Calculator · NSW MAIA + public liability indicative ranges
Compensation calculator: indicative claim range
Enter injury severity, age and pre-injury weekly income. The calculator returns an indicative compensation range, drawn from publicly reported settlement schedules for common-fault personal injury claims. This is not a quote, not a guarantee, and not legal advice – only an admitted lawyer can value a real claim.
★Key takeaways
- ✓This is an indicative range tool. Real outcomes depend on liability, medical evidence, vocational evidence, future care needs and the specific scheme applying.
- ✓NSW Motor Accident Injuries Act (MAIA) classifies injuries as "minor" or "non-minor". Non-minor injuries give access to broader damages, including past and future economic loss and (subject to thresholds) general damages for pain and suffering.
- ✓Public liability claims are common-law claims under state Civil Liability Acts. Heads of damage are similar to common-law motor accident claims, but caps and thresholds differ by state.
- ✓The single largest driver of value in most non-minor cases is loss of earning capacity – your age, pre-injury income, and likely future earnings.
- ✓Only an admitted lawyer can give a real estimate. Speak with at least one Accredited Specialist in your state before relying on any figure.
Indicative calculator
Estimate the indicative range for your claim
Methodology
How the calculator builds the range
Past loss of earnings
Calculated as weekly pre-injury income multiplied by an indicative period off work for the severity bucket (12 weeks for minor through to 156+ weeks for catastrophic).
Future loss of earning capacity
For non-minor injuries, an annualised multiplier applied across remaining working years to age 67, with present-value discount. Conservative for moderate, higher for catastrophic.
General damages (pain + suffering)
Subject to scheme thresholds and caps. NSW MAIA has a 10% threshold for non-economic loss; Civil Liability Acts apply a sliding scale ("severity of non-economic loss"). The calculator embeds indicative bands.
Medical + future care
Severity-banded estimate. Catastrophic injuries can produce future-care components in the millions; minor injuries are typically a few thousand dollars in incidental medical expenses.
The calculator deliberately produces a wide range. Real outcomes can sit outside the range either way. Liability, contributory negligence, scheme caps and the strength of medical and vocational evidence are the dominant drivers of value and cannot be reduced to a calculator.
Important
General information, not legal advice
This calculator is general information. It is not legal advice, not a quote, and not a guarantee of any outcome. Compensation depends on the specific facts of your case. Speak with an admitted lawyer in your state – preferably an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law – before relying on any number. See our disclaimer for the full notice.
Common questions
Compensation calculator – common questions
How accurate is this calculator?
It is deliberately wide and indicative only. The ranges reflect publicly reported settlement schedules for the relevant scheme but cannot account for the specific facts that drive real outcomes: liability disputes, contributory negligence, your specific medical evidence, vocational evidence, future-care assumptions, your treating doctors’ opinions, the strength of the defendant’s evidence, the insurer’s appetite for trial, and the judge or assessor allocated. Only an admitted lawyer who has read your medical records and instructions can give you a meaningful estimate.
What is the difference between a minor, moderate and serious injury?
Minor injuries (under NSW MAIA) generally include soft-tissue injury, minor psychological injury and most whiplash injuries that resolve within 12 months. Moderate injuries are those with ongoing symptoms and some residual impact on work or activities of daily living. Serious injuries usually involve permanent impairment, ongoing care requirements, surgery and/or significant economic loss. The legal classification matters because different heads of damage become available at different severity thresholds.
Why does my age and income matter?
The largest single head of damage in most personal injury claims is loss of earning capacity. A 30-year-old with 35 working years ahead earning $100k/year on a serious injury could have loss-of-earning-capacity damages in the millions. The same injury to a person two years from retirement is worth dramatically less under that head. Age also affects future care costs, since care over a longer expected life span is more expensive.
Is the calculator covering CTP, workers comp, public liability or all three?
It returns indicative ranges based on common-fault personal injury claims (CTP MAIA, public liability, and similar). It does NOT calculate statutory workers compensation benefits, which are formula-based per state. For workers comp, see our state-by-state guide. For TAC, see our TAC claim page.
Can I rely on this for settlement negotiations?
No. Treat it as a sense-check only. Real settlement decisions require a lawyer who has assessed liability, calculated each head of damage on your specific evidence, and understood the insurer’s likely position. Insurance company "fast settlement" offers are typically well below true claim value; a represented claimant usually settles for materially more, even after legal fees.