--- title: How Do You Calculate Pain And Suffering In A Personal Injury Case? description: How do you put a dollar amount on pain and suffering in a personal injury settlement? While there are no set in stone rules, there are some methods for getting to a rough number. image: https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hubfs/images/Crutches-569213-edited.jpg --- [![Foreclosure and Loan Modification Lawyers](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hs-fs/images/forclosure-attorneys.png?width=360&height=117&name=forclosure-attorneys.png "Foreclosure and Loan Modification Lawyers")](https://www.amerihopealliance.com/) - Practice Areas - [Foreclosure Defense](https://amerihopealliance.com/foreclosure-defense) - [Claim Surplus Funds](https://amerihopealliance.com/surplus-funds) - [Loan Modification](https://amerihopealliance.com/loan-modification) - [Tax Resolution & Tax Preparation](https://amerihopealliance.com/en/amerihope-alliance-tax-resolution) - [Bankruptcy](https://amerihopealliance.com/en/bankruptcy) - [Probate](https://amerihopealliance.com/en/probate) - [About Us](https://amerihopealliance.com/about_us) - [Case Results](https://legal.amerihopealliance.com/case-results) - [Client Login](https://amerihopealliance.com/client_login) - [FAQ](https://amerihopealliance.com/frequently-asked-questions) - [Contact Us](https://amerihopealliance.com/contact_us) - [Blog](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/blog) - [Foreclosure and Loan Modification Blog](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/blog) - [Personal Injury Blog](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury) - [Referrals](https://amerihopealliance.com/surplus-case-referral) ph: (877) 882-5338 # Personal Injury Blog - [Blog](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/blog) - Personal Injury Blog ## How Do You Calculate Pain And Suffering In A Personal Injury Case? \[fa icon="clock-o"\] February 2019 \[fa icon="user"\] [Maxwell Swinney](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/author/maxwell-swinney) \[fa icon="folder-open'\] [personal injury](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/topic/personal-injury), [pain and suffering](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/topic/pain-and-suffering) ![How do you put a dollar amount on pain and suffering in a personal injury settlement? While there are no set in stone rules, there are some methods for getting to a rough number.](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Crutches-569213-edited.jpg?width=300&name=Crutches-569213-edited.jpg)How do you put a price on something you can't see? That's the dilemma of determining how much money **pain and suffering is worth in a personal injury settlement**. When you've been injured because of someone else's negligence, you have a right to seek compensation from the responsible party's insurance. If you can prove that an accident was really their policyholder's fault, the next step is to show **how much money the accident cost you**. Those costs are called **“damages”** in a personal injury case. Proving financial damages, for things like **medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repairs**, is simple enough. It's just numbers. But a personal injury claim should also include compensation for your pain and suffering, which is different.  ## What Is Pain and Suffering? “Pain and suffering” includes a variety of things like **physical pain, mental and emotional suffering, inconvenience, and loss of quality of life**. For example, if you break your leg in a [car accident](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/how-do-you-get-paid-after-being-injured-in-an-accident-that-wasnt-your-fault), you'll have medical bills and loss of income from missed work. You'll experience **physical pain**, as well as **mental stress** worrying about your recovery, and you'll likely be **prevented from participating in your normal activities** until you're healed. So, how do you put a dollar amount on that? There are no set in stone rules for calculating pain and suffering, but there are some methods for getting to a rough number to [settle your case](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/how-long-will-it-take-to-settle-my-personal-injury-claim). ## Multiplier Method ![How do you put a dollar amount on pain and suffering in a personal injury settlement? While there are no set in stone rules, there are some methods for getting to a rough number.](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Calculator1-574265-edited.jpg?width=300&name=Calculator1-574265-edited.jpg)The multiplier method for calculating pain and suffering involves multiplying the amount of regular damages, like medical bills and lost wages, by a multiplier number to get the total damages in dollars. The multiplier is usually between 1 and 5 and depends on the severity of the pain and suffering. So, if your pain and suffering was severe because you had a long recovery and couldn't do your normal activities for months, you could use a high multiplier like 5. If your regular damages of lost wages and medical bills were $10,000, you'd multiply that by 5 for a total damages amount of $50,000. ## Per Diem Method For the per diem method, you ask for a set amount of money for each day from the time you were injured until you reach maximum medical improvement. (Per diem is Latin for “per day”.) If you wanted to ask for $100 a day and were injured for 60 days, you'd