RAF claim range indicator

This indicator gives you a broad range for one part of a Road Accident Fund claim: general damages, which is compensation for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, plus the medical bills you have already paid. It also shows the most an attorney may take as a contingency fee on the upper figure, and, if you enter the accident date, the date by which your claim must be lodged. It is for people injured in a road accident who want to understand the shape of a claim, and for people who have been quoted a number by a tout or a call centre and want a reality check.

It is not a valuation. No calculator can value an RAF claim, because the amount depends on medical evidence about you specifically. Anyone who promises you a figure before that evidence exists is not being straight with you.

What this calculator works out and who it is for

You enter four things: the severity of your injury on a four-level scale, whether the other driver or vehicle owner was identified, the date of the accident (optional), and the medical and hospital bills you have paid so far (optional).

The result shows the injury band you chose, an indicative range for general damages, your past medical expenses, an indicative total for those two items, the maximum contingency fee on the top of that range, and, where you gave a date, your lodgement deadline. It carries warnings on every run, and additional warnings for minor and moderate injuries, hit-and-run claims and approaching deadlines.

How the calculation works

The service follows these steps.

First, it looks up the band for the severity you chose in the LawMatch rate table. The four bands are: minor soft-tissue injury, R0 to R100 000; moderate injury with fractures but no permanent impairment, R100 000 to R400 000; serious injury with 30% or more whole-person impairment or a positive narrative test, R400 000 to R1 200 000; and catastrophic brain or spinal injury, R1 200 000 to R3 500 000. All are marked illustrative in the table.

Those figures are for general damages alone, and that is the single most misread number in this area. Newspaper reports of RAF payouts of six and seven million rand are almost always the whole award, of which general damages are a minority share and future loss of earnings and future medical care make up the rest. A court awarding damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenities in even a catastrophic case is working in hundreds of thousands to low millions, not tens of millions.

Second, it applies the serious-injury rule. General damages are only payable if the injury is classified as serious. So for the serious and catastrophic bands, the calculator uses the band's low and high figures as the general damages range. For the minor and moderate bands, it sets the low figure to R0 while keeping the band's high figure, and it adds a warning that for most injuries at that level general damages are not paid at all.

Third, it adds your past medical expenses to both ends of the general damages range. That gives the indicative total, which excludes loss of income and future medical costs entirely.

Fourth, it calculates the maximum contingency fee. The rate table caps it at 25%. The calculator multiplies the top of the indicative total by 25% and shows the result, with a note that the true cap is 25% or double the attorney's normal fee, whichever is lower.

Fifth, if you gave an accident date, it works out the lodgement deadline: three years after the accident if the driver or owner was identified, two years if not. If today is on or after the deadline, it warns that the claim has prescribed unless it was lodged in time. If fewer than six months remain, it tells you to contact an attorney immediately.

Sixth, for a hit-and-run it adds a warning that the claim must be lodged within two years, that you should report the accident to the police at once and keep the case number, and that the RAF demands strict proof for unidentified vehicles.

The calculator does not adjust for your age, occupation or income, does not interpolate within a band, and does not estimate loss of earnings, future medical costs or the cost of care.

The law behind the numbers

The Road Accident Fund Act 56 of 1996 creates the Fund and makes it liable to compensate people for bodily injury or death caused by the negligent driving of a motor vehicle in South Africa. In exchange, you generally cannot sue the driver personally for those losses. The Act sets the lodgement periods the calculator uses: three years from the accident where the driver or owner is identified, and two years where they are not. Once a claim is lodged, prescription is delayed, and a summons must be served within five years of the accident.

Since the 2008 amendments to the Act, general damages are payable only for a serious injury. Seriousness is assessed by a medical practitioner on a prescribed form, commonly called the RAF 4, using either a whole-person impairment score of 30% or more or a narrative test that looks at long-term impairment, permanent serious disfigurement, severe mental or behavioural disturbance, or loss of a child. The RAF can reject the assessment, and disputes go to an appeal tribunal.

Section 17(4)(c) of the Act caps loss of income and loss of support. Whatever you actually earned, the Fund may not compensate you for more than a set amount per year of lost income, and the same ceiling applies to a dependant claiming loss of support after a death. The figure was R160 000 a year when the cap was introduced on 1 August 2008 and the Fund must adjust it quarterly against inflation by notice in the Government Gazette. It was R381 510 a year under Board Notice 910 of 2026, in force from 30 April 2026, and the Fund gazetted a further quarterly adjustment with effect from 31 July 2026, so the figure that applies now is a little higher than that. We quote the last one we could verify rather than an estimate. Because the cap moves every quarter, ask for the notice current when your claim is quantified rather than relying on any figure you read, including this one.

The practical effect falls on higher earners. Someone earning R25 000 a month, or R300 000 a year, is inside the cap and can be compensated for the full loss. Someone earning R60 000 a month, or R720 000 a year, is not: the Fund will compensate roughly the first R381 510 of each year's lost earnings and the balance is a loss the injured person carries themselves. The order of the calculation matters, and it favours the claimant. In Road Accident Fund v Sweatman the Supreme Court of Appeal rejected the Fund's argument that the cap should be applied first: the actuary works out what you would have earned and what you can now earn, applies contingencies to both, and only then is the resulting actual annual loss compared with the cap. If your actual loss after contingencies comes in under the cap, the Fund pays it in full.

The Contingency Fees Act 66 of 1997 is the source of the fee cap. It allows an attorney to charge a success fee of up to double the normal fee, but no more than 25% of the amount recovered, excluding costs. The agreement must be in writing on the prescribed form.

The bands in the rate table are illustrative ranges drawn from reported general damages awards. They are LawMatch's summary, not a published tariff. The statutory cap in the same table is the opposite: a hard figure gazetted every three months, which is why the table is now reviewed quarterly rather than annually.

Worked example

This example is illustrative. Themba was a passenger in a taxi that collided with a bakkie on 12 February 2025. The bakkie driver was identified. Themba suffered a fractured pelvis and a head injury and has been assessed as having a permanent impairment. He paid R85 000 in hospital and physiotherapy bills. He chooses the serious band.

General damages: the serious band runs from R400 000 to R1 200 000, and because the band is serious the calculator uses both figures.

Past medical: R85 000.

Indicative total: R485 000 to R1 285 000.

Maximum contingency fee: 25% of R1 285 000 is R321 250.

Lodgement deadline: three years from 12 February 2025 is 12 February 2028.

If Themba had instead chosen the moderate band, because his fractures healed fully with no lasting impairment, the general damages range would show as R0 to R400 000, and the indicative total would be R85 000 to R485 000, with a warning that general damages are usually not paid for a moderate injury. In that case his claim would likely be limited to his medical costs and any loss of earnings.

The example deliberately leaves out loss of income. If Themba cannot return to his job as a delivery driver, the loss of earnings claim, worked out by an actuary, may be far larger than the general damages figure.

What the calculator does not include

The real value of an RAF claim can differ enormously from the indicated range.

Loss of earnings and earning capacity, both past and future, are calculated by an actuary from your income history, your age and expert opinion about your ability to work. In serious claims this is often the largest head of damages, and it is not in the calculator.

Future medical expenses are usually dealt with by an undertaking from the RAF to pay for future treatment as it is incurred, rather than a lump sum. The calculator ignores them.

Past medical expenses are paid at the amount proved by invoices, and the RAF has in recent years sought to limit private treatment costs to public-sector tariffs, a position that has been the subject of dispute. What you paid may not be what you recover.

The serious-injury test decides whether general damages are paid at all. The calculator takes your word for the severity. The RAF and its assessors may not agree.

Apportionment for contributory negligence reduces the award if you were partly to blame, for example by not wearing a seatbelt. The calculator does not apply any apportionment.

Interest, costs, the RAF's own delays, and the possibility of an interim payment are outside the calculation. So is a claim for the death of a breadwinner, which follows different rules.

When to get advice

Get advice if any of these apply.

Your injury may qualify as serious. The RAF 4 assessment and the medico-legal reports that support it are where serious claims are won or lost.

You have lost income or cannot go back to your previous work. An actuarial calculation is needed and the amount at stake is usually significant.

The accident was a hit-and-run, or the other driver's identity is uncertain. The proof requirements are strict and the two-year deadline is short.

The lodgement deadline is within six months, or has passed. Late lodgement usually means the claim is lost.

Someone has approached you, at the hospital or by phone, offering to handle your claim and promising an amount. Read how no-win-no-fee works in South Africa before you sign anything.

You can lodge a claim directly with the RAF, without an attorney and without paying anything, at any RAF office or through its direct claims process. Our guide on how to claim from the Road Accident Fund walks through the steps. For a realistic picture of timing, read how long a RAF claim takes, and for a fuller discussion of value, read how much a RAF claim is worth. Legal Aid South Africa on 0800 110 110 can advise on whether you qualify for assistance. See our legal aid page.

LawMatch is not a law firm and this page is general information, not legal advice. The ranges are not predictions, and no one can promise you an RAF award.

Frequently asked questions

Can I claim if the accident was my fault?

You can claim if another driver was at least partly negligent. If you were the only person at fault, there is no claim for your own injuries. If both drivers were negligent, your award is reduced in proportion to your share of the blame.

Can I claim as a passenger?

Yes, and passengers are usually in a strong position, because the negligence of either driver, including the driver of the vehicle you were in, supports the claim.

Do I need an attorney to claim from the RAF?

No. You can lodge directly with the Fund at no cost. Many people with serious injuries choose an attorney because the medico-legal and actuarial evidence is specialised, but it is your choice.

What is the 25% cap?

Under the Contingency Fees Act an attorney who takes your case on a no-win-no-fee basis may charge a success fee of up to double their normal fee, but never more than 25% of the amount recovered, excluding costs. The calculator shows the 25% figure on the upper end of the range so you can see the maximum.

What if I do not know how serious my injury is?

Choose the band that best matches what your doctors have told you, and treat the result as provisional. Seriousness is decided by a formal assessment, not by the calculator or by you.