Personal Injury Claims in Ireland: The Injuries Resolution Board Process (2026)

If you are injured in Ireland because of someone else's fault, at work, on the road or in a public place, the claim normally starts with the Injuries Resolution Board, not with a court. The Board can resolve the claim through mediation or an assessment of compensation, and only if that does not settle it can you go to court.

This page explains who must use the Board, what it costs, the time limits, how the process runs, and how compensation is valued. It is information only; it does not assess any individual claim.

Information last verified on 26 October 2026. This page is general legal information for the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice.

What is the Injuries Resolution Board?

The Board was set up by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 and was known for years as PIAB. The Personal Injuries Resolution Board Act 2022 changed its name to the Personal Injuries Resolution Board from 14 December 2023 (S.I. No. 626 of 2023 and S.I. No. 627 of 2023). It trades as the Injuries Resolution Board at injuries.ie.

The 2003 Act is still the principal Act; it was not renamed. The 2022 Act added a statutory mediation service, tighter rules on what an application must contain, and other changes commenced during 2023.

Which claims must go to the Board?

Section 12(1) of the 2003 Act says that no court proceedings may be brought on a relevant claim unless an application has first been made to the Board under section 11, and the Board has then authorised proceedings.

Citizens Information says this covers all personal injury claims except medical negligence claims. That includes:

• road traffic injuries, such as a collision with another vehicle (see Ireland driving laws);
• workplace injuries, where the claim is against an employer;
• public liability injuries, for example a fall in a shop or on a public footpath; and
• other injuries caused by someone else, such as a dog bite (see dog control laws in Ireland).

Citizens Information also says the Board now assesses claims for psychological injuries, which it previously did not.

How do you apply, and what does it cost?

A complete application has three parts: the application form, a medical report, and the fee. You do not need a solicitor to apply, although many claimants use one.

Older articles quote different figures, including €1,050 for respondents, and earlier PIAB-era amounts. The table above reflects the instruments in force as at October 2026.

What the application must contain

Section 11(3A) matters because of the time limit. An application only counts for the purposes of the limitation rule in section 50 if it is signed by the claimant and includes confirmation of:

• the claimant's name, date of birth, phone number and address;
• the claimant's PPSN, or identity documents;
• the respondent's name and address;
• the date and time of the accident;
• a description of the accident and the injuries; and
• that the enclosed medical report describes the injuries.

An incomplete or unsigned form may not protect you against the time limit, even if you sent it in time.

Telling the other side early

Citizens Information advises notifying the person or business responsible in writing within one month of the accident. The rule is statutory: under section 8 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, if you fail without reasonable cause to send written notice stating the nature of the wrong within one month of the date of the cause of action (or your date of knowledge, if later), the court must draw such inferences as appear proper and, where the interests of justice require, may refuse or reduce your legal costs.

What is the time limit for a personal injury claim?

Section 3(1) of the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 says a personal injuries action cannot be brought after 2 years from the date the cause of action accrued, or the date of knowledge if that is later. The period was 3 years until 31 March 2005, when the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 shortened it.

Applying to the Board does not simply stop the clock. Under section 50 of the 2003 Act, the period from the making of the application until 6 months after the Board issues an authorisation is disregarded when counting time, for the respondents named in the application. A respondent added later gets the same treatment from the date they were added.

In practice the clock starts again 6 months after the authorisation issues, and only the part of the 2 years that had not run when you applied is left. If you intend to go to court, work out that date as soon as you receive the authorisation. Separate rules can apply to injured children and to people who lack capacity; this page does not cover them, and advice is worth getting early in those cases.

How the process works

Step 1: the respondent is notified

The Board sends the respondent a Formal Notice of the claim. The Board says the respondent has 90 days to reply and say whether it consents to the Board dealing with the claim, through mediation, assessment, or both, or whether it declines.

If the respondent declines, the Board issues the claimant with an authorisation, which allows the claim to go to court. If the respondent simply does not reply, section 14(1)(c)(ii) says the Board arranges an assessment; silence at this stage is not a refusal.

Step 2: mediation, if both sides choose it

Mediation became a statutory service on 14 December 2023. It is voluntary and confidential, both sides must agree to it, and there is no extra fee. A claimant chooses it by ticking the box in Section 7 of the application form.

The Board says mediation usually takes place by phone, with the mediator speaking to each side separately, and averages about 3 months. If agreement is reached it is written down and signed, a 10-day cooling-off period follows, and the Board then issues an Order to Pay. Citizens Information says road traffic claims could use mediation from 12 December 2024, alongside workplace and public liability claims.

Step 3: assessment

If mediation does not resolve the claim, or was not chosen, the claim goes to assessment where the respondent consented to it or did not reply to the Formal Notice (see Step 1); if the respondent refused, the Board issues an authorisation. It may ask the claimant to attend an independent medical examination. Under section 49, the Board has 9 months from receiving the respondent's consent to make the assessment, which it can extend by up to a further 6 months by notice. The Board says most claims are assessed within 9 months.

