By Stephen Bishop. Last Updated 12th June 2025. Welcome to our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, where we’ll explore how to make a claim through the CICA.
Did you know that if you’re assaulted or the victim of a sexual assault, you could be entitled to compensation? Unlike making a personal injury claim, you could claim for any criminal assault through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). In this guide, we’ll look at how the CICA compensation scheme works, the eligibility criteria and how much compensation you could receive. We’ll also discuss the types of injury you could claim for and how long claims can take.
Our team of advisors could help you begin a CICA compensation claim. They’ll begin by offering a no-obligation assessment of your claim. Then they’ll offer advice on your options. If the claim has good grounds, they could introduce you to a personal injury lawyer from our panel. If they agree to take your claim on, they’ll work on a No Win, No Fee basis.
To discuss starting a criminal injuries claim right away, please call us on 0333 000 0729 today. Alternatively, please continue reading this CICA compensation guide for further information about claiming.
Jump To A Section
- What Is The CICA?
- How To Make A Claim Through The CICA
- Do I Need Evidence When Making CICA Claims?
- Could I Claim CICA Compensation If No One Has Been Charged Or Convicted?
- How Long Does A CICA Compensation Claim Take?
- Types Of Criminal Injury You Could Claim Compensation For
- Examples Of CICA Payouts – CICA Compensation Calculator
- CICA Payouts – Special Expenses
- How Is Criminal Injury Victim Compensation Paid?
- No Win No Fee CICA Compensation Claims
- Contact Legal Helpline Today
- Where To Learn More
What Is The CICA?
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was set up in 1996. They manage the government’s criminal injuries compensation scheme and use its rules to determine when compensation is awarded. According to their Customer Charter, the CICA aims to provide a service which is:
- Sensitive to victims.
- Fair in the way it assesses compensation requests.
- Efficient in the way that it operates.
- And that tackles any fraudulent claims promptly.
The CICA received 42,000 applications between 2023 and 2024, a 13% increase since 2022.
How To Make A Claim Through The CICA
As well as making your claim within the CICA time limit, there are several other eligibility requirements. These include:
- The crime must’ve taken place in England, Scotland or Wales.
- You must not be responsible in any way for the crime.
- Your injuries need to have been caused by the criminal act against you.
- The crime must have been reported to the police and a crime number provided.
- You must meet the nationality requirements. There’s a full list on the CICA website.
- Your claim might be refused if you have an unspent criminal conviction.
- Your claim can be for physical injuries, sexual or physical abuse, disabling mental injuries, the death of a close relative, funeral expenses and other expenses such as lost earnings.
If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible to claim from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, please ask a member of our team to go through your case with you. In the meantime, to learn more about how to make a claim through the CICA, please continue reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide.
Do I Need Evidence When Making CICA Claims?
To make a valid criminal injury claim through the CICA, you will need to present the relevant evidence. The evidence that is required for all CICA claims includes:
- A police reference number to show that the crime has been reported.
- Evidence that you meet the residency requirements.
- Medical evidence, such as a report from the healthcare provider who treated your injuries.
It is important to note that when you make a claim through the CICA, they will be able to liaise with the police for any information they may need relating to the incident.
You can contact our advisors online or on the phone today if you would like to ask any questions about preparing a criminal injury claim.
Could I Claim CICA Compensation If No One Has Been Charged Or Convicted?
If you meet the CICA claim eligibility requirements, you could still claim if the criminal wasn’t found, charged or convicted. The primary step is to report the crime to the police and obtain a crime number.
The fact that a crime hasn’t been solved is not your fault and won’t affect your ability to claim. If you require any more information or would like us to check if you’re eligible to begin a claim, please get in touch today. To learn more about how to make a claim through the CICA, please continue reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide.
How Long Does A CICA Compensation Claim Take?
In general terms, CICA claims take around 12 to 18 months to be resolved. However, some cases are resolved much quicker. High-value claims might take longer. In longer-term cases, the delay might be because there’s no anticipated recovery date because ongoing medical treatment is required. Therefore, settlement can only be reached when a clear prognosis has been provided.
