This concussion settlement calculator gives you a fast, structured estimate of what a mild traumatic brain injury claim may be worth in 2026 — whether you had a single concussion that resolved, a concussion with lingering symptoms, or post-concussion syndrome with persistent cognitive deficits. A concussion is the most common form of traumatic brain injury, and while many resolve in weeks, a meaningful minority develop into post-concussion syndrome that lasts months or years. Because symptom duration is the single strongest driver of concussion settlement value, this calculator weights your estimate by how long your symptoms have persisted. Enter your medical bills, future medical costs, lost wages, severity, symptom duration, and percentage of fault below for a low-to-high payout range.
Whether you are dealing with a concussion from a car accident, a sports injury, or a slip and fall, your mild traumatic brain injury settlement depends on a clinical diagnosis and consistent neurological follow-up — not on a scan, because a mild TBI usually does not show on a standard CT or MRI. The average concussion settlement from a car accident climbs sharply when a brief concussion turns into a documented post-concussion syndrome settlement amount with headaches, memory problems, and an inability to work. Use the mTBI payout calculator below as a starting point, then read the detailed sections on post-concussion syndrome, symptom duration, evidence, and insurer tactics to understand your concussion settlement value.
The concussion settlement calculator above uses the multiplier method with a special adjustment for symptom duration. The formula is:
Multiplier = Severity + (0.1 × every 3 months of symptoms, capped at 1.0)
Settlement Estimate = (Medical + Future Medical + Lost Wages) + (Medical + Future Medical) × Multiplier, then × (1 − Fault %)
Your medical bills, future medical costs, and lost wages are your economic damages. The severity multiplier converts your medical costs into non-economic damages for headaches, cognitive fog, dizziness, light sensitivity, and the disruption to your life. A resolved concussion earns 2.0x; chronic post-concussion syndrome with cognitive deficits earns 5.0x. Because most concussions resolve within weeks, a case that drags on is more serious — so the calculator adds a duration bonus of 0.1 for every three months of documented symptoms, up to a maximum of 1.0 (reached at 30 months). The total is then reduced by your share of fault under comparative negligence rules.
The value of a concussion settlement depends on whether the injury resolves or develops into post-concussion syndrome, and on how long the symptoms last. The table below shows typical 2026 ranges. These are planning benchmarks drawn from commonly reported mild-TBI outcomes, not guarantees.
| Concussion Severity | Typical Multiplier | 2026 Settlement Range |
|---|---|---|
| Single concussion, fully resolved | 2x – 2.5x | $20,000 – $50,000 |
| Concussion with lingering symptoms | 3x – 3.5x | $50,000 – $150,000 |
| Post-concussion syndrome | 4x – 4.5x | $100,000 – $250,000 |
| Chronic PCS with cognitive deficits | 5x + | $150,000 – $300,000+ |
A commonly cited average for milder post-concussion syndrome cases is around $30,000 to $35,000, but that figure reflects short-duration cases. Once symptoms persist beyond several months and an inability to work is documented, settlements routinely move into six figures, which is exactly what the duration bonus in the calculator captures.
Car accidents are a leading cause of concussion. The brain can strike the inside of the skull from the rapid acceleration-deceleration of a crash even without a direct blow to the head, which is why concussions frequently accompany whiplash. The average concussion settlement from a car accident in 2026 generally falls between $25,000 and $150,000 for a mild traumatic brain injury, climbing higher when post-concussion syndrome develops. Because concussions often coexist with neck injuries and other trauma from the same crash, these claims are commonly presented together, with the mild-TBI component adding meaningful non-economic value on top of the physical-injury settlement.
Symptom duration is the most important single factor in valuing a concussion, and it is the reason this calculator is different from a generic injury estimator. The natural history of a concussion is recovery within days to a few weeks. When symptoms — headaches, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, irritability, sleep disturbance, sensitivity to light and noise — persist beyond a month, the diagnosis shifts to post-concussion syndrome, a recognized condition that is far more valuable. The longer the symptoms last, the more they disrupt work and daily life, and the higher the settlement. The calculator's duration bonus mirrors how adjusters and attorneys treat a six-month or twelve-month symptom history very differently from a two-week recovery.
