Vento bands 2026: injury to feelings awards, past bands and interest
Last updated · By Mustafa Bilgic · Figures from the Employment Tribunals' Presidential Guidance and its addenda, and the tribunal interest regulations
This page gives every set of Vento bands since 2017 with the dates they apply from, explains how tribunals use them, and includes a calculator that finds the right bands for a claim date, shows where a figure sits within them and works out tribunal interest.
Vento bands 2026 and every earlier set
The upper limit rose by 3.6% from £60,700 to £62,900 between the 2025 and 2026 figures. Each addendum takes account of the RPI All Items Index released in March and applies to claims presented from 6 April.
| Claims presented on or after | Lower band | Middle band | Upper band | Exceptional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 April 2026 | £1,300 to £12,600 | £12,600 to £37,700 | £37,700 to £62,900 | over £62,900 |
| 6 April 2025 | £1,200 to £12,100 | £12,100 to £36,400 | £36,400 to £60,700 | over £60,700 |
| 6 April 2024 | £1,200 to £11,700 | £11,700 to £35,200 | £35,200 to £58,700 | over £58,700 |
| 6 April 2023 | £1,100 to £11,200 | £11,200 to £33,700 | £33,700 to £56,200 | over £56,200 |
| 6 April 2022 | £990 to £9,900 | £9,900 to £29,600 | £29,600 to £49,300 | over £49,300 |
| 6 April 2021 | £900 to £9,100 | £9,100 to £27,400 | £27,400 to £45,600 | over £45,600 |
| 6 April 2020 | £900 to £9,000 | £9,000 to £27,000 | £27,000 to £45,000 | over £45,000 |
| 6 April 2019 | £900 to £8,800 | £8,800 to £26,300 | £26,300 to £44,000 | over £44,000 |
| 6 April 2018 | £900 to £8,600 | £8,600 to £25,700 | £25,700 to £42,900 | over £42,900 |
| 11 September 2017 | £800 to £8,400 | £8,400 to £25,200 | £25,200 to £42,000 | over £42,000 |
Vento band and interest calculator
Bands by claim date, with 8% tribunal interest
What the Vento bands are
When an employment tribunal finds discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, it can order compensation, and section 119(4) of the Act says an award may include compensation for injured feelings. An injury to feelings award might also be appropriate in certain claims of unlawful detriment. The bands are named after Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police (No. 2), in which the Court of Appeal set three broad bands in 2002.
| Source | Lower band | Middle band | Upper band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police (No. 2), 2002 | £500 to £5,000 | £5,000 to £15,000 | £15,000 to £25,000 |
| Da'Bell v NSPCC, 2009 (uprated for inflation) | £600 to £6,000 | £6,000 to £18,000 | £18,000 to £30,000 |
| Presidential Guidance, claims from 11 September 2017 | £800 to £8,400 | £8,400 to £25,200 | £25,200 to £42,000 |
In De Souza v Vinci Construction (UK) Ltd in 2017, the Court of Appeal ruled that the 10% uplift from Simmons v Castle should also apply to tribunal awards for injury to feelings and psychiatric injury in England and Wales. The Presidents then issued the 2017 guidance, which uprated the bands for inflation and built in the uplift. Tribunals must have regard to the guidance, but they are not bound by it.
Which bands apply to a claim
- The date the claim was presented decides the bands, not the date of the discrimination or of the hearing. A claim presented on 5 April 2026 uses the 2025 figures; one presented on 6 April 2026 uses the 2026 figures.
- Claims presented before 11 September 2017: a tribunal may uprate the original Vento bands for inflation with the formula in paragraph 11 of the guidance: the band boundary divided by 178.5 and multiplied by the RPI All Items Index for the month closest to the date the claim was presented, with the 10% uplift added where the claim is considered after 1 April 2013.
- Scotland: if a tribunal in Scotland decides that the Simmons v Castle uplift does not apply, it should adjust the figures and give its reasons.
- Northern Ireland has its own Industrial Tribunals and Fair Employment Tribunal, and this guidance is issued for England and Wales and for Scotland.
Psychiatric injury is a separate award
The bands cover injured feelings, which is distinct from compensation for psychiatric or similar personal injury. For psychiatric injury, the 2017 guidance points to the Judicial College Guidelines, which already include the 10% uplift. Our guides to the Judicial College Guidelines and the psychological injury calculator explain those brackets.
How tribunal interest is worked out
- Rate: the Judgments Act rate in England and Wales and the equivalent sheriff court rate in Scotland, both 8% a year since 1 April 1993. The 2013 amendment made the England and Wales rate the same as the Scottish rate.
- Simple interest that accrues from day to day.
- Injury to feelings: interest runs from the date of the act of discrimination to the day of calculation.
- Other past losses such as lost earnings: interest runs from the mid-point date, halfway between the act of discrimination and the day of calculation.
- No interest is added for future losses, and a tribunal may use a different period if the standard one would cause serious injustice.
For example, a £20,000 award for discrimination on 1 January 2025, calculated on 31 December 2025, carries 365 days of interest at 8%, which is £1,600.
Sources and methodology
Each set of bands was read from the original guidance and its addenda, and checked so that each band starts where the one below it ends. The calculator was tested against each start date and the interest rules in the regulations.
- Presidential Guidance on employment tribunal awards for injury to feelings and psychiatric injury, 5 September 2017, and the Ninth Addendum for claims from 6 April 2026, on judiciary.uk.
- The Employment Tribunals (Interest on Awards in Discrimination Cases) Regulations 1996, S.I. 1996/2803, and the 2013 amendment, S.I. 2013/1669, on legislation.gov.uk.
- Equality Act 2010, sections 119, 123 and 124, on legislation.gov.uk.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Vento bands for 2026?
For claims presented on or after 6 April 2026: lower band £1,300 to £12,600, middle band £12,600 to £37,700 and upper band £37,700 to £62,900, with the most exceptional cases capable of exceeding £62,900.
What were the Vento bands for 2025?
For claims presented from 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026: £1,200 to £12,100, £12,100 to £36,400 and £36,400 to £60,700.
Do the Vento bands depend on the date of the discrimination?
No. The bands that apply depend on the date the claim was presented to the tribunal. Each addendum applies to claims presented on or after 6 April of its year.
Is interest added to an injury to feelings award?
Yes. Tribunals add simple interest at 8% a year from the date of the act of discrimination to the day of calculation. Interest on other past losses runs from the mid-point date.
Is there a cap on injury to feelings awards?
The upper band is not a limit: the guidance says the most exceptional cases are capable of exceeding £62,900. Compensation for psychiatric injury is assessed separately.