Net Settlement Calculator
A settlement figure is not what you receive. Enter the gross amount and the three deductions that come out of it — attorney fee, case costs and medical liens — to see the arithmetic that produces your actual take-home.
How this calculator works
Three deductions come out of one number, and the order matters:
- The attorney fee — a percentage of the recovery. Whether that percentage is applied to the gross settlement or to the amount remaining after case costs is set by your fee agreement, and it changes the result. The gross basis is more common; the net-of-costs basis is better for the client.
- Case costs — expenses the firm advanced during the case: medical records, filing fees, expert reports, investigators, deposition transcripts. These are reimbursed in addition to the fee, not out of it.
- Medical liens and subrogation — what has to be repaid to providers, health plans and government programmes out of the proceeds. This is the deduction with the most room to move, because these claims are frequently negotiated down.
The lien reduction slider exists to make one point visible: reducing a lien is not the same as increasing the settlement, it is better — a dollar off a lien is a dollar to you, with no fee taken from it. Our medical liens and subrogation guide covers which claims can be reduced and the doctrines that limit them.
If the result is zero, the calculator is not broken. Liens genuinely can exceed a settlement where treatment was extensive and coverage was limited — the situation our guides to limited policy limits and state minimum insurance describe. That is the scenario in which lien negotiation stops being housekeeping and becomes the case.
For the gross figure to put in the first field, our injury settlement calculator produces an illustrative range, and our guide to how insurers calculate settlements explains how that number is actually arrived at. For what the taxman takes afterwards, see are personal injury settlements taxable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my net so much lower than the settlement figure?
Because three separate deductions come out of the same number. The attorney fee is a percentage of the recovery, case costs already advanced are reimbursed on top of that fee, and medical liens and subrogation claims have to be repaid from the proceeds. On a claim with substantial treatment, those three together commonly consume well over half of a gross settlement — which is why the gross figure quoted in a settlement discussion is not what arrives.
Is the attorney fee calculated before or after case costs?
It depends entirely on your fee agreement, and it changes what you receive. The more common arrangement takes the percentage from the gross settlement and then reimburses costs separately, which means you pay a fee on money that goes to costs. The client-favourable alternative deducts costs first and applies the percentage to the remainder. Neither is improper, but the difference is real money and it is worth knowing which one your agreement uses before you sign it. This calculator shows both.
What is a lien reduction and why does it matter so much?
Medical providers, health insurers and government programmes asserting a claim against your settlement will frequently accept less than the full amount, and negotiating those claims down is one of the most valuable things done in a case. Because a lien reduction comes off the amount repaid rather than off the recovery, every dollar of reduction is a dollar to you. This is often where more money is found than in the last round of negotiation with the insurer.
Can medical liens exceed the settlement itself?
Yes, and it is not rare where treatment was extensive and the available insurance coverage was limited. In that situation the arithmetic produces nothing for the claimant unless the liens are reduced, which is exactly why lien negotiation and the doctrines that limit repayment obligations matter. If this calculator returns zero, that is the scenario it is showing you rather than an error.
Does this include the taxes I will owe?
No. Compensation for physical injury is generally excluded from income, but interest and any portion allocated to punitive damages are generally taxable, and how a settlement agreement allocates a lump sum affects the result. Because that allocation is specific to your agreement, this calculator does not attempt it — see our guide on whether personal injury settlements are taxable.
Are contingency fee percentages negotiable?
Sometimes, and they also commonly vary by stage: a lower percentage where a claim settles before a lawsuit is filed, and a higher one once litigation, discovery or trial preparation is involved. Some states cap fees in particular claim types, and workers compensation fees are frequently capped by statute at a much lower figure. Ask what the tiers are and what triggers each one.
What is not included in this calculation?
Anything specific to your agreement or jurisdiction: fee tiers that change mid-case, statutory fee caps, court approval requirements for a minor's settlement, structured settlement arrangements that pay over time rather than as a lump sum, and any Medicare set-aside obligation. The result is arithmetic on the figures you enter, not a projection of your case.