Criminal Injuries Compensation UK: How to Claim

At a glance

• Scheme in force: the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, as amended with effect from 13 June 2019, administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Northern Ireland runs a separate scheme.
• Coverage: victims of violent crime in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).
• Time limit (adults): two years from the date of the incident (paragraph 87). Extension requires exceptional circumstances plus evidence that avoids further extensive enquiries (paragraph 89).
• Time limit (children): if the incident was reported to the police before your 18th birthday, your application must reach CICA by your 20th birthday; if reported on or after your 18th birthday, you have two years from the date of that report (paragraph 88).
• Award structure: a two-part tariff (Annex E) — Part A (physical and mental injury): £1,000 to £250,000 across 20 levels; Part B (fatal injury, sexual and physical abuse): £1,000 to £44,000 across 15 levels. Overall cap on any award: £500,000. Check GOV.UK for current figures.
• No conviction needed: CICA assesses on the balance of probabilities. An acquittal or undetected offender does not bar a claim.
• Conduct and convictions: certain unspent convictions (custodial sentence, community order, and similar) result in automatic refusal; other unspent convictions mean the award is withheld or reduced unless there are exceptional reasons not to. Your own conduct before, during or after the incident can also reduce or bar a claim.
• Legal representation: not required. CICA does not pay legal costs from an award.
• Review deadline: 56 days from the CICA decision letter. Tribunal appeal: 90 days from the review decision.

What the scheme is and who it covers

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is a statutory scheme funded by the UK government and administered by CICA. It provides fixed tariff-based compensation to people who have been directly injured — physically or mentally — as the result of a crime of violence in Great Britain.

What counts as a crime of violence is defined in Annex B of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. It covers a physical attack; any other violent act or omission causing physical injury; a threat against a person causing fear of immediate violence, in circumstances that would put a person of reasonable firmness in that fear; a sexual assault to which the victim did not in fact consent; and arson or fire-raising. The act or omission must be intentional or reckless. The injury must be a direct consequence of the crime, though someone who witnessed a loved one being injured, or who was present in the immediate aftermath, may also be eligible in some circumstances (paragraph 6) — check the scheme guidance on GOV.UK.

Annex B also lists specific exclusions: injuries resulting from suicide or attempted suicide (unless done with intent to injure another person); from the use of a vehicle (unless the vehicle was used with intent to cause injury); from an animal attack (unless the animal was deliberately used to cause injury); and injuries sustained during a sporting or other activity a person consented to by taking part. In practice, this means road traffic incidents are excluded from the scheme in almost all cases.

Northern Ireland has its own separate scheme administered by Compensation Services. The rules differ and are not covered here — see nidirect.gov.uk for guidance.

Scotland is covered by CICA and the same 2012 scheme applies, but one distinction is worth noting: the time it takes for a conviction to become spent differs between Scotland and England and Wales. CICA applies the relevant rehabilitation period based on where the incident took place — the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 as amended by LASPO 2012 for England and Wales; the same Act as amended by the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 for Scotland.

This guide covers the scheme as it applies in England and Wales unless otherwise stated.

Who can apply: residence and nationality

Beyond the crime-of-violence test, an applicant must also meet a residence or nationality condition (paragraphs 10 to 16 of the Scheme). Broadly, you must have been one of the following at the time of the incident, or be "ordinarily resident" in the UK: a British citizen; a close relative of a British citizen; a national of an EU or EEA state (or their family member with the right to be in the UK); a member of the armed forces (or their accompanying close relative); a national of a country that has signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Compensation of Victims of Violent Crimes; a potential victim of human trafficking; or an asylum seeker. This is a genuine gateway requirement — if none of these apply, CICA cannot make an award regardless of how serious the injury was.

Eligibility: the tests every applicant must pass

1. Direct victim of a crime of violence

You must have sustained a physical or mental injury as a direct victim of a crime of violence. The crime must fall within the scheme's definition in Annex B, and your injury must be described in the tariff of injuries at Annex E (if the injury falls below the lowest tariff level, no payment is made even if the crime is proven).

2. Police report

The crime must have been reported to the police. An award will be withheld unless the incident was reported as soon as reasonably practicable (paragraph 22). CICA will contact the police as part of its investigation and will not make an award where there is no record of a report. In deciding whether a report was made soon enough, CICA takes particular account of your age and capacity at the time, and whether the effect of the incident meant an earlier report was not reasonably possible.

