Vento bands 2026 injury to feelings estimator.

Five questions. Your likely band and indicative range. Uses the April 2026 Vento figures from the Presidential Guidance — the official source Employment Tribunals apply. Free. No signup needed.

Less serious cases — one-off or isolated acts with limited lasting impact.

Serious cases — sustained, repeated, or deliberate discrimination with significant impact.

Most serious cases — lengthy campaigns, deliberate targeting, or severe psychological harm.

Vento Bands 2026 Calculator

Estimate your UK Employment Tribunal injury to feelings award using the April 2026 Vento bands. Free, no signup needed.

What are the Vento bands for 2026?

From 6 April 2026: Lower band £1,300–£12,600 (less serious/one-off), Middle band £12,600–£37,700 (serious cases), Upper band £37,700–£62,900 (most serious). Source: Presidential Guidance Ninth Addendum, 30 March 2026.

Do Vento bands apply to unfair dismissal?

No. Vento bands only apply to discrimination and harassment claims under the Equality Act 2010. Unfair dismissal uses basic and compensatory awards instead.

Is injury to feelings compensation taxable?

No. Injury to feelings awards under the Vento bands are not taxable income.

injury to feelings estimator.

What is an injury to feelings award?

discrimination claim at an Employment Tribunal

— because of your race, sex, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or another protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 — you can claim compensation for the distress, humiliation, and psychological impact the discrimination caused. This is called an

injury to feelings award

. It is separate from any loss of earnings and you do not need to have been dismissed to claim it.

How much compensation can you get for discrimination in 2026?

Employment Tribunals use three ranges — called

— to decide the award. Named after a 2002 Court of Appeal case and updated every April, the 2026 figures are:

lower band £1,300–£12,600

(one-off or minor incidents),

middle band £12,600–£37,700

(serious or repeated treatment), and

upper band £37,700–£62,900

(the most severe cases). Exceptional cases can exceed the upper band. The judge places the award within the appropriate band based on how serious, prolonged, and deliberate the discrimination was.

When do Vento bands apply?

Vento bands apply only to

discrimination and harassment claims under the Equality Act 2010

— covering age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. They do not apply to unfair dismissal, redundancy, or unpaid wages claims. If your claim includes a discrimination element, a Vento band award is claimed on top of your financial losses. Use the five-question estimator below to see which band your situation is likely to fall into.

Current Vento bands — claims presented on or after 6 April 2026

Presidential Guidance — Ninth Addendum (30 March 2026)

Answer the five questions below. Nothing is sent anywhere — your answers stay in your browser.

A single incident or one-off act

Weeks to a few months

Several months up to a year

Minor, isolated, or unintentional

Moderately serious, not clearly deliberate

Deliberate, or part of a pattern of behaviour

Severe targeted campaign or particularly egregious conduct

Answer all five questions to see your estimate.

Within band, based on your answers

Appears here as you answer the questions.

This is an estimate, not a prediction. Real awards depend on the specific facts, the judge, and the evidence.

Your Vento band estimate

Based on your answers. The tribunal decides the final figure on the facts of your case.

This is an estimate, not a guarantee.

Actual tribunal awards depend on the specific facts, how your evidence is assessed, and the individual judge. The figures above are derived from the April 2026 Presidential Guidance and are a guide only.

Build your full Schedule of Loss

Add a Vento band to the full compensation calculation.

The Schedule of Loss calculator combines your Vento band with basic award, compensatory loss, and ACAS uplift to give the complete Employment Tribunal compensation picture. Free. No signup needed to use.

How this estimator works

The band boundaries are taken directly from the

, issued jointly by the Presidents of the Employment Tribunals in England & Wales and Scotland. These apply to claims presented on or after 6 April 2026.

Band selection logic:

The estimator scores four factors that Employment Tribunals treat as primary when placing an award within a band. Duration of the discrimination (one-off vs sustained campaign), nature and deliberateness of the conduct, whether it affected the claimant's career or employment prospects, and whether it significantly affected their health or wellbeing. These factors are drawn from the case law following

Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police

[2002] EWCA Civ 1871 and the Presidential Guidance itself.

The indicative range represents a realistic sub-range within the likely band, not a precise prediction. Tribunals have full discretion to place an award anywhere within (or, in the most exceptional cases, above) the upper band. Real figures depend on the judge's assessment of the evidence, the claimant's credibility, and how the facts are presented.

What is not included:

This estimator covers injury to feelings only. It does not estimate separate psychiatric injury awards (which require medical evidence and are awarded on top of Vento), aggravated damages (available where the employer's post-discrimination conduct was particularly egregious), or financial loss (use the

This is not legal advice.

Start My Claim is self-service software, not a law firm. This tool produces an estimate, not a prediction or a guarantee of any award. For complex discrimination cases — particularly those involving psychiatric injury or aggravated damages — specialist advice from an employment law solicitor or trade union representative is worth seeking.

Background on discrimination claims, the tribunal process, and compensation.

Vento Bands — plain-English glossary deep-dive

Schedule of Loss calculator — full compensation picture

Vento bands case law — the key cases explained

Injury to feelings and Vento bands — complete guide

Protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010

Employment Tribunal time limits — the ACAS deadline