Last Updated 29th October 2025. Being the victim of a criminal injury can be deeply traumatic, shattering your sense of safety and security in the world. The physical and emotional consequences alone can last far beyond the violence and may even be lifelong. So, if you have suffered a criminal injury, you may be wondering, ‘Who pays criminal injuries compensation?’ We can help you answer this and support you every step of the way towards securing criminal injury compensation.
If you call Legal Expert today, our advisors can offer you a free consultation to assess your eligibility and see if you can make a claim. They could connect you with one of our criminal injury solicitors, all of whom offer a client-focused service on No Win No Fee terms. So, if you want to benefit from legal representation built on compassion and experience, all you need to do is contact us today.
4.8 (466 reviews) Your Important Questions Answered
- What qualifies as a criminal injury? A criminal injury is any physical or mental injury caused by a violent crime, ranging from a stab wound to an acid attack.
- How can criminal injuries be prevented? Criminal injuries can be prevented through a range of measures, including securing your home and addressing the underlying causes of crime.
- Who pays compensation for a criminal injury? The government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) can pay out an award if compensation cannot be sought through a civil claim.
- How is criminal injury compensation determined? Criminal injury compensation is determined by the severity of the injury and the presence of any financial losses.
- Do you need to claim with a criminal injury solicitor? While it isn’t required, claiming with an experienced criminal injury solicitor can increase your chances of success and help you navigate the process.
Can I Make A Criminal Injury Compensation Claim?
If you have been involved in a crime of violence, you may be eligible to make a criminal injury claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA awards compensation to people who have suffered criminal injuries.
However, to be able to make a claim via the CICA, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must have been injured in a crime of violence. Some examples that the CICA Scheme class as a crime of violence include assault, arson and sexual assault.
- The incident must have taken place in England, Scotland, Wales or another relevant place, such as a ship registered to one of these countries.
- You must have reported the incident to the police.
- You must adhere to the relevant time limits. Generally, you will have 2 years to start your claim from the date you reported the incident to the police. However, certain exceptions could be made.
To learn more about the exceptions to this 2-year time limit or to discuss your potential claim, you can contact our advisors.
Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation?
As we have mentioned in the previous section, you could make a criminal injury claim through the CICA. The CICA is an executive agency sponsored by the Ministry of Justice who pays criminal injuries compensation to people who have been injured in a violent crime in Great Britain.
If you have a valid claim, your injuries will be valued in line with the tariff of injuries that is set out in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. Later in this guide, we will provide some examples of the amounts listed in this tariff.
When making a CICA claim for your criminal injuries, there are various factors that could affect your eligibility or whether your award should be reduced. These include:
- Your character, including whether you have any previous unspent criminal convictions.
- Whether you have cooperated with the police and their attempts to find and prosecute the assailant.
- Whether you’ve attempted to claim through another channel first.
- If you’ve claimed benefits relating to your injuries or received compensation through another source.
To discuss starting a criminal injury claim through the CICA, you can contact our advisors.
What Can CICA Payouts Include?
If you make a successful claim for criminal injuries compensation through the CICA, you will receive compensation for your injuries. As previously stated, your injuries will be valued in line with the tariff of injuries set out in the CICA Scheme. If your claim is successful, you will receive the amount listed that relates to your injury.
CICA payouts could also include special expenses. Under special expenses, you might receive:
- Equipment needed to cope with your injuries, such as specially adapted kitchen equipment.
- Adaptations to your home, such as installing a ramp.
- Any equipment that was damaged in the incident that you relied on as a physical aid, such as your hearing aids.
- Care costs that relate to food preparation or your bodily functions.
All of these costs must have been necessary, reasonable, and directly resulting from your injury. They also cannot be available for free elsewhere.
You may also be eligible to make a claim for a loss of earnings. However, you must meet specific criteria to do so.
Contact our advisors today to discuss your criminal injury claim and to see if you could be eligible to claim for a loss of earnings.
Examples Of CICA Payouts
One thing you probably want to know is how much compensation you are going to receive. Your solicitor will not be able to give you an exact figure. However, they will be able to give you a good indication of how much you could end up receiving. The level of compensation depends on two things.
Firstly, you are compensated for your injuries, and this is based on the severity of them and the impact it is having on your life. Secondly, you will be compensated for any out-of-pocket expenses you have suffered because of your injuries.
