The Personal Injuries Assessment Board, known as PIAB, is the State body that assesses compensation for personal injury claims without a court hearing. Since 14 December 2023 it has been called the Personal Injuries Resolution Board (in Irish, An Bord um Réiteach Díobhálacha Pearsanta), and it is also referred to as the Injuries Resolution Board. For most personal injury claims, including workplace accidents, road traffic accidents and accidents on someone else's property, you must apply to the Board before you can issue court proceedings; claims arising from health services or medical treatment are not covered. The Board sends your claim to the person you say is responsible. If they agree, or do not reply within the time given, the Board assesses your compensation on the assumption that they are fully liable. Either side can reject the assessment. If the respondent refuses to take part, if either side rejects the assessment, or if the Board decides not to assess the claim, the Board issues an "authorisation" that allows you to go to court. Applying pauses the two-year time limit, but the pause runs from the date the Board acknowledges in writing that your complete application has been received.
Is PIAB the same as the Injuries Resolution Board?
Yes. The Personal Injuries Assessment Board was set up under the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003. The Personal Injuries Resolution Board Act 2022 changed its name to the Personal Injuries Resolution Board, with effect from 14 December 2023. References in any law or document to the old name are read as references to the new one. The 2003 Act, as amended, is still the main law that governs how the Board works.
Which claims have to go to the Board?
The Act applies to these claims:
- a claim by an employee against their employer for negligence or breach of duty arising in the course of their employment (see workplace accident claims);
- a claim against someone arising out of their ownership, driving or use of a mechanically propelled vehicle (see road traffic accident claims);
- a claim against someone arising out of their use or occupation of land or any structure or building (see public liability claims);
- any other civil action not covered above, other than one arising out of the provision of a health service, a medical or surgical procedure, or medical advice or treatment;
- certain claims against the Garda Commissioner covered by the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Act 2022.
So claims about medical treatment do not go through the Board.
The Act also does not apply to claims governed by certain international transport rules, including the Warsaw Convention, the Montreal Convention, the Athens Convention and the related EU Regulations, so far as they apply in Ireland. That means many air passenger injury claims fall outside the Board (see flight accident claims under the Montreal Convention).
Where the Act does apply, no court proceedings may be brought unless and until you have applied to the Board, and then only when the Board has issued an authorisation. One exception is that you can still ask a court for interlocutory orders, such as an order to preserve evidence or to stop assets being moved out of the State, while the claim is with the Board. Asking for such an order does not count as starting proceedings for time limit purposes.
What should I do before I apply?
Write to the person responsible within one month. Under the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, if you later bring a personal injuries action and you failed, without reasonable cause, to send the wrongdoer a written notice stating the nature of the wrong within one month from the date of the cause of action, the court hearing the action shall draw such inferences from the failure as appear proper and, where the interests of justice so require, make no order for costs in your favour or deduct an amount from your costs. The "date of the cause of action" is the date the cause of action accrued or the date of your knowledge, whichever is later. A copy of this letter, showing the date it was sent, is one of the documents the Board asks for.
Get a medical report from a doctor who treated you. The application must include a report from a medical practitioner who has treated you for the injuries. The Board's rules say it will publish on its website a list of the types of medical practitioners whose reports it accepts, and a list of the classes of claim where a medical report is not ordinarily required.
Gather your receipts. You must send receipts, vouchers or other proof of any financial loss you are claiming (known as special damages), along with any other correspondence with the person responsible.
How do I apply?
The application must be made in writing or electronically and be signed by you. It must confirm:
- your name, date of birth, phone number and the address where you ordinarily live;
- your PPS number or, if you do not have one, a valid passport, driving licence, national identity card or a formal Irish Government document showing your right to live in the State;
- the name and address of each person you say is liable;
- the date and time of the accident or incident;
- how and where it happened;
- a description of your injuries;
- that the enclosed medical report describes those injuries.
You must also sign a confirmation that the information is true and accurate, and that you understand it is a criminal offence to knowingly or recklessly give false or inaccurate information to the Board.
The fee. The Board may charge a claimant €45 for an application made electronically through its website, or €90 for a paper application. The Board may refuse to deal with an application if a charge has not been paid. The person you claim against also pays a charge, which has been €1,200 since 1 December 2025.
You can make a claim on behalf of a child or a person who lacks capacity through a "next friend". If it appears to the Board that an applicant is not of full capacity, it will not deal with that person's own application, but it will deal with a fresh application made on their behalf by a next friend or committee. See also child accident claims.
The deadline that catches people: two years, and when the clock stops
A personal injuries claim for negligence, nuisance or breach of duty cannot be brought after two years from the date the cause of action accrued or your date of knowledge, if later. There are separate rules for people under a disability, such as children, and for claims arising from a death; ask your solicitor how these apply to you.