3. Cooperation with authorities

You must have cooperated as far as reasonably practicable in bringing the assailant to justice (paragraph 23), and must assist CICA's own investigation of the claim (paragraph 24). CICA can refuse or reduce an award if you failed, without good reason, to assist the police, a prosecution, or CICA's own casework process — for example, repeatedly failing to respond to correspondence.

4. Conduct: your behaviour before, during and after the incident

CICA will look at whether your own behaviour — for example, acting aggressively, provoking a fight, or a history of violence with your assailant — contributed to the incident (paragraph 25). Where it did, CICA can reduce or refuse an award. Intoxication through alcohol or drugs is not treated as "conduct" against you where it simply made you more vulnerable to becoming a victim; it only counts against you where it played a direct role in provoking the incident.

5. Not living with the assailant as family (current rule)

For incidents from 1 October 1979 onwards, paragraph 20 bars an award where the applicant and the assailant were adults living together as members of the same family at the time of the incident — unless they no longer live together and are unlikely to do so again. This is a currently active rule, separate from the historic pre-1979 "same roof rule" discussed below, and it is easy to confuse the two.

Unspent convictions: the rule that catches many applicants

If you have an unspent criminal conviction at the date of your application (or are convicted of an offence before a final decision is made), CICA applies the test in Annex D of the Scheme.

Automatic refusal. An award will not be made at all if you have an unspent conviction that resulted in: a sentence excluded from rehabilitation; a custodial sentence; a sentence of service detention; removal from His Majesty's service; a community order; a youth rehabilitation order; or an equivalent sentence imposed under the law of Northern Ireland, an EU member state, or elsewhere (Annex D, paragraph 3).

Withheld or reduced by default. For any other unspent conviction not on that list, the award will be withheld or reduced unless there are exceptional reasons not to do so (Annex D, paragraph 4) — the presumption works against the applicant, not for them.

The road traffic exception. A conviction where the only penalty was a driving endorsement, penalty points, or a fine under Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 does not count under this test at all (Annex D, paragraph 5).

CICA's own published guide confirms it uses an internal points system "to enhance consistency" in the reduction decisions it makes under paragraph 4, based on how recent and how serious the sentence was — but it also states plainly that it is "not bound by" that system and may make a greater or lesser reduction depending on the facts. CICA does not publish a fixed points-to-percentage formula, so be wary of any source that states a precise numeric cut-off with confidence.

Only unspent convictions count — spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (as amended) are disregarded, and the rehabilitation period that applies depends on whether the incident happened in England and Wales or in Scotland. In 2022, the government consulted on whether to reform the unspent-convictions rule; its response, published in April 2025, concluded no change would be made to it "at the present time." If you have a criminal record, understanding where you stand under Annex D before investing time in a claim is worthwhile — check the current scheme guidance on GOV.UK or seek advice.

How the tariff works: what the scheme pays

The tariff of injuries (Annex E)

Compensation under the 2012 scheme is not assessed like a civil damages claim — there is no assessment of individual pain, suffering and loss of amenity in the way a court would approach it. Instead, each qualifying injury is matched to a fixed tariff level. The tariff is split into two parts:

• Part A — physical and mental injuries: 20 levels, A1 to A20, running from £1,000 (Level A1) up to £250,000 (Level A20, the most serious single injury — for example, substantially complete quadriplegia).
• Part B — fatal injury, and sexual and physical abuse: 15 levels, B1 to B15, running from £1,000 (Level B1) up to £44,000 (Level B15).

Where the value of an injury falls below the lowest level (£1,000), no payment is made even if eligibility is otherwise established. The overall cap on any award, combining every element (injury payment, loss of earnings, special expenses and so on), is £500,000.

Mental injury

A mental injury must be disabling — meaning it has a substantial adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, such as impaired work or school performance, or effects on relationships — and must be confirmed by the diagnosis or prognosis of a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. The lowest level of the mental injury tariff (£1,000) requires the disabling effect to have lasted at least 6 weeks; higher levels apply for longer or permanent effects. Temporary anxiety or similar short-lived reactions do not qualify. Where a mental injury results from a sexual assault, you are entitled to whichever of the two — the sexual assault tariff or the mental injury tariff — gives the higher payment, not both (paragraph 34).