Suppose a claimant has $20,000 in medical bills after ER care, neurological evaluation, and cognitive therapy, $10,000 in projected future medical costs, and $12,000 in lost wages. The claimant has post-concussion syndrome with symptoms lasting 12 months and is found 10% at fault. The duration bonus is 0.1 for every three months: 12 months gives four periods, or +0.4. Using the post-concussion syndrome severity (4.0x) plus the duration bonus (+0.4) for a 4.4x multiplier:
The concussion settlement calculator displays this central figure of $156,600 with a likely range of about $109,620 to $219,240 (the central estimate times 0.7 and 1.4) to account for negotiation variance and how strongly the cognitive deficits are documented.
Insurers and juries respond to specific, well-documented symptoms. Post-concussion syndrome symptoms that raise settlement value include:
One of the biggest challenges in a concussion claim is that a mild traumatic brain injury usually does not appear on a standard CT or MRI, which image structure rather than function. A normal scan does not mean there is no injury. Concussion is a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms and confirmed through neurocognitive testing, balance assessments, and consistent documentation by a neurologist. Specialized imaging is sometimes used, but the cornerstone of proof is the clinical record. An experienced attorney builds the case through symptom documentation, treating-provider opinions, and testimony about functional changes, defeating the insurer's "the scan is normal, so you are fine" argument.
A concussion that resolves quickly may settle in 6 to 12 months. Post-concussion syndrome takes longer — often 12 to 24 months — because the value cannot be fixed until it is clear whether the symptoms are permanent. Insurers want to see sustained neurological follow-up and neurocognitive testing before they assign value, and a case involving lost earning capacity may require a vocational assessment. The timeline includes a treatment phase, a demand phase where your attorney sends a documented concussion settlement figure to the insurer, a negotiation phase, and, if necessary, litigation. Settling before the prognosis is clear risks undervaluing a case that turns out to involve lasting cognitive deficits.
A concussion settlement in 2026 typically ranges from $20,000 to $300,000. A single concussion that fully resolves settles for $20,000 to $50,000, a concussion with lingering symptoms settles for $50,000 to $150,000, and post-concussion syndrome with persistent cognitive deficits can reach $100,000 to $300,000 or more depending on liability, documentation, and how long the symptoms last.
The average post-concussion syndrome settlement amount in 2026 is often cited around $30,000 to $35,000 for milder, shorter cases, but rises substantially when symptoms persist beyond several months. Chronic post-concussion syndrome with documented cognitive deficits, headaches, and an inability to work commonly settles for $100,000 or more, because the longer the symptoms last, the higher the value.
The average concussion settlement from a car accident in 2026 generally falls between $25,000 and $150,000 for a mild traumatic brain injury, and higher when post-concussion syndrome develops. A whiplash-type movement that shakes the brain inside the skull is a common crash mechanism, and a documented diagnosis with consistent neurological follow-up supports a settlement near the top of the range.
The calculator adds your economic damages (medical bills plus future medical costs plus lost wages), then multiplies the medical-cost portion by a severity multiplier from 2.0x for a resolved concussion up to 5.0x for chronic post-concussion syndrome with cognitive deficits. It adds a symptom-duration bonus of 0.1 for every three months of symptoms, capped at 1.0, then reduces the total by your fault percentage: net = (economic + non-economic) x (1 - fault%).
Symptom duration is one of the strongest predictors of concussion settlement value. Most concussions resolve within a few weeks, so when symptoms persist for months, the injury is treated as post-concussion syndrome, a more serious and compensable condition. The calculator reflects this by adding a duration bonus of 0.1 to the multiplier for every three months of documented symptoms, up to a maximum of 1.0, because longer symptoms mean greater suffering and a higher payout.
Yes. A mild traumatic brain injury often does not show on a standard CT or MRI, which image structure rather than function. A concussion is diagnosed clinically based on symptoms such as headache, dizziness, memory problems, and light sensitivity, supported by neurocognitive testing. A normal scan does not defeat a concussion claim, and an experienced attorney documents the injury through clinical findings rather than imaging.
A concussion that resolves quickly may settle in 6 to 12 months. Post-concussion syndrome takes longer, often 12 to 24 months, because the value cannot be fixed until it is clear whether symptoms are permanent. Insurers want to see sustained neurological follow-up and neurocognitive testing, and settling before the prognosis is clear risks undervaluing a case that turns out to involve lasting cognitive deficits.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, while a severe brain injury involves prolonged loss of consciousness, bleeding, or permanent structural damage. Concussion and post-concussion syndrome settlements typically range from $20,000 to $300,000, whereas severe traumatic brain injuries with permanent disability often settle for $1,000,000 or more. This calculator is built for the mild-TBI and post-concussion end of the spectrum.