General damages
Compensation for non-financial losses caused by an injury, including pain, suffering, loss of amenity, and reduced quality of life.
What it means in practice.
In England and Wales, general damages are calculated using the Judicial College Guidelines; in Ireland, the Personal Injuries Guidelines. In US tort law these are typically called non-economic damages and may be subject to statutory caps.
General damages compensate for the injury itself: the pain, the suffering and the loss of amenity, meaning the things you can no longer do or enjoy. In England and Wales lawyers usually call this PSLA (pain, suffering and loss of amenity). The figure is set by a judge, not a jury, and judges anchor it to published guidelines and to awards in similar cases.
General damages are only part of a claim. Special damages cover losses you can prove with documents, such as lost earnings, care, treatment and travel. In serious cases the special damages are often much larger than the general damages, because lost earnings and future care run for years.
Each part of the United Kingdom has its own guide. England and Wales use the Judicial College Guidelines, now in their 18th edition. Scottish courts call general damages solatium and often refer to the same guidelines. Northern Ireland uses its own Green Book bands. For road traffic whiplash in England and Wales, a fixed tariff replaces the guidelines.
How it works in different places.
| Where | How it works | Source |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Pain, suffering and loss of amenity valued against the Judicial College Guidelines; a leg lost after late treatment of compartment syndrome was valued at £120,000. | Riley v Salford Royal [2022] EWHC 2417 (KB) |
| England and Wales (whiplash) | For road traffic whiplash from 31 May 2025, a tariff of £275 to £4,830 replaces the guidelines; other injuries are valued at common law and added. | Hassam v Rabot [2024] UKSC 11 |
| Scotland | Called solatium; a nurse struck on the head by a falling chisel received £68,693 solatium with interest. | McFadyean v Renfrewshire Council [2025] CSOH 44 |
| Northern Ireland | Valued against the Green Book bands; a spinal fracture from a bus door led to £240,000 for physical injuries and £75,000 for psychiatric injury. | Lynas v Ulsterbus [2025] NIKB 51 |
| British Columbia | Called non-pecuniary damages; a mild traumatic brain injury from two crashes led to $220,000. | Poonia v. Yazzie, 2025 BCSC 1334 |
| United States | Called non-economic damages and usually set by a jury; many states cap them by statute. | See the non-economic damages entry |
A worked example.
How a judge builds general damages: Potts v Mills (NI 2026)
- Fractured shoulder blade, healed
- £17,500
- Wrist sprain, cuts and minor scarring
- £17,500
- Mild psychiatric effects
- £15,000
- General damages
- £50,000
- Special damages with interest
- £15,647
- Judgment
- £70,647
A professional track cyclist knocked off his bike near Omagh. The judge valued each injury, added the figures, and then added the proven financial losses.