Windrush Compensation Scheme payouts: award amounts, latest figures and calculator
Last updated · By Mustafa Bilgic · Amounts from the Windrush Compensation Scheme rules (July 2026), figures from the Home Office data published on 24 September 2026
This page lists every fixed award in the scheme rules, explains how the Impact on Life level is chosen, and gives the latest official figures on claims and payments. The calculator adds up the fixed awards that apply to you.
Impact on Life award levels
The Impact on Life award covers non-financial harm: inconvenience, injury to feelings including anxiety, distress and reputational damage, family separation, trouble returning to the UK after a trip abroad, missed family occasions, and harm to physical or mental health. The Home Office picks the level from the evidence, taking into account the number, severity and duration of the impacts.
| Level | What it describes | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Inconvenience, annoyance, frustration and worry lasting up to a few weeks | £10,000 |
| Level 2 | A moderately severe impact over weeks or months, such as family separation or missed family events | £20,000 |
| Level 3 | Normal life substantially affected for several months, perhaps with short medical treatment | £40,000 |
| Level 4 | Normal life seriously compromised for months or years, with lasting change such as regular treatment | £70,000 |
| Level 5 | Profound, likely irreversible impacts, including major physical or mental health effects | £100,000 or more |
Windrush compensation calculator
Adds up the fixed tariff awards
Other fixed awards in the scheme
Detention is paid only if it lasted more than 30 minutes. The rules say part hours and part days are rounded up, and our calculator rounds each part of the first 24 hours up in the same way. Where someone was in prison or lawful custody for another reason just before the immigration detention, the award for the first 24 hours is cut by 20%. Part months of homelessness count as full months.
| Loss | Award |
|---|---|
| Deportation | £10,000 |
| Administrative removal with reporting requirements | £7,500 |
| Administrative removal with detention | £6,000 |
| Administrative removal without detention or reporting requirements | £5,000 |
| Other removal or return linked to status | £1,000 |
| Detention: next 3 hours after the first 30 minutes | £500 an hour |
| Detention: the following 6 hours | £300 an hour |
| Detention: rest of the first 24 hours | £100 an hour |
| Detention after 24 hours: first 30 days | £500 a day |
| Detention: next 60 days | £300 a day |
| Detention: after 90 days | £100 a day |
| Loss of access to employment (general award, earnings not shown) | £1,147 a month |
| Homelessness | £250 a month |
| Denial of child benefit / child tax credit / working tax credit | £1,264 / £2,500 / £1,100 |
| Denial of access to housing services | £1,000 |
| Denial of access to free NHS healthcare | £500 |
Who can claim
- People who came to the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973, or whose parents or grandparents did.
- People who came to the UK from any country before 31 December 1988 and are now settled here.
- Close family members, meaning a partner, parent, child, brother or sister, who had significant losses of their own.
- Someone representing the estate of a person who would have been eligible.
The losses must come from not being able to show a right to live in the UK. They can include work, immigration fees, housing, health, education, driving licences, banking, daily life, detention and removal, and living costs. Information you share will not be used for immigration enforcement.
Lost work and actual losses
Where you lost a job or could not work and can show what you earned, the scheme pays those losses on evidence. Where you cannot show your earnings, the general award of £1,147 a month applies to the period of loss. It runs from when the work stopped and, where that was less than 2 years before your status was confirmed, ends 3 months after the Home Office confirmed your status, or earlier if you started work paying at least that monthly amount. Longer gaps have their own end date rules. Immigration fees and legal costs for immigration applications are also repaid on evidence, and a close family member can claim living costs they paid for the person affected.
Latest payout figures
The Home Office data published on 24 September 2026 show that, to the end of July 2026, the scheme had received 12,272 claims since it opened in April 2019. It had paid £132.1 million on 4,177 claims: 2,276 primary claims, 232 estate claims and 1,669 close family claims. Offers totalled £137.4 million. That is about £31,600 for each claim paid on average (our calculation), though single awards vary widely. A Level 1 Impact on Life award can be paid early as a preliminary payment, and 2,029 claims have received one.
Reviews and payment
You get a letter offering compensation and must write back to accept it, and the money is paid into your bank account, including overseas. If you disagree with the decision you can ask for a review, and if you are still not satisfied an independent adjudicator can look at it. While a first review is under way the Home Office may pay up to 75% of the total award in advance. For other UK schemes that pay set amounts, see our criminal injuries compensation guide.
Sources and methodology
Each amount was read from the annex tables of the July 2026 rules, and the figures from the July 2026 data tables. The calculator adds the fixed awards and was tested against each rate band.
- Windrush Compensation Scheme: full rules, on GOV.UK.
- Windrush Compensation Scheme data: July 2026, on GOV.UK.
- Apply to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, on GOV.UK.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Windrush compensation payout?
It depends on the losses. The Impact on Life award alone is £10,000, £20,000, £40,000, £70,000 or £100,000, and other awards are added for removal, detention, lost work, homelessness and denied services. Across the 4,177 claims paid to July 2026, the average was about £31,600 by our calculation.
What is the Impact on Life award in the Windrush scheme?
An award for non-financial harm such as distress, family separation and effects on health, paid at five levels from £10,000 to £100,000, with more possible where the circumstances are especially severe.
Is there a deadline for the Windrush Compensation Scheme?
No. The rules say the scheme has been open for claims since 3 April 2019 and there is no closing date.
How much do you get for Windrush detention?
Nothing for 30 minutes or less, then £500 an hour for the next 3 hours, £300 an hour for the following 6 hours and £100 an hour for the rest of the first day. After that it is £500 a day for 30 days, £300 a day for the next 60 days and £100 a day after that.
Can family members claim Windrush compensation?
Yes. A partner, parent, child, brother or sister who had significant losses because of the affected person's situation can claim, and the estate of someone who has died can claim for them.