Multiple injuries

Where you have sustained more than one qualifying injury, CICA uses a structured calculation (paragraph 37):

• Most serious injury: 100% of its tariff value
• Second most serious injury: 30% of its tariff value
• Third most serious injury: 15% of its tariff value
• Additional injuries beyond three: not taken into account

This means a claimant with multiple injuries will not receive the full tariff value of each one — the scheme reflects aggregate harm rather than stacking awards. The £500,000 overall cap applies across all elements.

Loss of earnings and special expenses

In addition to an injury tariff payment, CICA can make a payment for loss of earnings or special expenses — but the eligibility bar for both is strict, and neither is assessed against your actual salary in the way a civil damages claim would be.

Loss of earnings

Two conditions must both be met (paragraphs 42–43):

1. As a direct result of the injury, you have no capacity, or only very limited capacity (broadly, no more than a few hours a week), for paid work — restricted or lighter-duty capacity is not enough on its own.
2. You were in paid work on the date of the incident, or had been in regular paid work for at least three years immediately before it, or had a good reason for not being in regular work — for example, full-time education, your age, or caring responsibilities.

You are not paid for the first 28 weeks of loss — the payment period only begins on the first day of the 29th week (paragraph 44). Critically, the payment is not calculated on your actual lost earnings. Both past and future loss of earnings are calculated using the weekly rate of statutory sick pay in force at the date CICA decides your claim (paragraph 47, referencing section 157 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992) — a flat statutory rate that is typically far below most people's actual salary. Future loss is then discounted for early receipt using the multiplier tables in Annex F.

Special expenses

Special expenses are available where you have lost earnings or earning capacity, or been incapacitated to a similar extent, for more than 28 weeks as a direct result of the injury — but unlike loss of earnings, special expenses can be claimed from the date of the injury itself, not just from week 29. Only expenses listed in paragraph 52 qualify, including: replacement of a physical aid lost or damaged in the incident; treatment costs equivalent to NHS provision; special equipment; home adaptations; care or meal-preparation costs; supervision costs to avoid danger to the applicant or others; and certain Court of Protection or Public Guardian fees. A special expense must also be one that is not otherwise available free of charge and whose cost is reasonable.

Not every CICA applicant will be eligible for a loss of earnings or special expenses payment — the majority of awards are tariff-only.

If someone died as a result of a crime

Where a person dies as a direct result of a criminal injury, qualifying relatives (broadly: a spouse, civil partner, long-term partner, parent or child of the deceased) may be eligible for a bereavement payment — £11,000, or £5,500 each where more than one relative qualifies (paragraph 62) — plus a child's payment for dependent children under 18, a dependency payment for those who were financially or physically dependent on the deceased, and a funeral payment of £2,500, extending to a further £2,500 (£5,000 in total) for reasonable additional funeral costs (paragraphs 75–77). The same £500,000 overall cap applies. This guide focuses on injury claims by living applicants; if you are applying following a death, the process and evidence requirements differ and it is worth checking the GOV.UK guidance or taking advice on the specific payments that apply.

The time limit in detail

Adults: two years from the incident

For adult applicants (18 or over at the date of the incident), the standard deadline is two years from the date of the incident, and you should apply as soon as reasonably practicable rather than waiting until this deadline (paragraph 87). Late applications are only accepted where:

1. Exceptional circumstances prevented an earlier application; and
2. The evidence provided means the claim can still be determined without extensive further investigation (paragraph 89).

Both conditions must be met. "I did not know about the scheme" alone is unlikely to be enough. The government's response to its 2022 and 2023 consultations on the Scheme — which considered, among other things, a recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to extend the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to seven years — was published in April 2025 and concluded that no changes would be made to the Scheme's time limits, scope, or unspent-convictions rule "at the present time."

Children and young people: different rules apply

Where the applicant was under 18 on the date of the incident, the time limit depends on when the incident was reported to the police (paragraph 88):

• Reported to the police before the applicant's 18th birthday: the application must reach CICA by the applicant's 20th birthday.
• Reported to the police on or after the applicant's 18th birthday: the application must reach CICA within two years of the date of that first police report.

Either way, the application will not be accepted under this provision unless the evidence supplied means it can be decided without further extensive enquiries. If you were not able to make your own application as a child, a person with parental responsibility could have applied on your behalf — but the time limits above still run from the events described, not from when you turned 18 and could apply yourself. Always verify the current position on GOV.UK.

What happened to the 'same roof rule'?

