Contingency Fee Calculator
Important — not legal or financial advice. This is an educational tool. Contingency percentages, how costs are handled, and lien rules vary by state, agreement and case. Medical liens and subrogation can further reduce your net recovery. Always read your fee agreement and ask your attorney to explain the exact figures.
A contingency fee is a percentage of your recovery paid to your lawyer, with case costs usually reimbursed separately. Your net is settlement − attorney fee − costs. Enter the numbers to see the fee and how much you keep, on either a gross or net-of-costs basis.
Use this contingency fee calculator to see how a personal-injury settlement is divided. Enter the settlement, the fee percentage and your case costs, and it shows the attorney's fee and your net recovery — and lets you switch between charging the fee on the gross settlement or on the amount left after costs.
Enter the settlement, fee and costs, then press Calculate.
How the contingency fee calculator works
In a contingency arrangement, your lawyer is paid a percentage of what you recover rather than by the hour, and typically only if you win. On top of the fee sit case costs — court filing fees, expert witnesses, medical records and similar expenses — which are usually reimbursed to the firm out of the settlement. This calculator applies your fee percentage and subtracts costs to show your net recovery, the money that actually reaches you.
Crucially, it lets you choose whether the fee is calculated on the gross settlement, with costs taken from your share afterward, or on the net after costs are removed first — a distinction that changes your take-home. See how any settlement might be estimated with the pain and suffering calculator, and remember that liens and taxes, which this tool does not model, can also affect the final figure.
The contingency fee formula
- Gross — fee = settlement × rate
- Net — fee = (settlement − costs) × rate
- Net to you — what remains after both
Gross vs net, and what the calculator leaves out
The gross-versus-net choice matters more than it first appears. Charging the percentage on the gross settlement, then deducting costs from your share, leaves you with less than charging it on the net after costs — on a large settlement the gap can be thousands of dollars. Beyond that, this calculator deliberately keeps things simple: it does not account for medical liens or subrogation, where an insurer or provider must be repaid from your proceeds, nor for stepped fee rates that rise if the case is litigated, nor for any taxes. Those can all lower your real net, so treat the result as an illustration of the fee mechanics, not a final payout.
Typical contingency fee percentages and how costs differ
Contingency fees are usually quoted as a share of your recovery. A common benchmark is around one-third (33%) for a case that settles before a lawsuit is filed, often rising toward 40% if the case goes into litigation or all the way to trial. Separate from the fee are case costs — filing fees, expert witnesses, medical records, depositions — which are typically repaid out of your share on top of the percentage. One detail matters a lot: whether the fee is calculated on the gross settlement or after costs are deducted. These are only typical ranges; your actual fee depends on your written agreement and your state's rules, so read it carefully before you sign.
Educational estimate only — not legal or financial advice. Read your fee agreement and ask your attorney how the fee, costs and any liens apply to your case.
How to use it & key terms
Enter the settlement amount, the contingency fee percentage and your case costs, choose whether the fee is charged on the gross settlement or net of costs, then press Calculate to see the fee and your net recovery.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Settlement | The gross amount recovered before fee and costs. |
| Contingency fee | The lawyer's percentage of the recovery. |
| Case costs | Expenses reimbursed from the settlement. |
| Gross basis | Fee on the full settlement, costs after. |
| Net basis | Fee on the amount left after costs. |
| Net recovery | What you actually keep. |
Sources & methodology
On the gross basis, the attorney fee is the settlement multiplied by the fee percentage, and the net recovery is the settlement minus the fee minus case costs. On the net basis, case costs are subtracted from the settlement first, the fee percentage is applied to that net amount, and the recovery is the net amount minus the fee. The calculator also shows the fee as a share of the settlement. It does not model medical liens or subrogation, stepped fee rates that rise with litigation, court-approved fee limits, or taxes, all of which can change the real net. Figures are illustrative and depend entirely on the terms of your actual fee agreement.
Sources: Commonly published descriptions of contingency fee arrangements and case-cost handling in personal-injury matters, presented for education only. Not affiliated with any law firm; not legal advice.
Reading the fee agreement before you sign
This calculator can show how a fee and costs might reduce a settlement, but the only document that actually governs what you keep is the written fee agreement you sign. Treat the numbers here as a way to understand the mechanics and to ask sharper questions, not as a prediction of any real case. A clear agreement spells out the exact percentage, whether that percentage can rise if the case is filed as a lawsuit or goes to trial, and how case costs — things like filing fees, expert reports and records — are handled. Reading it closely before you sign, and asking for plain-English answers to anything unclear, is time very well spent.
