Northern Ireland criminal injuries compensation tariff: levels, amounts and calculator
Last updated · By Mustafa Bilgic · Figures from the Northern Ireland Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2009, as amended in 2020
This page lists the 25 tariff levels, puts every injury description from the scheme's Tariff of Injuries into a searchable calculator, and explains the rules that change the award: the multiple injury formula, the rules for mental illness and for awards paid on top, the fatal injury payments and the time limits. It is separate from the scheme for England, Scotland and Wales, which is covered on our CICA tariff of injuries page.
NI criminal injuries tariff levels
Level 1 is the minimum award under the scheme and Level 25 is the maximum for any single description of injury. An injury must be serious enough to qualify for at least the Level 1 amount.
| Level | Amount | Level | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | £1,000 | Level 14 | £13,500 |
| Level 2 | £1,250 | Level 15 | £16,500 |
| Level 3 | £1,500 | Level 16 | £19,000 |
| Level 4 | £1,750 | Level 17 | £22,000 |
| Level 5 | £2,000 | Level 18 | £27,000 |
| Level 6 | £2,500 | Level 19 | £33,000 |
| Level 7 | £3,300 | Level 20 | £44,000 |
| Level 8 | £3,800 | Level 21 | £55,000 |
| Level 9 | £4,400 | Level 22 | £82,000 |
| Level 10 | £5,500 | Level 23 | £110,000 |
| Level 11 | £6,600 | Level 24 | £175,000 |
| Level 12 | £8,200 | Level 25 | £250,000 |
| Level 13 | £11,000 |
NI criminal injuries tariff calculator
468 injury entries, paragraph 28 applied
Or choose from the list
| Injury | Paid |
|---|
How several injuries are paid
Paragraph 28 of the scheme sets the formula for more serious but separate injuries, unless the tariff says otherwise: the tariff amount for the highest-rated injury, plus 30% for the second highest, 15% for the third and 10% for any remaining injuries. The nidirect guide gives this example: a depressed fracture of the skull (£4,400), the loss of two front teeth (£4,400) and an undisplaced fracture of the nasal bones (£1,000) give £4,400 plus £1,320 plus £150, a total of £5,870. Add the same three injuries to the calculator to check it.
- Mental and physical injury. If the physical injury has the higher tariff amount, only the physical injury is paid. If the mental injury's amount is the same or higher, both are paid under the multiple injury formula.
- Sexual offence and mental injury. Only the higher of the two tariff amounts is paid.
- Paid on top. The award for infection with HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C is not subject to the formula and may be paid in addition, as are the additional awards for pregnancy, disease or infection resulting from a sexual offence.
- Minor multiple injuries. These qualify only if there are at least three separate physical injuries, at least one of which still had significant effects 6 weeks after the incident, and the injuries needed at least 2 visits to or by a medical practitioner within those 6 weeks.
Tariff amounts for common injuries
The tables below quote a selection of entries from the Tariff of Injuries. The calculator above holds every entry.
| Injury (Tariff of Injuries) | Level | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Damage: Minor head injury: Brain injury, if any, minimal. Concussion/impairment of balance/headaches: lasting 6 to 28 weeks | 3 | £1,500 |
| Brain Damage: Minor head injury: Brain injury, if any, minimal. Concussion/impairment of balance/headaches: permanent | 12 | £8,200 |
| Brain Damage: Minor brain damage: Good recovery, able to socialise and return to work but persisting problems with concentration, memory, disinhibition of mood affecting lifestyle, leisure activities, future work prospects: slight and short lived (6 months) | 12 | £8,200 |
| Brain Damage: Moderate brain damage: Some dependence on others, intellectual deficit, personality change, ability to work reduced, some effect on the senses: moderate | 21 | £55,000 |
| Skull: Fracture: simple: no operation | 6 | £2,500 |
| Skull: Fracture: depressed: requiring operation | 11 | £6,600 |
| Injury (Tariff of Injuries) | Level | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Face: Fractured mandible and/or maxilla (jaw bones): no operation: substantial recovery | 7 | £3,300 |
| Face: Fractured zygoma (malar/cheek bone): operation required: continuing significant disability | 10 | £5,500 |
| Nose: Fracture of nasal bones: undisplaced | 1 | £1,000 |
| Nose: Fracture of nasal bones: displaced | 3 | £1,500 |
| Teeth: Loss of: front tooth/teeth (incisor or canine): one front tooth | 7 | £3,300 |
| Teeth: Loss of: front tooth/teeth (incisor or canine): two or three front teeth | 9 | £4,400 |
