Free tool
Settlement offer check
Enter the offer and the losses you can prove. See whether it even covers your bills, how much it leaves for everything else, and what would reach you after the fee and liens.
The offer
Losses you can document
What comes off
Enter the offer and at least one documented loss to see how they compare.
By Serdar Arslan, editor · Last reviewed · How we research
What this check does, and what it does not
Unsatisfactory offers are one of the three most common reasons people complain to state insurance regulators, along with delays and denials. This tool does not tell you what your claim is worth. Nobody can do that with a formula. It answers a narrower and more useful question: does the offer cover the losses you can already prove, and what is left after everyone else is paid?
| Number | How it is worked out |
|---|---|
| Documented losses | Medical bills so far, future treatment a provider has put in writing, lost pay and other costs with receipts |
| After fault | Documented losses reduced by the fault percentage, using your state's rule (pure, 50% bar, 51% bar or contributory) |
| Left for pain and suffering | The offer minus documented losses after fault |
| Reaches you | The offer minus the lawyer's fee and the liens you must repay |
Before you answer the adjuster
- Ask for the offer and its calculation in writing.
- Check whether it includes vehicle damage or only the injury claim.
- Get final lien amounts from every payer that covered your treatment.
- Read the release. It usually ends the claim for good, including injuries that show up later.
For the reasoning behind each step, see how car accident settlements work, pain and suffering damages and dealing with insurance adjusters. To see the fee and lien math in more detail, use the contingency fee calculator.
Frequently asked questions
›Should I accept the first settlement offer?
You do not have to. Regulators and consumer guides say you can take your time and ask how the number was reached. A first offer made while you are still treating cannot account for costs nobody knows yet, and a signed release usually ends the claim permanently.
›How do I know if an offer is too low?
Start with what you can prove. If the offer is lower than your medical bills, lost pay and receipts after any fault reduction, it pays nothing for pain and suffering. If it is higher, the question is whether the difference is enough for what you went through, which is a judgment only you can make.
›Does this tool estimate pain and suffering?
No. There is no reliable formula for it, and multipliers found online are rules of thumb, not law. The tool shows how much of the offer is left over for it, so you can judge that amount for yourself.
›Why does my percentage of fault matter?
Most states reduce what you can recover by your share of fault, and some bar recovery entirely above a limit. In a few contributory negligence states any fault can bar recovery. The tool applies the rule for the state you choose.
›What are liens and why do they come off?
Health plans, Medicare, Medicaid and some hospitals that paid for your treatment may have a right to be repaid from your settlement. Those amounts come out before you are paid, so an offer that looks adequate can leave much less in your hands.