A few details make a large difference to your final number. Ask whether the fee is calculated on the gross settlement or on the amount left after costs, because the two can produce meaningfully different results from the same recovery. Ask what happens to costs if the case does not succeed — in many arrangements the lawyer advances them and is reimbursed only from a recovery, but that should be confirmed rather than assumed. And ask about liens: medical providers, health insurers or government programs may be entitled to repayment out of your share, and those claims come off the top in a way a simple percentage never shows. If you are also weighing the injury itself, our pain and suffering calculator works through the non-economic side.
When you meet a lawyer, it is reasonable to arrive with questions: What is your percentage, and does it change at any stage? Who pays costs if we lose, and roughly what costs do you expect? Will I owe anything out of pocket along the way? How and when are liens resolved, and how will my net recovery be calculated? A trustworthy attorney will welcome these questions and answer them clearly. Everything here is general education, not legal advice, and it cannot account for your state's rules or the specifics of your situation. The real figures always depend on your signed agreement and the judgment of a licensed attorney who knows the full facts of your case.
Frequently asked questions
What is a contingency fee?
A contingency fee is a way of paying a lawyer where the fee is a percentage of the money you recover, and you generally pay nothing in fees if you lose. It is common in personal-injury cases. The percentage is often around a third for cases that settle before a lawsuit is filed, rising if the case goes into litigation or trial. Case costs and expenses are usually handled separately from the percentage fee, which is why this calculator lets you enter them too.
How much is a typical contingency fee?
A very common figure is 33.3% — one third — of the settlement for a case resolved before filing suit, with many agreements stepping up to around 40% if a lawsuit is filed or the case goes to trial, because the work and risk increase. Some matters use different rates, and a few are regulated by state rules or court approval. Always check the exact percentage and when it changes in your written fee agreement, since it directly affects what you keep.
Are case costs separate from the fee?
Usually yes. The contingency percentage is the lawyer's fee for their time; case costs and expenses — court filing fees, expert witnesses, medical records, depositions and the like — are separate and are typically reimbursed to the firm out of the recovery. Whether the fee is calculated on the gross settlement before costs, or on the net after costs, varies by agreement and can noticeably change your take-home, which is why this calculator lets you switch between the two.
Does the fee come out before or after costs?
It depends on your agreement. Under a "gross" arrangement the percentage is applied to the full settlement first, then costs are deducted from your remaining share — which leaves you with less. Under a "net" arrangement costs are subtracted first and the percentage is applied to what remains, which is usually more favourable to you. The difference can be meaningful, so it is worth confirming which method your contract uses. This calculator shows both.
What else can reduce my net recovery?
Beyond the attorney's fee and case costs, medical liens and subrogation claims can take a slice — health insurers, government programs or medical providers may be entitled to be repaid from your settlement. Unpaid medical bills may also be settled from the proceeds. These can reduce your net well below the simple "settlement minus fee minus costs" figure. A good attorney often negotiates liens down. This calculator does not model liens, so your real net could be lower.
Is a contingency fee worth it?
For many people it is, because it means access to legal help with no money up front and no fee if the case fails, which shifts the risk to the lawyer. A skilled attorney also frequently recovers far more than an unrepresented person would, even after the fee. The trade-off is the percentage you give up on a win. Weigh the likely increase in recovery and the risk you avoid against the fee, and compare terms between firms before signing.
Is this calculator legal or financial advice?
No. It is an educational tool to show how a contingency fee and case costs affect your net recovery. It does not reflect the specific terms of any agreement, state fee rules, court-approved limits, or liens, and it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Always read your fee agreement carefully and ask your lawyer to explain exactly how the fee and costs will be calculated in your case before you sign or settle.
What is a no-win, no-fee agreement?
No win, no fee is another name for a contingency arrangement. The lawyer's fee is a percentage of your recovery and is only owed if you win or settle, so if the case is unsuccessful you generally owe no attorney fee. You may still be responsible for some case costs, such as filing fees or expert reports, depending on how the agreement is written, so it matters whether costs are waived or still payable if you lose. Always read the agreement and ask exactly how costs are handled. This is educational information, not legal advice.
How much of my settlement will I actually keep?
Your net recovery is what is left after the contingency fee, the repaid case costs, and any medical liens or unpaid bills are taken out of the settlement. Because those pieces vary so much from case to case, two settlements of the same size can leave very different amounts in your pocket. Whether the fee is calculated before or after costs also changes the result. Ask your attorney for a written breakdown of the fee, costs and liens before you agree to settle. This is general education, not legal or financial advice.