Step 4: accepting or rejecting the assessment

The Board then sends both sides a Notice of Assessment. Section 30(2) gives each side a fixed time to accept, and section 31 decides what happens if they say nothing.

If both sides accept, the Board issues an Order to Pay, which the Board says has the same status as a court order. If either side rejects the assessment, the Board issues an authorisation under section 32 and the claimant may then issue court proceedings.

Legal costs if you reject an assessment

Rejecting an assessment carries a costs risk. Under section 51A, if a claimant rejects (or is treated as rejecting) an assessment that the respondent accepted, and a court later awards no more than the assessed amount, the court cannot award the claimant costs, subject to the exceptions in subsections (6) and (7) of that section. Section 51A(3A) also treats the respondent as having made a tender equal to the assessment, so a claimant who does not beat it can face further costs consequences.

Section 51B also stops most application-stage fees and expenses being recovered later as legal costs, and section 51C allows costs consequences where a party does not comply with the Board's requests for information.

Many claimants get legal advice before deciding whether to accept an assessment. For whether State-funded help is available for a civil dispute, see civil legal aid in Ireland.

How compensation is valued: the Personal Injuries Guidelines

The Board and the courts value general damages using the Personal Injuries Guidelines, adopted by the Judicial Council on 6 March 2021 under the Judicial Council Act 2019. They apply to personal injuries actions commenced on or after 24 April 2021 (S.I. No. 182 of 2021). Actions commenced before that date still use the Book of Quantum.

A court must have regard to the Guidelines and must state its reasons if it departs from them. The Guidelines are not caps: a court can depart from them if it gives reasons. The 2021 committee set €550,000 as the top of the scale.

The 2025 draft increase is not in force

In February 2025 the Judicial Council proposed amended Guidelines with an across-the-board increase of 16.7%. Under section 7 of the 2019 Act, an amendment can only be adopted after a draft has been laid before each House of the Oireachtas and approved by a resolution of each House.

The Department of Justice said on 20 January 2026 that the Minister laid the draft in September 2025 but did not bring a resolution seeking approval. On the sources checked for this page, no resolution approving the draft had been passed, so the 2021 values remain the ones in use. Figures described online as the 2025 guidelines are not law. A General Scheme of a Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill 2026 proposes changes to how the Guidelines are reviewed; it had not been enacted in the sources checked.

This page is general information about the personal injury claims process in Ireland, not legal advice, and it does not predict the outcome or value of any claim. Time limits can be strict. For advice on a particular injury, contact a solicitor, and for the process itself, contact the Injuries Resolution Board or Citizens Information. More topics are on the Ireland everyday law hub and the Ireland laws hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to go to the Injuries Resolution Board before suing?

For most personal injury claims, yes. Section 12 of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003 says no court proceedings may be brought until an application has been made to the Board and the Board has authorised proceedings. Medical negligence claims do not go through the Board.

How much does it cost to apply to the Injuries Resolution Board?

As at October 2026 the claimant fee is €45 if you apply online through the Board website and €90 if you apply on paper, under S.I. No. 363 of 2019. A respondent that agrees to the Board dealing with the claim pays a separate fee of €1,200 from 1 December 2025. There is no extra fee for mediation.

How long do I have to make a personal injury claim in Ireland?

The general limit is 2 years from the date the cause of action accrued or the date of knowledge, if later. Making a complete application to the Board means the period from the application until 6 months after the authorisation is disregarded, but only if the application is signed and contains the confirmations required by section 11(3A). Different rules can apply to children and people who lack capacity, so take advice early in those cases.

What happens if I do not reply to the Notice of Assessment?

If you are the claimant, saying nothing within 28 days is treated as not accepting the assessment, and the Board will issue an authorisation allowing you to go to court. If you are the respondent, saying nothing within 21 days is treated as accepting it. When both sides accept, the Board issues an Order to Pay.

Is an Order to Pay legally binding?

Yes. The Injuries Resolution Board says an Order to Pay, issued after both sides accept an assessment or after a mediated agreement and its 10-day cooling-off period, has the same status as a court order.

What is PIAB called now?

Its statutory name is the Personal Injuries Resolution Board, and it trades as the Injuries Resolution Board at injuries.ie. The name changed on 14 December 2023 under the Personal Injuries Resolution Board Act 2022. The governing Act is still called the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003.

Are the 2025 personal injury guidelines in force?

No. The Judicial Council proposed an across-the-board 16.7% increase in 2025, but amendments to the Guidelines need a resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas. The draft was laid in September 2025 without a resolution seeking approval, so the Guidelines adopted on 6 March 2021 remain the ones in use.