Until 13 June 2019, the scheme contained what became known as the 'same roof rule': no award was made for a criminal injury sustained between 1 August 1964 and 30 September 1979 if the applicant was living with the assailant as a member of the same family at the time. This disproportionately affected survivors of historic childhood abuse within the family.

The rule was removed from the scheme on 13 June 2019, following the Court of Appeal's decision that it was unlawfully discriminatory (JT v First-tier Tribunal, 2018, which the government chose not to appeal) and sustained campaigning by victim groups. People previously barred by the rule — including those whose claim had already been refused on this basis — were given until 13 June 2021 to make or reapply for a claim relating to the historic incident. CICA retains discretion to consider applications made after that deadline where exceptional circumstances meant an earlier application was not possible, using the same test as the general time-limit extension. If you were a child at the time and could not reasonably have applied within that window, a separate provision allows an application within two years of the date the incident was first reported to the police.

This abolition dealt only with the historic, pre-October-1979 cases. It is separate from the currently active bar in paragraph 20 (see above), which still applies to adults living together as family at the time of an incident from October 1979 onwards.

Applying: the step-by-step process

Before you apply

1. Make sure the crime was reported to the police and obtain the crime reference number — you will need it throughout the application.
2. Get medical attention and ensure injuries are documented. GP and hospital records, mental health assessments, and any treatment notes form the backbone of your evidence. The sooner injuries are recorded with the correct cause noted, the stronger your position.
3. Check the time limit that applies to you. Use the GOV.UK guidance to establish your deadline and whether a late application has any realistic prospects.
4. Consider your criminal record position. If you have unspent convictions, work out where you stand under Annex D before investing time in the application.

Completing the application

You can apply online via GOV.UK at GOV.UK — claim compensation if you were the victim of a violent crime. You will need a GOV.UK One Login account to save and return to the application. A postal route is also available for those who cannot apply online.

The form asks about: the incident itself; the police report and crime reference number; your injuries, treatment received, and medical history; the impact on your work and daily life; and any unspent criminal convictions. Give as much detail as possible and attach supporting documentation where you can — evidence such as payslips, a P60, or a job offer letter will be needed if you are claiming loss of earnings.

CICA will send an acknowledgement of your application. You should usually receive a decision within around 12 months, though complex cases can take longer.

After the decision

CICA will write to you with its decision. You then have three options:

• Accept the award as offered, by notifying CICA within 56 days of the decision letter.
• Request a review (also within 56 days of the decision letter). A different, more senior claims officer will reconsider the case from scratch, is not bound by the earlier decision, and may increase, reduce or leave the award unchanged. CICA can extend the 56-day deadline by a further 56 days once, where exceptional circumstances apply.
• Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Criminal Injuries Compensation) if you remain dissatisfied after a review. You have 90 days from the date of the review decision letter to appeal. The tribunal, part of the Social Entitlement Chamber, is independent of CICA and can uphold the review decision, increase or reduce the award, decide you should get nothing, or send the case back to CICA.

Do you need a solicitor or claims management company?

The scheme is designed to be accessible without legal representation. CICA does not pay legal costs out of an award, so any fees to a solicitor or claims management company come directly from your compensation.

For straightforward tariff claims — a single clearly defined injury, no loss of earnings element, no criminal record issues, reported promptly — many applicants handle the process themselves using the GOV.UK step-by-step guidance.

Professional advice is more likely to be worthwhile where the claim involves historic abuse, multiple injuries, a loss of earnings element, unspent convictions, or a late application requiring an exceptional-circumstances argument. In these cases, an experienced legal adviser can assess whether the claim is likely to succeed and what the realistic award range might be before you invest significant time and effort.

If you do instruct a representative, make sure any fee arrangement is clear upfront — you should know exactly what percentage of any award will be deducted before you agree.

CICA and benefits: a trap to be aware of

A CICA award is a lump sum. Lump sums can count as capital for the purposes of means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit — and if the total of your capital exceeds the applicable threshold, your benefit entitlement can be reduced or stopped entirely.

Where the award is substantial and the recipient relies on means-tested benefits, a personal injury trust can sometimes be used to ring-fence the compensation so that it is not counted as assessable capital. This is a technical area — the rules are strict and the trust must be properly set up. If benefits are a concern, take specialist advice before accepting the award, not after.

This guide provides general information about how the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme works in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The scheme rules described are those of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 as amended, checked against GOV.UK and the published scheme document. Always check GOV.UK for the most current position, as tariff figures and guidance are subject to change.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on scheme amendment.