How Long Will it Take for Your Claim to Settle?

This isn’t a very easy question to answer. I can tell you that most straightforward claims can traditionally settle in around 6-9 months time. BUT – a new portal system that most claims are now pursued through is designed to allow for a speedy resolution to straightforward accident claims.

Before the new portal system, for most accidents the insurers would have almost 4 months to investigate a claim. Now they have just 30 business days. If your accident occurred on or after 31^st July 2013, it’s likely your claim will fall within this new portal system. There are a few exceptions, the biggest being road accidents as they have been under a separate portal system since April 2010.

So if your claim falls within the new system, it’s hard to say how long it can take as the whole process is so new.

But for a straightforward claim, here is what we need to do:

1. Submit the Claim Notification Form to the Defendant or their insurers using the portal system.
2. Allow them 30 business days to accept liability.
3. Whilst we are waiting we instruct a medical expert to see you for an appointment. This report is then used to value and settle the claim.
4. Await the liability decision and prognosis for the report.

If they accept liability, all we need to do is argue with the other side about the value of your claim if we are ready to settle. We may not be ready to settle if you need treatment to help you resolve from your injuries, or if your pain and suffering is ongoing.

This brings me on to my next point. One of the major reasons why a straightforward claim can take a while to settle is because of your injuries. We will normally advise you to wait out your prognosis period, which means waiting until the end of the time period the expert has said you will be suffering until. If this is 6 months, we would recommend you wait 6 months. So that could delay the claim.

But you don’t have to wait – you could settle based on the report being, in your belief, accurate. So it’s up to you. It’s better to wait because that way we can ensure that the expert’s prognosis is correct. If you are still suffering beyond that period, we would recommend you see them again for an updated report and this will likely push the value of your claim up.

So it’s a trade off you need to consider – potentially receive more compensation, or settle quicker. If it helps, I waited quite a while to settle my whiplash compensation claim and it paid off as I received £6,500 for my claim.