How much is a Jones Act settlement worth?

Jones Act settlements range from $250,000 for moderate back/neck injuries to over $6 million for spinal cord damage or paralysis. Wrongful death cases average $1.5M–$5M. Values depend on injury severity, employer type, and jurisdiction — Gulf Coast cases in the Fifth Circuit historically trend higher. Use our free calculator to estimate your specific case value in 60 seconds.

What factors affect Jones Act settlement value?

Nine primary factors determine your settlement range: injury type and severity, medical costs (past and future), lost wages and earning capacity, employer category (offshore oil vs. commercial fishing vs. tugboat), pain and suffering, Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) status, evidence of employer negligence, jurisdiction, and whether the case goes to trial. Our calculator models all nine variables against real Gulf Coast verdict data.

Do I need a lawyer to file a Jones Act claim?

You are not legally required to have an attorney, but Jones Act cases involve complex maritime law (46 U.S.C. § 30104) and employer defenses like comparative negligence. Cases with attorney representation recover 3–5x more on average than unrepresented claims. Most maritime attorneys work on contingency (no fee unless you win). Start with our free calculator to understand your case value before consulting an attorney.

How long does it take to get a Jones Act settlement?

Most Jones Act cases settle in 12–18 months. Simple cases with clear liability can resolve in 6–9 months. Complex cases involving permanent disability, disputed MMI, or multiple defendants may take 2–3 years. Approximately 95–96% of Jones Act cases settle before trial. The timeline depends on reaching MMI, completing discovery, and employer willingness to negotiate.

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 2026

Jones Act Calculator (“we,” “our,” or “us”) operates the website jonesactcalculator.com (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site.

Consent

By using our Site, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. When you provide personal information through our forms, we only ask for information that is needed to provide our services to you. If we ask for additional information, it will be optional and collected only with your consent.

Information We Collect

When you use our Settlement Audit tool or contact us, we may collect:

Contact Information: Name, phone number (optional), and email address.
Case Details: Injury type, employer type, estimated medical bills, lost wages, maintenance & cure rates, and incident descriptions you voluntarily provide.
Usage Data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on pages, and interaction metrics gathered via standard analytics tools (Google Analytics 4, Microsoft Clarity).
UTM Parameters: Referral source, medium, and campaign data from URL parameters.

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information to:

Provide you with estimated settlement ranges based on our proprietary algorithms and Gulf Coast jury verdict data.
Respond to your inquiries and deliver the forensic report you requested.
If you request a consultation, we may share your information with independent, licensed maritime attorneys who can evaluate your case. We do not guarantee attorney availability or representation.
Send you case updates, appointment reminders, and service communications (if you opt in to SMS).
Send you marketing communications about our services (only if you separately opt in to marketing SMS).
Improve the functionality, accuracy, and user experience of our Site.
Analyze usage patterns and optimize our services.

Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following categories of third-party service providers to operate our Site. These providers process your data only as necessary to perform their services:

Database & Storage: Supabase (PostgreSQL) — stores lead submissions including contact information and injury details. Data hosted in the United States.
Email Delivery: Resend — processes email addresses and lead notification content for internal alerts.
Analytics: Google Analytics 4 (usage data, page views, interaction events), Microsoft Clarity (session replays, heatmaps), PostHog (product analytics).
Hosting & CDN: Vercel — serves the website and processes HTTP requests including IP addresses for geolocation.
SMS (when enabled): Twilio — processes phone numbers for text message delivery.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

Mobile Messaging & SMS Data Disclosure

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. Information sharing to subcontractors in support services, such as customer service is permitted. All other use case categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Log Files

Jones Act Calculator follows standard procedures for using log files. These files log visitors when they visit our Site. The information collected includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. This information is not linked to anything that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking user movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.

Cookies

Like many websites, we use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your web browser (if you allow) that enable the site to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information.

We use cookies to:

Understand and analyze user behavior and usage patterns (Google Analytics 4).
Record session replays and heatmaps for UX improvement (Microsoft Clarity).
Remember your preferences for future visits.

You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies through your browser settings.

CCPA Privacy Rights (California Residents)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California consumers have the right to:

Request that a business that collects personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data collected.
Request that a business delete any personal data collected about the consumer.
Request that a business that sells personal data not sell the consumer's personal data.

If you make a request, we have 30 days to respond. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at help@jonesactcalculator.com.

Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA)

The Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA), effective July 1, 2024, provides Texas residents with enhanced rights over their personal data. Because our Site collects health and injury information, the following provisions apply:

Injury details submitted through our forms (injury type, incident descriptions, medical information) are classified as sensitive personal data under the TDPSA.
This sensitive data is processed only with your explicit opt-in consent, provided via the required consent checkbox on our submission forms. You must affirmatively check this box before submitting your information.
As a Texas resident, you have the right to access, correct, delete, and opt out of the processing of your sensitive personal data.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at help@jonesactcalculator.com. We will respond within 45 days as required by the TDPSA.
Our Site recognizes Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a valid opt-out mechanism, as required by the TDPSA effective January 1, 2025. Violations may result in penalties of up to $7,500 per occurrence.

GDPR Data Protection Rights (EU Residents)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights:

Right of access — You have the right to request copies of your personal data.
Right to rectification — You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate information.
Right to erasure — You have the right to request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to restrict processing — You have the right to request restriction of processing your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to object — You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to data portability — You have the right to request transfer of your data to another organization or directly to you under certain conditions.

If you make a request, we have one month to respond. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at help@jonesactcalculator.com.

Children's Information

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at help@jonesactcalculator.com so that we can take necessary action.

Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information during transmission and storage, including encryption, secure servers, and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

Lead and case information (name, phone, email, injury details): retained for 24 months after your last interaction, then permanently deleted from our database.
Usage data and analytics (Google Analytics 4): retained for 14 months per our GA4 data retention settings.
Session recordings (Microsoft Clarity): retained for 30 days.

You may request early deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting help@jonesactcalculator.com.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us: