Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Crime, justice and the law
  3. Compensation for victims

Compensation for criminal injuries

If you've been injured or your parent, child, husband, wife or partner has died because of a violent crime, you may be entitled to compensation.

Eligibility

You may be eligible if you:

  • have been injured seriously enough to qualify for at least the minimum award of £1000.00
  • were injured in an act of violence in Northern Ireland – an offender does not necessarily have to have been convicted of, or even charged with the crime
  • suffered a loss of earnings or special expenses as a result of a criminal injury
  • are making your application within two years of the incident that caused your injury

You may also be eligible to claim if your parent, child, husband, wife, or partner died as a result of a criminal injury.

Applications may still be accepted after two years if, in your particular case, it wasn’t reasonable to expect an application to be made within this time.

If you are a UK resident, but were injured outside of England, Scotland and Wales, but in another European Union (EU) country use the link below to apply for compensation.

  • Applying for criminal injuries compensation in other EU countries

Making a claim online

You may now apply for criminal injury compensation online if the injury was sustained after 1 May 2002.

Find out how to claim for injuries sustained before May 2002.

As part of the online application process, you need to set up an nidirect account for which you have had your identity verified. To learn more about creating an nidirect account and to find your nearest office for identity checks, go to the link below:

  • Identity assurance

To start your online application, go to the link below: 

  • Apply for compensation or track the status of your claim

Download an application form to make a claim

​You can download application forms and further guidance from the links below. Read the guidance notes carefully before completing the form.

  • Claiming for criminal injuries sustained before May 2002
  • Claiming for criminal injuries sustained between May 2002 and March 2009
  • Claiming for criminal injuries sustained from April 2009 onwards

You may also contact the Compensation Services Customer Information Officer to ask for an application form is posted to your address or you can arrange to collect a form from the Compensation Services office.

Help making your claim

Compensation Services offers a free service, processing applications and making awards on criminal injuries, criminal damage and the Justice and Security Act compensation schemes.

If you want to make an application, you can do this yourself, or you can get free help and advice with the application process from Victim Support. You could also pay a solicitor to help you. You should be aware that Compensation Services cannot pay the costs of this for you in cases of criminal injury.

Decision on your claim

As soon as your application is received your details will be registered and a request will be made for a police report about the incident. If you applied online you will be sent an email notification, if you applied in hard copy you will receive an acknowledgement letter. Once the police report is received, a caseworker will look at your claim and decide whether further information is needed, for example, medical evidence or loss of earnings details.

Each application for compensation is determined on its own merits and in keeping with the relevant legislation. When all the information needed to make a decision on your claim is received, the caseworker will assess all the material and decide whether compensation can be paid.

If you have applied online you will be able to log into the portal to receive updates on the progress of your application.

Review a decision

If you are unhappy with the decision made by Compensation Services, you can request a review of the decision, which should be made within three months from the date of the first decision. A different caseworker within Compensation Services will re-assess your claim, and at this stage  you may be asked for further information. You can request this review either online at the Compensation Services portal or in writing.

  • Compensation Services

Appeal a decision

If you are unhappy with the review decision, you can appeal the decision to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland (CICAPNI), which is an independent organisation outside the remit of Compensation Services. Your appeal should be made within three months of the review decision being issued.

  • Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland (CIPAPNI)

Reasons your compensation may be refused or reduced

Compensation Services can decide to reduce or completely refuse your compensation for the following reasons:

  • due to your behaviour before, during or after the incident in which you were injured
  • your criminal record
  • your failure to co-operate with the police, or with Compensation Services
  • your delay in informing the police, or other organisation, or person of the incident

 

Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Compensation for victims

  • Claiming compensation for criminal damage
  • Claiming for criminal injuries sustained before May 2002
  • Claiming for criminal injuries sustained between May 2002 and March 2009
  • Claiming for criminal injuries sustained from April 2009
  • Compensation for criminal injuries
  • Compensation schemes

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS