How do I make an insurance claim for whiplash?
Key takeaways
You might be able to make a low-value personal injury claim through the free Official Injury Claim service in England and Wales
You’ll need an independent medical report before a whiplash claim can be settled
For accidents from 31 May 2025, whiplash compensation ranges from £275 to £4,830, depending on your medical prognosis
What is whiplash?
Whiplash is a neck injury caused by sudden movement of your head, often following a road accident. It usually gets better within two to three months. Common symptoms include:
Neck pain and stiffness
Difficulty moving your head
Headaches
Pain or muscle spasms in your shoulders and arms
Symptoms can take several hours to appear after an injury. If you’re worried about your symptoms or they’re getting worse, you should look at NHS guidance on whiplash.
For compensation purposes in England and Wales, some soft-tissue injuries to the neck, back or shoulder can be treated as whiplash injuries.
Can I make a whiplash claim?
You may be able to claim if you were injured in a road accident you believe was not your fault. For many low-value claims in England and Wales, you can make the claim yourself through the free Official Injury Claim (OIC) service.
Can I use Official Injury Claim?
You can generally use OIC if:
You’re aged 18 or over
The accident happened in England or Wales
It happened on or after 31 May 2021
You were inside a vehicle
You believe the accident wasn't your fault
Your personal injury claim is worth less than £5,000
The total value of your claim is no more than £10,000
Different rules apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and some people including children, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists cannot use the standard OIC process.
Who pays a whiplash claim?
Your claim is normally dealt with by the insurer or other organisation responsible for compensating you if liability is accepted. You should still tell your own car insurer about the accident, even where you are pursuing compensation from another driver's insurer.
How do I make a whiplash claim?
If you’re eligible for Official Injury Claim, you can make and manage your claim online without hiring a solicitor. The service is free to use.
The main steps are:
Start your claim: Provide details about the accident, your injuries and any financial losses
Wait for a liability decision: The insurer or other compensator considers who was responsible
Get a medical report: An approved independent expert assesses your injuries and expected recovery time
Review the offer: The compensator considers your medical evidence and any other losses you’re claiming
Accept or challenge the offer: If you agree, the claim can be settled and payment arranged
What evidence do I need?
When you start a claim, it can help to have:
Vehicle registration numbers
The other driver’s details
Witness information
Police details or a reference number, where relevant
Evidence relating to the accident
Receipts or proof of financial losses
Keep evidence for any costs you want to include in your claim, such as treatment expenses or lost earnings.
Do I need a medical report?
Yes - a whiplash claim cannot be settled without medical evidence. For an OIC claim, your report needs to come from an approved independent medical expert rather than your own GP.
The report records your injuries and gives a prognosis, which is how long the expert expects your symptoms to last. This prognosis is used to determine which whiplash compensation tariff applies.
How much compensation could I get for whiplash?
For accidents on or after 31 May 2025, compensation for whiplash alone ranges from £275 to £4,830 if the injury lasts no more than two years. The amount depends on the recovery period given in your medical prognosis.
A separate tariff applies if you also suffer a qualifying minor psychological injury.
Whiplash tariff from 31 May 2025
Injury duration | Whiplash only | With minor psychological injury |
|---|---|---|
Up to 3 months | £275 | £300 |
3 to 6 months | £565 | £595 |
6 to 9 months | £965 | £1,025 |
9 to 12 months | £1,510 | £1,595 |
12 to 15 months | £2,335 | £2,435 |
15 to 18 months | £3,445 | £3,550 |
18 to 24 months | £4,830 | £4,975 |
These figures apply to accidents in England and Wales on or after 31 May 2025. Whiplash lasting more than two years falls outside the fixed tariff.
Whiplash tariff before 31 May 2025
Injury duration | Whiplash only | With minor psychological injury |
|---|---|---|
Up to 3 months | £240 | £260 |
3 to 6 months | £495 | £520 |
6 to 9 months | £840 | £895 |
9 to 12 months | £1,320 | £1,390 |
12 to 15 months | £2,040 | £2,125 |
15 to 18 months | £3,005 | £3,100 |
18 to 24 months | £4,215 | £4,345 |
If the accident happened before 31 May 2021, the OIC reforms and these tariff tables do not apply.
What else can I claim for?
The whiplash tariff only values the whiplash injury and any qualifying minor psychological injury. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to claim evidenced losses such as:
Loss of earnings
Prescription costs
Physiotherapy or other treatment costs
Travel to medical appointments
Certain vehicle or property losses
Keep receipts, invoices and other evidence for costs you want to claim.
How long do I have to make a whiplash claim?
Court proceedings for a personal injury claim generally need to be started within three years of the accident. If you were under 18 when the accident happened, the three-year limitation period generally starts when you turn 18.
This is a deadline for starting court proceedings rather than simply submitting your OIC claim. If you’re getting close to the end of the limitation period, consider getting legal advice to make sure you protect your right to continue the claim.
How long does a whiplash claim take?
There is no fixed time for settling a whiplash claim - it can depend on how quickly liability is agreed, how long medical evidence takes and whether your injury has recovered. For a standard OIC claim:
Liability decisions should be made in up to 30 business days
The first compensation offer should take up to 20 business days
Payment after the settlement should take up to 10 business days
The Motor Insurers' Bureau may have longer to make a liability decision in cases it handles - and remember, medical reports can also take several weeks to arrange and complete.
What if my circumstances are different?
What if I was partly at fault?
You may still be able to continue your claim if the compensator accepts only part of the responsibility for the accident.
The OIC allows you to challenge a partial liability decision and propose a different share of responsibility. Your final compensation may be reduced to reflect any responsibility you accept or that is decided by a court.
Can I claim as a passenger?
Yes, passengers can use Official Injury Claim if they meet its eligibility rules, including being aged 18 or over and being injured in an accident in England or Wales on or after 31 May 2021.
What if I have other injuries too?
You can include non-whiplash injuries in an OIC claim if the overall claim remains within the service's limits. Non-whiplash injuries are valued separately rather than using the whiplash tariff.
If your personal injury claim is worth more than £5,000, you'll need to use a different claims route.
What if the other driver is uninsured?
If the other driver is uninsured, you may be able to claim compensation through the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB). Depending on your policy, you may also be able to claim for damage through your own comprehensive car insurance. See our guide to uninsured drivers for more information.
What if I'm under 18?
Children cannot make their own claim through the standard Official Injury Claim service. A different process applies, so you may need legal advice or other specialist help.
What if I was cycling, walking or riding a motorbike?
Cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists cannot use the standard Official Injury Claim service. You may still be able to make a personal injury claim, but you''ll need to use a different method.
Can I use OIC in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No, official Injury Claim is for accidents that happened in England or Wales, and different personal injury claims procedures apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What if my claim is disputed?
If the compensator denies responsibility, you can accept its decision, challenge it or take the liability dispute to court. You can also challenge a partial liability decision through OIC.
Do I need a solicitor?
No - the official Injury Claim process is designed to let eligible claimants manage their own claim without legal representation. You can choose to use a solicitor or claims management company instead, but they may charge for their services.
Will a whiplash claim affect my car insurance?
Yes, your accident and claims history may affect the price of your car insurance in future, even if the accident was not your fault.
However, a non-fault accident should not normally reduce your no-claims discount once your insurer has recovered its costs from the responsible party.
Your discount and your premium are separate, so keeping your no-claims discount doesn't guarantee that your overall price will stay the same.
Read our guide to non-fault car insurance claims for more information.
How can I compare car insurance after an accident?
If your car insurance is coming up for renewal after an accident, comparing quotes can help you see how prices and cover differ between insurers.
With MoneySuperMarket, you can compare car insurance quotes from different providers and check the price, level of cover, excess and optional extras before choosing a policy.
Frequently asked questions
Can my whiplash symptoms start later?
Yes, whiplash symptoms can take several hours to appear after you injure your neck. Common symptoms include neck pain or stiffness, headaches and pain or spasms in your shoulders and arms.
What if my whiplash lasts more than two years?
The statutory whiplash tariff only covers injuries lasting up to two years. If your medical prognosis says your whiplash will last longer than 24 months, the fixed tariff won't apply.
What is a minor psychological injury?
A minor psychological injury can include symptoms such as low-level travel anxiety or occasional loss of sleep alongside your whiplash. There is a separate statutory tariff for whiplash accompanied by a minor psychological injury.
Can my whiplash compensation be increased?
In some exceptional cases, the courts might award an increase of up to 20% of the whiplash tariff. This may apply where the injury is exceptionally severe or exceptional circumstances increase the pain, suffering or loss of amenity caused by the injury.
What if I disagree with the compensation offer?
You do not have to accept the first offer. You can make a counter-offer through the Official Injury Claim and if you still cannot agree on compensation, you may be able to take the dispute to court.
Can I use a medical report from my GP?
No, for an OIC whiplash claim, the medical report needs to come from an independent approved medical expert. Your own GP cannot provide the report required by the portal. The medical examination is usually arranged through OIC and paid for by the compensator.
What if I'm still injured after accepting an offer?
Once your OIC claim has been settled, you cannot use the portal to claim more compensation because your symptoms continue or to add further losses later.
Before asking for an offer, make sure the losses you want to claim have been added and supported with evidence where required.
Author
Mehdi Punjwani
Insurance specialist
Mehdi is a financial writer and editor with over six years of experience in personal finance. He has written for organisations and publications including Equifax, The AA, and USAToday, covering a...
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Collette Shackleton
Content Writer
Collette is an experienced Content Writer at MoneySuperMarket, helping people make sense of money and insurance topics without the jargon. She shares her experience as a first-time Mum and top...
