Personal injury claims in Ireland: how the process works

Most personal injury claims in Ireland don’t start in court. They start with an application to the Injuries Resolution Board, and they run against a two-year deadline that many people find out about too late.

This guide explains how the process works from start to finish: the time limits, how the Board assesses a claim, how compensation is valued, what happens if an assessment is rejected, and the things that can weaken a claim along the way. It’s written for anyone who has been injured, and for anyone on the other side of a claim. For a shorter overview, see Making a personal injury claim: what to expect.

The deadlines: two years, and one month

You generally have two years to bring a personal injury claim. The clock runs from the date of the injury or your date of knowledge, whichever is later. Date of knowledge matters where an injury isn’t obvious at first: time starts when you knew, or could reasonably have known, that you were injured and who was responsible.

There are two main exceptions:

• Children: for anyone under 18, the two years don’t start until their 18th birthday.
• Fatal injuries: a claim must be brought within two years of the death.

Applying to the Injuries Resolution Board pauses the clock. Under section 50 of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003, the time from your application until six months after the Board issues an authorisation doesn’t count towards the two years.

Step one is the Injuries Resolution Board, not court

Most personal injury claims, including road traffic, workplace and public liability claims, must go to the Injuries Resolution Board before any court case can start. The Board was known as PIAB until December 2023. Claims involving medical negligence are the main exception and go straight to court.

How it works:

Roughly half of assessments are now accepted by both sides: 47% in 2025, down from 50% in 2024. Respondents consented to the process in 69% of cases. The Board paid out €213 million in 2025, with an average award of €20,559 (Law Society Gazette; Irish Times).

How compensation is valued

An award has two parts:

• General damages cover pain, suffering and loss of amenity. They’re valued using the Personal Injuries Guidelines.
• Special damages cover your actual financial losses: lost earnings, medical bills, physiotherapy, travel to appointments, and other out-of-pocket costs. These need receipts and records.

The Personal Injuries Guidelines replaced the old Book of Quantum in April 2021. They set brackets for each type of injury, from minor sprains up to the most catastrophic injuries, which top out at €550,000. The Board and the courts must have regard to them. Since they came in, the median award for general damages has fallen by about 29% compared with 2020.

The Guidelines are under review, but the 2021 figures still apply. In early 2025, the Judicial Council proposed an overall increase of 16.7% to reflect inflation. Those revised Guidelines were never put to the Oireachtas, so they haven’t taken effect. In January 2026, the Government published the General Scheme of the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2026, which would change how the Guidelines are reviewed and move the review cycle from three years to five. Watch this space: if new Guidelines are adopted, award levels will change.

Going to court

Once you have an authorisation, proceedings can be issued in court. Which court depends on the value of the claim:

Court	Personal injury claims up to
District Court	€15,000
Circuit Court	€60,000
High Court	No upper limit

The Civil Reform Bill 2025 proposes raising these limits, but it hasn’t been enacted. Court claims also take longer than the Board: typically 12 to 18 months in the Circuit Court and more than two years in the High Court (Kennedys).

Rejecting an assessment carries a real costs risk.

Under section 51A of the 2003 Act, if you reject an assessment the other side accepted and the court then awards you less, you won’t get your legal costs from them, and the court can order you to pay all or part of theirs. The Court of Appeal has said a claimant may be unwise to reject an assessment that properly follows the Guidelines (Wolfe v PIAB, 2023).

So check any assessment against the Guidelines and your actual losses before you decide, and do it within the 28 days.

What can weaken a claim

Most claims are honest. Even so, a few things regularly reduce awards or end claims altogether.

• Exaggeration. Under section 26 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, a court must dismiss a claim where the claimant knowingly gives or relies on false or misleading evidence, unless dismissal would cause an injustice. Giving false evidence is also a criminal offence.
• Your own share of the blame. Under the Civil Liability Act 1961, damages are reduced by the proportion of responsibility that’s yours. Not wearing a seatbelt is a common example.
• Gaps in treatment and records. Long gaps in seeing a doctor, or not following medical advice, make an injury harder to prove. Keep receipts for every expense you claim.
• Social media. Photos and posts can be used to challenge how badly you were hurt. Assume the other side will look.
• Not engaging with the Board. Failing to attend a medical examination the Board arranges, or to provide information it asks for, can count against you on costs later.
• The one-month letter. A late letter of claim won’t end a claim, but a court can take it into account.

Common myths

“A claim means going to court.” Most start with the Injuries Resolution Board, and about half of assessments are accepted by both sides.

“I have years to decide.” The limit is generally two years, and the letter of claim is due within one month.

“Awards keep going up.” The median award for general damages is about 29% lower than in 2020, and the 2021 Guidelines still apply.

“Rejecting an assessment costs nothing.” If you get less in court, you can lose your costs and be ordered to pay the other side’s.

“Every injury claim goes through the Board.” Medical negligence claims don’t.

Every claim turns on its own facts, so get advice on your situation.