Recently proposed damage models are presented and compared. In addition, a deterministic algorithm for nonlinear fatigue damage monitoring is presented and discussed. Furthermore, the commonly adopted functional forms for damage modelling is proposed and the adequacy of their functional form is directly investigated by the help of experimental data. Thereafter, the accuracy and whether the presented models give conservative estimates in comparison to Miner’s rule are checked with experimental data. It is found that the proposed models generally perform better for various materials commonly subjected to fatigue. Finally, it is discussed how both the theory and deterministic algorithms now exist for both adopting nonlinear functions in design if the expected loading sequence can be determined, whereas it can always be adopted for fatigue based structural health monitoring.