In the table below, you’ll find entries from the CICA tariff. The top row shows the maximum amount that can be awarded under this scheme.
| Injury Description | Description | Standard Compensation Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Significant Financial Losses | Financial impact may be property damage, lost earnings, and home adaptations | Up to £500,000 |
| Moderate Brain Damage | Some Dependence on Others, Intellectual Deficit and Personality Change | £55,000 |
| Arm Injury | Loss of Non-Dominant Arm | £33,000 |
| Burns | Affecting Multiple Areas and Covering 25% of Total Skin, Causing Scarring | £33,000 |
| Hip | Fractured or Dislocated Hips Causing Continuing Significant Disability | £16,500 |
| Loss of Thumb | Amputation of 1 Thumb | £16,500 |
| Ankle | Continuing Significant Disability of Both Ankles | £16,500 |
| Eye | Blow Out or Fracture Causing Permanent Blurred or Double Vision | £13,500 |
| Heel | Fractured Heel Bone of Both Feet Causing Continuing Significant Disability | £13,500 |
| Back Injury | Ruptured Invertebral Disc(s) | £11,000 |
If the injury you have sustained is not featured in the table above, you do not need to fret – you can still make a personal injury claim. You simply need to give us a call and we will elaborate further on the sort of payout you may receive.
How Long Do CICA Claims Take To Settle?
There is no specific timeframe for when a CICA claim will reach a settlement. However, if your claim is successful, you will receive a compensation payout for your suffering at the end of the claims process.
The circumstances of all CICA claims are different. For some, it may be straightforward to establish that they were the victim of a crime of violence. However, for others, this may be more difficult, specifically if the perpetrator is unknown. Therefore, until your claim has been reviewed by our solicitors, we cannot accurately state when your claim will be settled.
Here are some factors that determine the length of your claim:
- Whether you are still suffering from your injuries or receiving treatment for them
- Whether the CICA needs additional information from you
- The time it takes to review your injuries and losses to calculate your compensation
Understandably, being the victim of a criminal injury may have a detrimental impact on many aspects of your life. Therefore, our solicitors will work exceptionally hard on your claim to reach a settlement within a reasonable time frame so that you can move on from this difficult period.
If you have any questions, such as ‘Who pays criminal injuries compensation once a settlement has been reached?’, contact our friendly advisors.
Can I Claim Criminal Injuries Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
If you have been involved in an accident that was not your fault and you are thinking about making a claim, you may be a little bit worried about how you are going to fund it. Solicitors are notorious for charging very high fees, and you may not want to invest enormous sums of money in such a service when there is no guarantee that you are going to receive a payout at the end of it. This is an understandable view, but the good news is that there is a way around this.
The best way to combat the issue that has been mentioned is to look for a solicitor who is willing to work under a No Win No Fee payment agreement. By doing this, you are not required to front a big sum of money in order to prompt the professional to start putting your case together. This is not the only benefit. A No Win No Fee service means that you only need to pay legal fees if your case is a success. Therefore, if the solicitor in question does not manage to secure compensation for you, you don’t have to worry about paying for the legal expenses out of your own pocket. This is extremely important, as it reduces risk by a huge degree and gives you that much-needed peace of mind.
Here at Legal Expert, we can potentially provide No Win No Fee solicitors to support criminal injury claims. Therefore, you can be confident that we have the best solution for you. You know that our solicitors are going to be working hard to secure compensation for you, as they are impacted by the outcome of the case. Not only this, but you can rest assured that we will be honest with you throughout as well. If we do not think your case is strong enough, we will tell you that your chances of securing compensation are slim, and that it’s not worth the hassle.
Get Free Advice Or Make A Claim Today
You can reach out to us now to get some free advice or you can take advantage of our free case check. You can speak with us now by:
- Calling 0800 073 8804
- Requesting a call back on our contact page
- Or speak with us now by using our live chat service
More Resources On Who Pays Criminal Injuries Compensation
If you’re in need of any further information, you can always give us a ring, but if you’d prefer to do a little reading first, these pages may be interesting to you.
- Find out how long a criminal injury claim takes.
- See if you can claim without pressing charges.
If you have any more questions on who pays criminal injury compensation, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
