Can I get money before my claim finishes (interim payments)?
Quite often you can. An interim payment is a payment made to you during the conduct of your claim, in part settlement of your claim. An interim payment is not a final settlement and your claim would still continue until final settlement can be reached.
Interim payments are usually only made where the Defendant has already accepted responsibility for your claim.
An interim payment may be made in a number of circumstances. For instance, if you are involved in a car accident and your car is written off or requires repair as a result, it is likely you will have to pay your motor insurance policy excess. The Defendant's insurers may make an interim payment to you to reimburse you for the policy excess you have incurred. Another example may be if you require medical treatment in relation to your injuries sustained in the accident, e.g. physiotherapy. The Defendant's insurers may agree to make an interim payment to you in order to fund the cost of the treatment required, so that you can commence the treatment without delay to speed your recovery. An interim payment may also be made where you have suffered a loss of earnings and are simply running short of funds. In all these examples the question of compensation for your injury and other financial losses incurred would be resolved and settled by further payment at a later date.
Any interim payment already received would need to be given credit when considering final settlement of your claim.
