What Is The Maximum Payout For Criminal Injuries Compensation?

After being injured in a violent crime, you may be interested in finding out the criminal injuries compensation maximum payout. In this guide, we’ll discuss CICA claims and how long they can take to be settled. We’ll also let you know if you are eligible to make a compensation claim for injuries sustained in a crime of violence.

criminal injuries compensation maximum payout

Criminal injuries compensation maximum payout guide

Furthermore, we’ll discuss how you could work with a criminal injury lawyer to improve your chances of receiving CICA compensation. You’ll also learn about working with lawyers to help you meet the CICA claim time limit.

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Criminal Injuries Compensation – The Maximum Payout 

If you are a victim of a violent crime, you could be entitled to make a claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). They are an executive agency that can award compensation to people who have been injured in a crime of violence. 

The CICA’s definition of a crime of violence can be found in their Scheme. It includes incidents like assault and battery, rape, sexual assault and acid attacks, for example.

There are certain caveats to claiming through the CICA. For example, in order to do so, you need to have reported the incident to the police.

The criminal injuries compensation maximum payout is £500,000. This is before the CICA makes any reductions to your payment; we will look at what reductions could apply to your settlement later on in this guide.

Continue reading for more information. Alternatively, contact our advisors for free legal advice. 

Potential Compensation From Claims Through The CICA 

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme offers compensation for victims of violent crime. You could be compensated for the physical and psychological impact that this has had on you. 

We have taken some of the figures from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority tariff and included them in our table below. You can use this as an alternative to a criminal injury claim calculator. 

InjuryNotesCompensation Amount
Brain InjuryVery serious.£175,000
Loss Of SightSerious permanent loss of visual field.£44,000
Mental InjurySeriously disabling permanent mental injury confirmed by medical professional.£27,000
BurnsSevere head burns.£16,500
Burns Serious disfigurement of the neck.£4,600
Loss Of EarLoss of one ear.£11,000
Shoulder InjuryBoth shoulders dislocated with continuing significant disability.£6,200
Hand InjuryOne hand fractured with continuing significant disability.£3,500
Wrist InjuryOne wrist fractured or dislocated with a substantial recovery.£2,400
Head InjuryMinor head injury lasting 28 weeks or more.£1,500

Should you suffer multiple injuries, the CICA can only offer compensation for the three most significant injuries. You will receive 100% compensation for the most highly-valued injury, 30% for the second highest-valued injury and 15% for the injury with the lowest value.

Can Special Expenses Make Up Part Of My Criminal Injuries Compensation? 

You may question, ‘do victims of crime get compensation for any financial harm caused by injuries?’ Special expenses account for any necessary financial costs you have incurred as a result of your injuries. For example, if the assault led to any equipment that you need, such as glasses or a hearing aid, being damaged or destroyed.

Other special expenses include:

  • Equipment that you require to cope with any injuries, such as a specially adapted car
  • Home adaptations, such as a stairlift
  • Cost of care that is associated with your bodily functions or food preparation

Additionally, You may also claim back a loss of earnings in relation to your claim as long as you were left unable to work for over 28 full weeks after the incident or have a severely limited ability to do so; this will not be backdated to the date of the incident. In order to claim special expenses, you will also need to have demonstrated a loss of earnings; this payment will not be backdated. 

Having determined what the criminal injuries compensation maximum payout is, you might wish to know more about the process of claiming.

When Are You Eligible To Make Claims Through The CICA? 

Do you wonder, ‘what is the criminal injury compensation eligibility criteria? There are a number of factors that can affect your eligibility to start a claim in this way. For example, you must have reported the incident to the police. Furthermore, the crime must have occurred in England, Scotland or Wales or another relevant place. 

Other criteria to consider includes:

  • A crime of violence must have caused your injury
  • You need to claim within the relevant time limit
  • Your injuries need to meet the minimum value threshold of £1,000
  • You must not be able to claim through any other channel

Continue reading to find out what you’ll need to make a CICA claim as well as what time limits could apply to your circumstances. 

What You Need To Claim Through The CICA 

When making a claim through the CICA tariff, you’ll be required to provide evidence to the CICA. This could include: 

  • Evidence that you meet the residency requirements
  • Proof that you reported the incident in the form of a police reference number
  • Medical evidence

The CICA will then be able to communicate with the police about your claim. For example, if you have any unspent criminal convictions this could affect your award amount; the CICA can confirm this with the police.

Our advisors offer free legal advice and can give you further guidance on what evidence you could collect to support your claim. They can also verify your eligibility to make a claim. If you could be entitled to the criminal injuries compensation maximum payout, they could make you aware of this. 

Is There A Time Limit To Receiving Compensation Through The CICA? 

Do you wonder, “how long do I have to claim criminal injuries compensation?” You should generally make a claim within 2 years of reporting the incident to the police. Reporting should be done as soon as possible after the incident. “As soon as possible” in this context generally means immediately after the incident occurred, but if this was not possible because of exceptional circumstances then this could be taken into account. 

The CICA may extend the time limit under exceptional circumstances, such as:

  • If exceptional circumstances meant that you could not pursue compensation within the two-year time limit, then your claim could be considered outside of this window. This could be the case in an instance of historical sexual abuse, for example.
  • If a claimant was a child when they were criminally injured, they have two years from the date of their 18th birthday to bring forward a claim provided the incident was reported while they were underage. If it was not reported, then the time limit would run from when it’s reported (which should be done as soon as possible). 

You might also be wondering, ‘how long do CICA claims take?’ According to their most recent Annual Reports and Accounts, 68% of new applications were settled within 12 months. However, since each case is unique, there is no average time for when a claim might be settled. The more evidence you have, the more likely your claim will be settled quickly. 

Speak to our advisors if you have any questions about the time limits for making a compensation claim for assault or another form of criminal injury. They may also be able to connect you to one of the compensation solicitors from our panel.

Why Make A Criminal Injuries Compensation Claim On A No Win No Fee Basis? 

You might be interested in working with a criminal injury solicitor in your criminal injury claim. A solicitor could help you collect evidence to improve your chances of getting the maximum CICA compensation that is applicable for your case.

A No Win No Fee agreement could be offered to you by a solicitor. You could be offered a kind of No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement. That’s because you’ll only be responsible for paying their fees if you’re awarded criminal injury compensation. If you do not receive a CICA payout, you generally won’t incur any fees. 

If your claim is successful and you are awarded assault compensation payouts, your solicitor deducts a success fee that is capped under the Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013. This will leave you with the majority of the compensation you’re awarded. 

Want To See If You Can Claim? Contact Us 24/7 For Free Legal Advice 

Our panel of solicitors have worked on plenty of successful claims for compensation for victims of violent crime. They can offer guidance and support throughout the process. 

To check your eligibility to work with a solicitor from our panel, get in touch for a free consultation from our advisors using the following methods:

Learn More About The Potential Maximum Payout For Criminal Injuries Compensation 

Below, we have included links to some more of our guides: 

Furthermore, you might find the resources below helpful:

That concludes our guide on the criminal injuries compensation maximum payout. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any more questions on CICA claims.

Writer Lewis Jacks

Publisher Fern Shelley