Actual damages are the overall category of compensation meant to make the plaintiff whole for the harm caused by the defendant's conduct. This category is generally understood to include both the losses that can be precisely calculated and those that cannot.

Actual damages are separate from punitive damages, which serve a fundamentally different purpose: punishing particularly egregious conduct rather than compensating the plaintiff for an actual loss.

General damages cover harms that are real but inherently subjective, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. There is no invoice or receipt for these losses, so they are typically established through testimony, medical records, and comparison to similar cases.

Some jurisdictions impose caps on general or non-economic damages in specific types of cases, such as certain medical malpractice claims, while leaving economic damages uncapped, which can meaningfully affect case strategy and valuation.

Special damages cover losses that can be calculated with reasonable precision, such as medical bills already incurred, projected future medical care, lost wages, and property repair or replacement costs.

Because these losses are documented through bills, pay records, and often expert testimony, special damages are generally considered easier to prove than general damages, though disputes can still arise over the reasonableness or necessity of specific expenses.

The distinction between general and special damages affects how each type of loss must be proven and argued at trial, since general damages typically rely more heavily on narrative and comparison, while special damages rely on documentation.

It also matters for legal strategy in jurisdictions that cap certain categories of damages, since understanding which losses fall into which category can shape settlement negotiations and how a case is presented to a jury.