Applying to the Board pauses this clock. When the time limit is worked out, the period from the making of your application to six months after the Board issues an authorisation is disregarded, for the respondents named in your application. A respondent added later is treated in the same way from the date they are added. This pause does not apply to Garda compensation applications under the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Act 2022, which modifies the 2003 Act for those applications so that it is read as if the pause provision were deleted; ask your solicitor about the time limits for those claims.
The catch is when your application counts as "made". An application only counts for this purpose if it is signed and includes all the confirmations listed above. Under the Board's rules, the date of the application is the date the Board acknowledges in writing that it has received it in complete form. The Board will not treat an application as complete if the required details are missing. So an application sent close to the two-year deadline, but missing a medical report or other required detail, may not stop the clock in time.
Example (made-up figures). Suppose your accident happened and you knew about your injury the same day. Three months later, the Board acknowledges in writing that your complete application has been received. About 21 months of your two years remain (24 months less 3). The clock then stays paused while the claim is with the Board and for six months after any authorisation is issued. When it starts running again, you still have about 21 months left to issue court proceedings. Your solicitor should work out the exact date in your case, because the start date can depend on your date of knowledge.
What happens after I apply?
The respondent is asked to consent. Once the Board has your application, the medical report and your fee, it serves a formal notice on each person you say is liable (the "respondent"). The notice asks them to say in writing, within 90 days of the date of the notice, whether they consent to an assessment, to mediation, or to both.
- If the respondent consents to an assessment, or does not reply within the time given, the Board arranges for the claim to be assessed, subject to its power to decline (below).
- If the respondent says it does not consent to an assessment, the Board must issue you an authorisation to go to court. Under the Board's notice, if the respondent refuses an assessment but consents to mediation, the Board may arrange mediation if you also consent; if you do not, the Board issues the authorisation.
Consenting to an assessment, or not replying, is not an admission of liability by the respondent and cannot be used in evidence against them.
When the Board can decline to assess. Even where the respondent consents, the Board does not have to assess a claim (and can stop an assessment already under way) in certain cases, including where, in its opinion:
- there is not enough case law or settlements for the type of injury to guide the assessors;
- the issues are particularly complex, for example how several injuries interact, or how an injury interacts with an existing condition or earlier injury;
- aggravated or exemplary damages are genuinely being sought;
- the claim arises from a trespass to the person (such as an assault) and assessing it by the limited methods the Act allows the assessors would not respect your dignity;
- your injury or illness is so grave that a court would order an early trial in case you die before the claim would otherwise be heard;
- the claim falls within the EU "Rome II" rules on the law that applies to cross-border claims;
- a settlement has been negotiated for a child or a person of unsound mind that needs court approval.
The Board also need not assess where the notice cannot be served on the respondent, or where the respondent has told the Board it will not accept the assessment when made. In each of these cases the Board issues you an authorisation, so you can go to court.
Assessment by the Board's doctor. If the respondent does not accept your medical evidence, or the assessors think it appropriate, the Board may ask you to attend a medical examination by a doctor with no interest in the outcome, which may be outside the State. If you later go to court and you did not attend, or did not give information the assessors asked for, the court may refuse you costs or order you to pay some or all of the defendant's costs.
Is mediation an option?
You may apply for your claim to be resolved by mediation as well as asking for an assessment. The Board can also invite both sides to consider mediation. Mediation only goes ahead if both sides consent. It is voluntary, you can withdraw before it is completed, and you can bring someone with you, including a legal adviser. What is said in mediation is confidential and cannot be used in the assessment or in court, subject to limited exceptions. The Board's rules allow mediation by phone, by other electronic means or in person, at the Board's discretion.
If you reach agreement and sign it, either side can still notify the mediator and the Board in writing, within 10 days of the completion of the mediation, that they no longer accept it. If nobody does, the Board issues an order to pay for the agreed amount. If mediation fails and the respondent has consented to assessment, the claim goes on to be assessed.
According to the Law Reform Commission's notes on the Act, mediation has been brought into force for workplace claims against an employer, claims about the use or occupation of land or buildings, and motor claims, but not for the "other" category of claims or Garda compensation claims. Your solicitor can confirm whether mediation is available for your type of claim.
How does the Board decide how much I get?
The assessment is the amount of damages you are entitled to on the assumption that the respondent is fully liable to you. It is made by the Board's assessors, who may be helped by outside experts. It must be made on the same basis and by the same principles as a court would use.
The assessors must have regard to the Personal Injuries Guidelines in force, and if they depart from the guidelines they must give their reasons in writing in the assessment. The guidelines were adopted by the Judicial Council on 6 March 2021. Draft amendments were sent to the Minister for Justice in February 2025. The Law Society Gazette reported in January 2026 that the Judicial Council had approved a proposal for an overall increase of 16.7%, but that the Minister decided not to seek approval for the increase from the Oireachtas. Ask your solicitor which version of the guidelines is in force when your claim is assessed.
