Estimated full-time income: $175,000 to $300,000+. Expert-witness billing: about $250 to $500 per hour. Income is dominated by expert-witness work driven by TBI personal-injury litigation, capacity evaluations, and IME work. Both bands are estimates, not surveyed figures.
Last verified 6 September 2026 · Source: Neal & Line (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022) survey of US clinical-forensic psychologists (mean expert-witness rate $280/hr, private-practice income median $175,000-$199,999); BLS OEWS May 2025 SOC 19-3033 and 19-3039 for the neuropsychology base
Quick answer
A forensic neuropsychologist earns an estimated $175,000 to $300,000+ in full-time practice, among the highest-earning neuropsychology subspecialties. There is no dedicated BLS code and no public salary survey specific to forensic neuropsychology, so these figures are estimates. They are anchored to the peer-reviewed Neal & Line (2022) survey of US clinical-forensic psychologists, which reported a private-practice income median band of $175,000 to $199,999 and a mean expert-witness billing rate of $280 per hour (median $250), and to the BLS categories that capture neuropsychologists, SOC 19-3033 (median $100,580) and SOC 19-3039 (median $110,840, 90th percentile $168,520; OEWS May 2025).
$175-$300K+
Estimated full-time income range
~$250-$500/hr
Estimated expert-witness billing
$280/hr
Neal & Line (2022) forensic mean
ABPP-CN
Board cert effectively required for testimony
Data note: The BLS does not report a separate occupational code for neuropsychology, and no public survey isolates forensic neuropsychology pay. The base is anchored to BLS 19-3033 (Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, median $100,580) and 19-3039 (Psychologists, All Other, median $110,840; OEWS May 2025, snapshot taken 6 September 2026). Expert-witness billing is anchored to the peer-reviewed income survey of US clinical-forensic psychologists by Neal and Line (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022; data collected July 2021), which found a mean forensic hourly rate of $280.23 (standard deviation $108, median and mode $250) and a private-practice total-income median band of $175,000 to $199,999. The ranges on this page are our estimates built on those anchors, not surveyed neuropsychology figures.
Estimated Income by Practice Model
Model
Estimated annual income
Forensic share
Pure forensic (no clinical)
$200,000 - $350,000
100% forensic; risk: empty pipeline = zero income
Forensic + clinical TBI hybrid
$185,000 - $290,000
~60% forensic, 40% clinical; balanced cash flow
Clinical-primary + occasional forensic
$150,000 - $220,000
~20% forensic; lower variance
Academic + retained expert
$150,000 - $250,000
University salary $110-$160K plus retained engagements
Estimates, not surveyed figures. Anchored to the Neal & Line (2022) private-practice income median band ($175,000 to $199,999) and the BLS neuropsychology base (SOC 19-3033 / 19-3039, OEWS May 2025), with a forensic and expert-witness premium applied. Pure-forensic income carries the highest variance because it depends entirely on an active attorney-referral pipeline.
Illustrative Case Economics (Model)
A representative single TBI plaintiff case from intake to trial testimony. This is an illustrative model at rates near the Neal & Line (2022) distribution (record and report work near the $280 mean; deposition and testimony at a premium), not billing data from any specific practice.
Phase
Hours
Rate
Fees
Records review (medical, imaging, school, work)
6-12
$300/hr
$1,800 - $3,600
Comprehensive evaluation (admin + interp)
10-14
$300/hr
$3,000 - $4,200
Report writing
8-15
$300/hr
$2,400 - $4,500
Pre-deposition conference with retaining attorney
2-4
$300/hr
$600 - $1,200
Deposition (half-day minimum)
4-6
$450/hr
$1,800 - $2,700
Trial preparation
3-6
$300/hr
$900 - $1,800
Trial testimony (half-day minimum)
4-8
$450/hr
$1,800 - $3,600
Total per case (range)
37-65
$12,300 - $21,600
Illustrative model assuming a contested TBI case proceeding to trial. Most cases settle before deposition (reducing total fees materially) or before trial. Practitioners typically work against a non-refundable retainer, drawn down at the hourly rate, with a minimum billing block for depositions and testimony. A mid-volume forensic neuropsychologist carrying 12 to 20 active cases at varying stages would, on these illustrative rates, generate a six-figure forensic revenue stream within the estimated income ranges above.
