AFCS tariff levels explained (1 to 15)

How the AFCS tariff works

The AFCS tariff is essentially a fixed price list for injury and illness. The scheme sorts every condition into one of 15 levels, and each level carries a set award. The part that catches people out is the direction of travel: level 1 is the most severe injury and level 15 the least severe, so the lower the number, the worse the harm and the bigger the payment. A double amputation sits near the top of the tariff; a fracture that heals well sits near the bottom.

Every award is built from that level. All 15 levels pay a one-off, tax-free lump sum, and the more serious levels (1 to 11) add a Guaranteed Income Payment on top. The scheme is no-fault, so you only have to show the injury or illness was caused by service, not that anyone was negligent. The figures are uprated each April in line with the previous September's inflation, and the April 2026 tariff used throughout this guide is 3.8% higher than the year before. The full level-by-level figures are set out on the AFCS tariff table.

The nine descriptor tables an assessor uses

An assessor does not pick a level out of thin air. The scheme rules contain nine descriptor tables, each covering a broad type of harm, and every table lists specific injuries or conditions against the level they attract. Your medical evidence is matched to the closest descriptor, and that descriptor points to the tariff level. The nine tables are:

• Burns
• Injury, wounds and scarring
• Mental disorders
• Physical disorders and illness
• Amputations
• Neurological conditions
• Sensory conditions (sight and hearing)
• Fractures and dislocations
• Musculoskeletal conditions

Because each table is descriptive, the same broad injury can land at different levels depending on severity, whether one limb or two are affected, and how well it recovers. A mental health condition, for example, is assessed on its lasting effect, not on a fixed diagnosis, which is why two people with the same label can end up at different levels. Where several injuries come from one incident, the scheme has rules for combining them rather than simply adding every award together.

The tax-free lump sum at each level

The lump sum is a one-off, tax-free payment for the pain and lasting impact of the injury or illness. It is paid at every level, and it is the same figure for everyone at that level regardless of rank or salary. On the April 2026 tariff it runs from £674,700 at level 1 down to £1,283 at level 15. These representative levels show how the money and the GIP band change as you move down the tariff:

This is only a sample of the 15 levels, chosen to show every GIP band. For the complete list, level by level, see the AFCS tariff table, which carries all 15 lump sums on the current figures. Notice how steeply the money falls away as you move down the tariff, because the top levels are reserved for the most catastrophic and permanent injuries.

Which levels add a Guaranteed Income Payment

The lump sum is only half the story on the serious levels. The Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) is a tax-free, index-linked monthly income paid for life, on top of the lump sum, to reflect the earnings you can no longer make. It is paid only on tariff levels 1 to 11. Levels 12 to 15 give you the lump sum alone. The GIP is set as a percentage of your final salary at discharge, and the percentage is fixed by your tariff band: 100% on levels 1 to 4, 75% on levels 5 and 6, 50% on levels 7 and 8, and 30% on levels 9 to 11.

Two adjustments then make the actual monthly figure personal to you, which is why this page shows the band rather than a set pound amount. An age factor is applied to the salary used, so a younger person discharged with the same injury receives a higher monthly GIP, because their loss of earnings runs over more years. And where the GIP is 50% or more (tariff levels 1 to 8), the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) is paid automatically in place of Personal Independence Payment.

There is one coordination rule worth knowing. If you also draw a medical discharge pension for the same condition as the AFCS award, that pension is credited in full against the GIP so you are not paid twice for the same injury. If the pension is for a different condition, only 75% is offset. Your ordinary AFPS service pension is separate from all of this and is not reduced by an AFCS award.

Levels 12 to 15: lump sum only

The bottom four levels of the tariff pay a lump sum and nothing more. On the April 2026 figures that is £10,691 at level 12, £6,415 at level 13, £3,207 at level 14 and £1,283 at level 15. These levels cover genuine service-caused injuries that are expected to settle rather than leave a lasting loss of earning capacity, which is why no monthly income is attached.

That does not make a lower-level award final. If a condition later worsens, or an injury has not yet settled, the scheme can review it and an award can move up the tariff, so a level 13 or 14 result today is not necessarily the last word.

Fast payment and interim awards

For the most seriously injured, the scheme can pay out before the full decision is made. A fast payment of £64,148 (the level 8 lump sum on the April 2026 tariff) is available to someone who is still serving, whose injury happened on or after 9 May 2011, and whose case looks likely to attract an award at tariff levels 1 to 8. It has to be claimed within 6 months of the injury, and it is offset against the final award rather than paid on top.

Where an injury has not yet settled and the final level cannot be fixed, Veterans UK can make an interim award and review it, usually within one to two years, before setting the substantive level. This means you are not left waiting with nothing while a serious condition is still developing.

How your level is decided, and challenged

You normally have to claim within 7 years of the incident, of an existing condition being made worse, of first seeking medical advice for an illness, or of discharge, whichever comes first. The medical evidence you and your specialists provide is what the assessor matches to the descriptor tables, so specific evidence about how the condition affects you matters more than the label it is given. Our how to claim AFCS guide sets out the form, the evidence and the timeline in full.

If you disagree with the level you are placed at, you can ask for a reconsideration within 12 months and then appeal to an independent tribunal, and free help is available from the Veterans Welfare Service and service charities, so you do not need to pay a solicitor. This page is an independent explainer and gives estimates only; it is not affiliated with the MOD, Veterans UK or JPAC, and it is not regulated financial advice.