Contact our advisors now for a proper timeline on how your criminal injury claim would proceed.
What Are The Time Limits For Claiming Through The CICA?
The CICA typically grants a two-year time limit to initiate a criminal injury claim, which commences from the date of the incident. However, there may be exceptions to this time limit in certain cases:
- Under 18: If you were under 18 years old at the time of the incident and a police report was made immediately, the time limit will begin on your 18th birthday. Therefore, once you turn 18, you have 2 years to start your claim. However, if there was no police report made, you will first have to make a report since it is a requirement to claim through the CICA. You will then have 2 years from the date of the report to start your claim.
- Exceptional Circumstances: The CICA may grant an extension on the time limit in certain exceptional circumstances. However, the CICA will assess these on a case-by-case basis.
While discussing how to make a claim through the CICA, it is important to be aware of the time limit. It is advisable to start your claim immediately to avoid any undue delays. Speak to our advisors now for more information on the criminal injury time limits.
Types Of Criminal Injury You Could Claim Compensation For
There are many different types of violent crimes which could cause you to become injured and entitle you to make a CICA claim. Here are some of the most common:
- Assault. Any type of violence against you could cause serious injuries. Crimes of ABH or GBH would fall into this category. Assaults can cause any number of injuries ranging from bruising and broken bones to brain damage. There’s also a possibility that you could suffer psychological trauma.
- Sexual Assault. Any form of sexual assault could entitle you to make a CICA claim. We know that discussing this type of claim with an advisor might be tricky, but we’ll work compassionately and at a speed that suits you.
- Historical Abuse. You might not begin your claim for historical abuse until many years after it happened. In some cases, CICA will allow you to claim within 2 years of when you reported it to the police.
Examples Of CICA Payouts – CICA Compensation Calculator
You could use a CICA compensation calculator to help you get an estimate for compensation in your claim. While not all the information that could be relevant to your claim will be present in a CICA calculator, the tool can help you by showing you the exact compensation for your injury listed within the CICA tariff.
It can also be beneficial in helping you understand how multiple injuries are valued within the scheme. In a claim for multiple injuries suffered in an assault, only three injuries can be claimed for at a time, and only the highest valued injury will be paid out at the full value listed in the tariff. The second highest injury is paid out at a rate of 30%, and the third is paid at a rate of 15%. A CICA calculator can make this compensation calculation for you.
We have included a table below of examples of the CICA payouts listed in the criminal injuries compensation tariff they provide.
Injury Type Compensation Range Notes
Multiple Serious Injuries and Special Expenses Up to £500,000 There may be more than one injury and some financial losses resulting from them.
Arm £33,000 Injuries which cause the loss of the non-dominant arm.
Brain Damage £27,000 Where slight brain damage causes an intellectual deficit, personality change, effect on the senses and some dependence on others.
Foot £13,500 A continuing significant disability caused by fractured tarsal bones in both feet.
Facial Scarring £11,000 Scarring to the face which causes serious disfigurement.
Mental Injury £6,200 Where a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist diagnoses a mental injury that lasts between 2 and 5 years.
Hip £6,200 Where both hips are fractured or dislocated but where there is substantial recovery.
Dislocated Jaw £3,500 Where a dislocated jaw injury causes a significant continuing disability.
Whiplash £3,500 Whiplash that is diagnosed as seriously disabling but not permanent.
Eye Injury £2,400 Where the injury results in slight but permanent blurred or double vision.
Thumb £2,400 A fracture or dislocation of one thumb which causes continuing significant disability.
Lung £1,500 A single punctured lung.
We give more information about the CICA scheme below but our advisors can help you by explaining what else could potentially be included in your claim. Please reach out to an advisor for information about financial losses and eligibility to claim.
CICA Payouts – Special Expenses
As discussed, when claiming through the CICA, your compensation will be based on the figures in the CICA tariff. However, compensation through the CICA can also allow for payments to be made for matters related to bereavement, lost income and in certain circumstances, special expenses – which is additional compensation awarded for related financial losses.
Special expenses in CICA payouts can be requested for costs related to:
- Equipment to help you cope with an injury
- Treatment costs not available for free elsewhere
- Adaptations to your home
If you seek an online tool such as a criminal injuries compensation calculator, this may not take special expenses into account. Our advisers are trained professionals and could offer you better guidance on what you are able to claim through the CICA. Please reach out now for a personalised estimate or a free consultation.
How Is Criminal Injury Victim Compensation Paid?
The CICA scheme pays compensation differently to a normal personal injury claim. They have a tariff or injuries which is used to determine compensation amounts, which is similar to how personal injury claims are dealt with. However, they only pay 100% of the tariff for the most serious injury. The second most serious injury will be paid at 30% of the tariff value and the third most serious at 15%.
Finally, we should point out that claims with a value of less than £1,000 won’t be paid under CICA rules.
If you’d like us to work out how much compensation you might be entitled to claim, please speak with a specialist advisor today. You could help prepare for the call by requesting a copy of your medical records from your GP or the hospital where you were treated. In the meantime, to learn more about how to make a claim through the CICA, please continue reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide.
No Win No Fee CICA Compensation Claims
It’s quite understandable to worry about the cost of hiring a solicitor to help you make a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority claim. That’s why our panel of solicitors offer to work on a No Win, No Fee basis. This reduces the financial risks involved with claiming and lowers the stress involved too. It also means more people are confident enough to claim the compensation they could be entitled to.
When you get in touch, if we refer you to a solicitor from our panel, they’ll assess the merits of your claim with you. If they believe it could be successful, they’ll prepare a No Win, No Fee agreement for you to sign. This is also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement or CFA.
The CFA is a contract between you and your solicitor. Amongst other things, it will confirm that:
- There are no upfront fees.
- You won’t need to pay any solicitor’s fees during the claim process.
- And, finally, if the solicitor is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay their fees.
When a claim is won by your solicitor, they may ask for a small contribution towards their costs. This is known as a success fee and it’s deducted from your compensation. You’ll know what level of success fee you’ll pay as it’s listed in the CFA. You needn’t worry too much about this though as success fees are legally capped.
To find out how to make a claim through the CICA using our No Win No Fee services, please see our contact section below.
Contact Legal Helpline Today
Thanks for reading about how to make a claim through the CICA using our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide. We hope you’ve found the information useful and that you’d now like Legal Helpline to assist with your claim. If that’s the case, here are the best methods of contacting us:
- You can call and speak with a specialist advisor for free claims advice on 0333 000 0729.
- If you prefer, you can use our live chat feature to connect with an online advisor.
- Contact us online
The claims process will start with a no-obligation assessment of your claim. The advisor will review what happened, how you suffered and whether you’re eligible to claim. If they believe your claim has merit, they could refer you to a personal injury solicitor on our panel. If they agree to handle your claim, they’ll do so on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Our panel of solicitors specialises in all forms of a personal injury claim. They’ll provide regular updates as your claim progresses and explain any legal jargon along the way. If you have any questions during your claim, your solicitor will be on hand to provide an answer.
You can begin your claim whenever it’s convenient as our claims line is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
How to make a claim through the CICA FAQs
Where To Learn More
Hopefully, this criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide has answered all your questions on how to make a claim through the CICA. To assist you further, we’ve provided links to some more of our guides below.
- Assault Compensation Claims – A guide that looks specifically at when you could claim compensation following an assault.
- Car Accident Claims – Find out how much compensation you could claim.
- Cycle Accident Claims – Find out how much compensation you could claim.
- If you have suffered abuse as a patient in a hospital, you can read our guide on how you may be able to claim compensation for this.
Victim Support Resources
Finally, if you require further help in any way, here are the details of a number of different support organisations.
- Victim Support – An independent charity that offers support to those affected by crime and traumatic events.
- The Samaritans – The charity which provides confidential support over the phone, email or by letter.
- NAPAC – The National Association for People Abused in Childhood is a UK charity that provides support to adult survivors of physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect.
If there is any more information you would like us to provide, please get in touch with an advisor today.
Thanks for reading our criminal injuries compensation authority claim guide, where we’ll explore how to make a claim through the CICA.
Guide by BE
Edited by REG