ask for $6,000 for pain and suffering in addition to the regular damages. ## Documenting Pain And Suffering To have the best odds of recovering a fair settlement for your pain and suffering you'll need to show as much proof as possible to support your claims. If you're claiming that the accident caused you depression and anxiety, then showing records from a mental health professional that that backs up your claim will make your case stronger. ## Personal Injury Attorney When you're trying to recover money in a personal injury case, you should **retain (hire) an attorney**. An experienced lawyer can give you the best odds of getting all the money you're entitled to, including compensation for your pain and suffering. And [personal injury lawyers](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-a-personal-injury-attorney) don't charge an up front fee. They get a percentage of the money they recover for you, so **they only get paid if you get paid**.       [![Download your free personal injury settlement timeline!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/161513/ecfbbebd-6780-4a42-887c-c34d270aad37.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/161513/ecfbbebd-6780-4a42-887c-c34d270aad37)   *Image courtesy of sippakorn and pazham at FreeDigitalPhotos.net* - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Maxwell Swinney](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hs-fs/hub/161513/file-397888097.jpg?width=100&height=100&name=file-397888097.jpg) #### Written by [Maxwell Swinney](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/author/maxwell-swinney) ### About this Blog Amerihope Alliance Legal Services is a leading loan modification and foreclosure defense law firm with attorneys licensed in 5 states. We have helped over 7,000 homeowners fight back and keep their homes. 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You may schedule a [free consultation](https://www.amerihopealliance.com/free_consultation) at any time. ### Subscribe to Email Updates - Popular - Recent - Topics ![feature image](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hubfs/images/MedBills.jpg) [Who Pays Your Medical Bills If You're Injured In A Car Accident In Florida?](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/who-pays-your-medical-bills-when-youre-injured-in-a-car-accident-in-florida) Published February 7, 2019 ![feature image](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hubfs/images/ClockChain.jpg) [How Long Do You Have To Get Medical Treatment After An Accident?](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/how-long-do-i-have-to-go-to-medical-treatment-to-settle-my-personal-injury-case) Published August 19, 2018 ![feature image](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hubfs/images/DogCar.jpg) [What Can You Do If Your Dog Is Injured In A Car Accident?](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/what-can-you-do-if-your-dog-or-cat-is-injured-in-a-car-accident) Published August 30, 2018 ![feature image](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hubfs/images/Memes/UberLyft.png) [What If You're Injured In An Uber or Lyft Accident?](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/what-if-youre-injured-in-an-uber-or-lyft-accident) Published December 2, 2018 ![feature image](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/hubfs/images/TextDrive.jpg) [Texting And Driving Makes Car Accidents More Likely](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/texting-and-driving-makes-car-accidents-more-likely) Published December 23, 2018 ### Lists by Topic - [car accident (7)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/car-accident) - [personal injury (4)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/personal-injury) - [personal injury settlement (4)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/personal-injury-settlement) - [Dog Is Injured In A Car Accident (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/dog-is-injured-in-a-car-accident) - [distracted driving (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/distracted-driving) - [medical bills (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/medical-bills) - [negligence (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/negligence) - [pain and suffering (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/pain-and-suffering) - [personal injury attorney (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/personal-injury-attorney) - [personal injury claim (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/personal-injury-claim) - [personal injury protection (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/personal-injury-protection) - [uber and lyft (1)](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com/personal-injury/tag/uber-and-lyft) see all [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/161513/5a1cfa41-2f25-4042-be8d-84677e3a244d.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/161513/5a1cfa41-2f25-4042-be8d-84677e3a244d) ### Foreclosure Process Handbook ### Sitemap - [About](https://www.amerihopealliance.com/about_us) - [Case Results](https://legal.amerihopealliance.com/case-results) - [Free Consultation](https://www.amerihopealliance.com/free_consultation) - [Blog](https://blog.amerihopealliance.com) - [Client Login](https://www.amerihopealliance.com/client_login) ### Subscribe [![Do You Need To Hire A Foreclosure Attorney? 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