 in general damages are usually allocated to small claims, restricting recoverable costs).

Next Steps

If you have evidence of the hazard and reported the accident, a specialist personal injury solicitor will be able to assess the claim quickly. Most work on no win no fee Conditional Fee Agreements with the success fee capped at 25 per cent of general damages and past losses. Time limits are the standard three years from the date of the accident.

Common Questions

I fell on a pavement — can I claim?

Yes in principle, but pavement (highway) claims are difficult. The Highways Act 1980 requires highway authorities to maintain the highway “so far as is reasonably practicable” and gives them a complete defence if they can prove their inspection regime (typically quarterly or monthly inspections) was reasonable. Photographs showing the size and depth of the defect, plus evidence the defect had been there for some time, substantially improve the chances of success.

What if I fell in a supermarket on a spillage?

Supermarket claims are more straightforward because supermarkets owe a higher duty than the highway authority and their cleaning and inspection regimes are documented in detail. Key questions: how long had the spillage been there, were warning signs deployed, and what does the CCTV show? Supermarkets usually preserve CCTV when a claim is made, but you must report the accident at the time.

I was wearing flip-flops/high heels — does that affect my claim?

Footwear can be a contributory negligence point, particularly if a reasonable person would have worn something more appropriate for the conditions. A typical contributory negligence finding might be 10-25 per cent in such cases. It doesn’t prevent the claim — it reduces the damages by that percentage.

What are the Judicial College Guidelines?

The Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases (currently 18th edition, published April 2026) are the reference work used by judges, solicitors, and insurers across England and Wales to value personal injury claims. They set out compensation brackets for every category of injury and are updated every two to three years.

How accurate is this calculator?

The calculator gives a directional estimate based on published guidelines. Actual settlements vary based on the specific facts of each case, the strength of evidence, the prognosis at the point of settlement, contributory negligence findings, and the negotiating position of the insurer. Treat the figure as a starting point — a specialist solicitor will give you a more precise figure after reviewing your evidence.

Slips, Trips & Falls Compensation Claims

Supermarket Accident Claims

Hotel Accident Claims UK

Pothole Accident Claims

Elderly Fall Compensation Claims

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Gavin Cooper

Gavin Cooper

Claims Expert, Claims Bible

Gavin writes and reviews Claims Bible's guidance on compensation claims. Claims Bible is a trading style of Forces Compare Ltd, authorised and regulated by the FCA for claims management activities (FRN 785329).

Updated 5 August 2026 · Part of our Personal Injury guide

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