How long it takes. The Board has a duty to ensure the assessment is made within nine months, counted from the date it receives the respondent's consent (or, if the respondent does not reply, from the end of the period in the notice). If that is not possible or appropriate, the Board must tell both sides in writing before the nine months end, give its reasons and set a new date no more than six months after the end of the nine months. If the assessment is still not made by that date, the Board must issue you an authorisation unless you consent in writing to it continuing. If you have consented, you can later withdraw that consent in writing and the Board must then issue an authorisation.
Waiting for a long-term prognosis. Separately, if it appears to the Board from your medical report or its own medical examination that a long-term prognosis for your injuries is unlikely to be available within the nine months, it must tell both sides in writing, before the nine months end, that it cannot assess within that period, and set a period for a further medical examination. If that examination is done and the long-term prognosis is still not determined, the Board asks each side to confirm in writing whether they consent to it continuing to deal with the claim; if you or any respondent does not consent, the Board must issue you an authorisation. The Board must also ask for that written consent if it decides the assessment could not be made within two years after the end of the nine months. Anyone who has consented can later withdraw consent in writing, and the Board must then issue an authorisation.
Accepting or rejecting the assessment
The Board sends the written assessment to both sides with a notice:
- you are asked to say in writing whether you accept it within 28 days from service of the notice (or any longer period set by the Board's rules);
- the respondent is asked to say in writing whether it accepts within 21 days from service.
Silence counts. If you do not reply in time, you are treated as having rejected the assessment. If the respondent does not reply in time, it is treated as having accepted.
Example (made-up date). Suppose the notice is served on you on Monday 2 March 2026. The Interpretation Act 2005 says that where a period is reckoned from a particular day, that day is included in the period. On that reading your 28 days would end on Sunday 29 March 2026. If the day of service were not counted, it would end on Monday 30 March 2026. Do not leave it to the last day: reply in writing well before either date.
If both sides accept, the assessment becomes binding on both sides at the end of your reply period. Within one month after that, the Board issues an "order to pay" to the respondent. The respondent pays the Minister for Social Protection any recoverable social welfare benefits, and pays you the assessed damages less that amount, plus any expenses the Board has directed. Between you and the respondent, an order to pay operates as if it were a judgment of a court for the amount concerned.
Children, people lacking capacity and fatal claims. Where a next friend acts for a child or a person of unsound mind, the Board's notice will direct them to get independent legal advice on whether to accept. In those claims, and in claims arising from a death, acceptance is subject to court approval, and the assessment does not bind anyone until the court approves it. The respondent pays the costs of that court application. See also fatal accident claims.
What happens if I reject the assessment, and what could it cost me?
If you reject the assessment, or the respondent does, the Board must issue you an authorisation to bring court proceedings. The assessment cannot then be used in evidence in those proceedings, except to enforce an accepted assessment.
There is a real cost risk in rejecting an assessment that the respondent has accepted. In that situation, if you go to court and the damages you are awarded, or accept in settlement, do not exceed the assessment, no order for costs may be made in your favour. The respondent, as defendant, is also treated as having made an offer of tender of payment under the rules of court, equal to the assessment, from the date it accepted the assessment. These rules do not apply if, in the court case, the defendant makes a formal offer (under the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004) of a different amount, or pays money into court or makes an offer of tender of payment under the rules of court. A court may also, by special cause shown, set aside the deemed offer if the defendant could not have paid the assessed sum at the time.
Example (made-up figures). The Board assesses your claim at €20,000. The respondent accepts and you reject. If a court later awards you €20,000, or less, the award does not exceed the assessment, so no costs order can be made in your favour. If the court awards €25,000, that is €5,000 more than the assessment, so this particular costs bar does not apply. Get advice before rejecting an assessment.
Also, if you go to court, the fees and expenses you incurred in the Board application itself cannot be allowed as part of your legal costs, apart from certain fees and expenses covered by specific sections of the Act, such as those the Board directs a respondent to pay.
Do I need a solicitor?
You do not have to have one, but nothing in the Act affects your right to get legal advice about your claim. Where both sides accept an assessment, the Board may direct the respondent to pay you the whole or part of the fees or expenses that, in the Board's opinion, you reasonably and necessarily incurred in complying with the Act and the Board's rules. How much of your costs is covered is for the Board to decide. A solicitor can help you meet the strict application requirements, protect the time limit, and weigh up whether to accept an assessment. For more on how injury claims work, see our personal injury page.
This article was prepared on 13 October 2026 and cites the statute book and the revised acts.
Sources
- Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003.
- Plan for five-year reviews of PI guidelines.
- S.I. No. 617/2023, Personal Injuries Assessment Board Rules, 2023 (No. 2).
- Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, section 8.
- S.I. No. 363/2019, Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2019.
- S.I. No. 557/2025, Personal Injuries Resolution Board (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
- Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991.
- Personal Injuries Guidelines.
- Interpretation Act 2005, section 18.