Forensic neuropsychologists earn an estimated $175,000 to $300,000 or more in full-time practice, among the highest-earning neuropsychology subspecialties. There is no BLS wage code and no public salary survey specific to forensic neuropsychology, so these are estimates rather than surveyed figures. They are built on two anchors: the peer-reviewed Neal & Line (2022) survey of US clinical-forensic psychologists, which reported a private-practice total-income median band of $175,000 to $199,999 and a mean expert-witness billing rate of $280 per hour (median $250), and the BLS categories that capture neuropsychologists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (SOC 19-3033, median $100,580) and Psychologists, All Other (SOC 19-3039, median $110,840, OEWS May 2025). Income is dominated by expert-witness work, and practitioners who combine clinical TBI work with an active medical-legal caseload sit at the upper end of the estimate range.
What kinds of cases drive forensic neuropsych income?
Five case categories generate most forensic neuropsych work. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) personal injury litigation is the largest single source: motor vehicle crashes, falls, workplace head injuries, sports concussion, military blast injury. Independent medical examinations (IME) requested by defense insurance carriers in TBI cases command standard rates. Capacity evaluations for guardianship, will-contest, and end-of-life decision-making make up the second-largest category. Mild cognitive impairment versus dementia differential for elder financial-exploitation cases is a growing area. Toxic exposure litigation (lead, solvents, mold) and birth-injury cerebral palsy cases round out the major categories.
What do forensic neuropsychologists charge per hour?
The best public benchmark is the peer-reviewed Neal & Line (2022) survey of US clinical-forensic psychologists, which found a mean expert-witness billing rate of $280.23 per hour (standard deviation $108) with a median and mode of $250. No published survey isolates the neuropsychology subspecialty, but testing-intensive forensic neuropsychology sits toward the upper end of that distribution, so an estimated $250 to $500 per hour is a reasonable planning range, with deposition and trial testimony typically billed at a premium to record-review and report-writing time. Most practitioners work on a non-refundable retainer drawn down at the hourly rate, with a minimum billing block for depositions and testimony to offset the disruption of court schedules.
What training do you need for forensic neuropsychology?
The base credential is the Houston Conference pathway for clinical neuropsychology: doctoral degree in clinical psychology, APA-accredited internship with neuropsych rotation, two-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology. Board certification (ABPP-CN, American Board of Professional Psychology Clinical Neuropsychology) is functionally required for credible expert-witness work and many courts will not accept testimony from a non-board-certified neuropsychologist in technical neuropsych cases. Additional forensic-specific competency is built through American Academy of Forensic Psychology workshops and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) forensic special interest group. Many practitioners also complete an additional ABPP in Forensic Psychology though this is not strictly required for neuropsych-specific cases.
What is malingering assessment and why does it matter for forensic income?
Performance validity testing (PVT) and symptom validity testing (SVT) are central to credible forensic neuropsychology, particularly in cases with secondary-gain motivation (personal injury claims, disability applications, criminal cases with diminished-capacity defenses). The neuropsychology assessment must include validated PVT measures (TOMM, MSVT, b-Test, Reliable Digit Span, embedded measures) and the report must address performance validity explicitly. Forensic neuropsychologists with strong validity-assessment expertise command higher retainer rates because both plaintiff and defense counsel want clear, defensible determinations. Practitioners known for sloppy or absent validity assessment lose retainer opportunities quickly because opposing counsel will use validity gaps to disqualify or discredit testimony.
How do you build a forensic neuropsych referral pipeline?
Most practitioners start with one-off cases referred by attorneys who already know the practitioner from clinical settings (TBI rehab hospitals, neurorehabilitation programs). Building a sustained pipeline typically requires three to five years of accepting cases from a small number of plaintiff or defense firms, building a reputation for high-quality, defensible reports. Listing on attorney-side expert directories (JurisPro, ExpertPages, Round Table Group, SEAK) generates additional inbound. Speaking at state and national defense or plaintiff legal CLE conferences is the most effective long-term marketing channel. Most established forensic neuropsychologists report the majority of new cases come from repeat-attorney referrals after the first few years.
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