Criminal injuries compensation calculator: How much could you receive?

What’s your claim actually worth? Most victims struggle to understand criminal injuries compensation calculator figures and whether their criminal injuries PTSD or criminal injuries scarring qualifies for payment. The UK’s criminal injuries tariff system pays between £1,000 and £500,000, but miscategorising your injury costs thousands in lost criminal injuries payouts. Criminal injuries amounts hinge on specific medical evidence and tariff band placement; get it wrong and your award drops dramatically. Understanding criminal injuries much you can claim requires expertise in personal injury assessment and CICA guidelines. A specialist criminal injury solicitor maximises your compensation and prevents errors that slash your final settlement.

Discover exactly how much your claim is worth and the costly errors that could slash your payout.

Do you need a solicitor?

We will connect you with the right solicitor, near you.

Find a solicitor near me Request a call

How the criminal injuries tariff system works

The criminal injuries tariff operates as a fixed-scale system with 25 distinct bands, each specifying exact criminal injuries amounts for different injury severities. Your criminal injuries compensation calculator figure depends entirely on which tariff level your injury falls into, not on subjective assessments or negotiations:

• Tariff level structure: The scheme ranks injuries from Level 1 (£1,000 for minor harm like temporary mental anxiety) to Level 25 (£500,000 for catastrophic brain damage or permanent paralysis). Each level corresponds to specific medical descriptions that determine your band placement.
• Multiple injury rules: Suffering several injuries doesn’t mean adding all tariffs together. CICA pays 100% of your highest-rated injury, 30% of the second highest, and 15% of the third; capped at three injuries maximum regardless of total harm suffered.
• Medical evidence requirements: Your GP records, hospital reports, psychiatric assessments, and specialist consultant opinions directly influence tariff classification. Inadequate documentation pushes claims into lower bands, slashing criminal injuries payouts by thousands.
• Time limits apply: Claims must reach CICA within two years of the crime date, though exceptions exist for childhood abuse or when injuries weren’t immediately apparent. Missing this deadline forfeits your entire award.

Criminal injuries compensation calculator: Payout examples by injury type

The criminal injuries compensation calculator assigns specific monetary values based on injury severity across three main categories. These criminal injuries payouts reflect medical impact rather than pain experienced, meaning identical suffering can yield vastly different criminal injuries amounts depending on clinical diagnosis:

1. Minor injuries (Tariff levels 1-5): Level 1 pays £1,000 for temporary mental anxiety lasting up to six weeks with full recovery. Level 3 awards £2,000 for minor facial scarring under 2cm or simple nasal fractures. Level 5 reaches £3,300 for injuries like fractured ribs, dislocated shoulders, or minor PTSD requiring brief treatment. These claims typically resolve within months.
2. Moderate injuries (Tariff levels 6-15): Level 8 provides £6,800 for permanent visible scarring on arms or legs, whilst Level 10 awards £11,000 for criminal injuries scarring on the face causing ongoing distress. Level 13 pays £22,000 for moderate traumatic brain injury with cognitive difficulties, and Level 15 reaches £33,000 for conditions like criminal injuries PTSD requiring long-term psychiatric care or sexual assault causing severe psychological harm.
3. Serious injuries (Tariff levels 16-25): Level 18 awards £63,000 for loss of a kidney or severe facial disfigurement requiring reconstructive surgery. Level 22 pays £175,000 for paralysis of one limb or total blindness in one eye. Level 25 reaches the maximum £500,000 for quadriplegia, permanent vegetative state, or complete loss of sight.

Compensation limits and caps you should know

The criminal injuries tariff imposes strict financial ceilings that can dramatically reduce what victims actually receive, regardless of injury severity. These caps operate independently of the tariff bands themselves, meaning your compensation payouts may exceed what CICA ultimately pays:

• Maximum award ceiling: The absolute cap sits at £500,000 for Level 25 injuries, even when medical costs, lost earnings, and care needs exceed this figure. Victims with catastrophic injuries requiring lifetime care often face shortfalls running into millions compared to civil compensation claims.
• Multiple injury cap: When claiming for several injuries, the combined total cannot exceed what a single Level 25 injury would pay. The 100%-30%-15% rule for your three highest-rated injuries applies, but CICA stops payments once you hit £500,000 regardless of additional harm suffered.
• Loss of earnings restrictions: Criminal injuries payouts for lost income cap at £27,000 annually (indexed yearly) and only cover 28 weeks maximum. High earners lose substantially more than this limit compensates, and self-employed victims face additional documentation hurdles proving actual income loss.
• Special expenses threshold: Claims for medical costs, care expenses, or equipment needs only qualify once they exceed £1,000 total. Amounts below this threshold receive nothing, forcing victims to absorb costs that would be recoverable in civil litigation.

Factors that can increase or reduce your award

Your final criminal injuries compensation calculator figure rarely matches the tariff band value due to adjustment factors CICA applies during assessment. These modifications can double your criminal injuries payouts or eliminate them entirely, making procedural compliance as critical as injury severity:

• Criminal record deductions: Unspent convictions trigger automatic reductions; minor offences cut awards by 25%, whilst serious violent crimes or sexual offences can reduce payments by 100%. CICA reviews your entire criminal history, not just convictions related to your victimisation, and applies the harshest reduction justified by any single offence.
• Cooperation with police: Failing to report the crime promptly, refusing to provide witness statements, or declining to support prosecution slashes criminal injuries amounts significantly. CICA expects full cooperation unless legitimate reasons exist, such as domestic abuse situations where reporting endangered your safety.
• Contributory conduct: If CICA determines you provoked the attack, consented to risk, or behaved aggressively beforehand, they reduce awards proportionately. Even victims of unprovoked assaults face reductions when alcohol intoxication or prior arguments suggest partial responsibility, regardless of legal fault.
• Previous applications: Successfully claiming compensation for earlier crimes doesn’t prevent new applications, but multiple claims trigger enhanced scrutiny. CICA examines patterns suggesting lifestyle risks or repeat victimisation that might justify reduced criminal injuries much you receive for subsequent incidents.

FAQs

Can I claim criminal injuries compensation if the attacker was never caught or convicted?

CICA doesn’t require the attacker’s identification or conviction. Your claim succeeds based on evidence the crime occurred; police reports, witness statements, and medical records proving your injuries.

Does claiming criminal injuries compensation affect other benefits I receive?

CICA awards can reduce means-tested benefits like Universal Credit as they count as capital. However, personal injury trusts allow you to ring-fence compensation above £16,000, protecting your benefit entitlement.

What happens if my injuries worsen years after my claim was settled?

You can apply to reopen your claim within two years of worsening if the deterioration was unforeseeable. Medical evidence proving condition progression, not just continued symptoms, is essential for reassessment.

The criminal injuries tariff system determines exact criminal injuries amounts through fixed bands, but maximising your criminal injuries payouts requires expert tariff classification and reduction defence. Specialist legal support transforms criminal injuries compensation calculator estimates into full awards you deserve.

Get your maximum compensation!

Qredible’s network of specialist criminal injury solicitors work on no-win-no-fee terms to secure the highest possible criminal injuries payouts for your claim.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The criminal injuries tariff operates through 25 fixed bands paying £1,000 to £500,000, with your award determined by precise injury classification rather than negotiation or subjective assessment.
• Multiple injury claims follow the 100%-30%-15% rule across your three highest-rated injuries, whilst strict caps limit loss of earnings and special expenses regardless of actual costs incurred.
• CICA applies reductions for criminal convictions, contributory conduct, or cooperation failures that can slash your final payment, making specialist solicitor representation essential for maximising criminal injuries payouts and challenging unfair deductions.