| Neck: Strained neck or whiplash injury: disabling: for 6 to 13 weeks | 1 | £1,000 |
| Neck: Strained neck or whiplash injury: disabling: for more than 13 weeks | 6 | £2,500 |
| Neck: Strained neck or whiplash injury: seriously disabling: permanent | 13 | £11,000 |
| Injury (Tariff of Injuries) | Level | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mental illness: Disabling mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric diagnosis: lasting up to 28 weeks | 6 | £2,500 |
| Mental illness: Disabling mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric diagnosis: lasting over 28 weeks to 2 years | 9 | £4,400 |
| Mental illness: Disabling mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric diagnosis: lasting 2 years to 5 years | 12 | £8,200 |
| Mental illness: Disabling mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric diagnosis: lasting over 5 years but not permanent | 14 | £13,500 |
| Mental illness: Permanent mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric prognosis: moderately disabling | 16 | £19,000 |
| Mental illness: Permanent mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric prognosis: seriously disabling | 18 | £27,000 |
| Injury (Tariff of Injuries) | Level | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wrist: Fractured/dislocated, including scaphoid fracture: one wrist: substantial recovery | 9 | £4,400 |
| Wrist: Fractured/dislocated, including scaphoid fracture: one wrist: continuing significant disability | 12 | £8,200 |
| Wrist: Sprained: one wrist: disabling for more than 13 weeks | 6 | £2,500 |
| Hand: Fractured hand: one hand: substantial recovery | 5 | £2,000 |
| Shoulder: Dislocated: one shoulder: substantial recovery | 4 | £1,750 |
| Finger and Thumb: Fracture/dislocation of: index finger: one hand: substantial recovery | 4 | £1,750 |
| Injury (Tariff of Injuries) | Level | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Back: Strained: disabling: for 6 to 13 weeks | 1 | £1,000 |
| Back: Strained: disabling: for more than 13 weeks | 6 | £2,500 |
| Back: Fracture of vertebra: one vertebra: substantial recovery | 6 | £2,500 |
| Knee: Arthroscopy (investigative surgery / repair to knee), no fracture | 5 | £2,000 |
| Ankle: Fractured or Dislocated: one ankle: substantial recovery | 9 | £4,400 |
| Ankle: Sprained: one ankle: disabling for more than 13 weeks | 6 | £2,500 |
| Tibia (shin bone): Fractured: one leg: substantial recovery | 8 | £3,800 |
| Leg: Loss of: one leg: below knee | 19 | £33,000 |
Fatal injury and bereavement awards
Where a victim has died, a qualifying claimant can claim a bereavement award. If only one person qualifies, the standard amount is Level 13 (£11,000). Where more than one person qualifies, each receives Level 10 (£5,500), and the same Level 10 amount applies to one claimant if the Department knows of other people who would qualify. Additional payments can be made to dependants, and a former spouse or civil partner, or someone estranged from the deceased, cannot claim a bereavement award.
Who can claim, time limits and reductions
- You must have been injured in an act of violence in Northern Ireland. The offender does not have to have been convicted of, or even charged with, the crime.
- The application must be received within two years of the incident, or, if you were under 18 at the time, within two years of your 18th birthday. The time limit can be waived only if it was not reasonable to expect an earlier application and it is practicable to consider the claim.
- Compensation can be reduced or refused because of your behaviour before, during or after the incident, your criminal record, a failure to co-operate with the police or Compensation Services, or a delay in reporting the incident.
- Loss of earnings can be claimed if you have been off work or incapacitated for longer than 28 weeks, and special expenses can also be claimed.
You can apply online through nidirect or on a paper form, and Victim Support NI gives free, independent help. Legal fees cannot be claimed back. If you disagree with a decision you can ask for a review within three months, and then appeal to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland within three months of the review decision. Compensation Services can be contacted on 0300 200 7887.
How the NI scheme differs from the CICA scheme in Great Britain
England, Scotland and Wales use the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, whose Part A tariff has 20 levels from £1,000 to £250,000 and pays 100%, 30% and 15% for up to three injuries. The Northern Ireland 2009 scheme has 25 levels over the same range and also pays 10% for each injury after the third. For injury amounts in a civil claim in Northern Ireland, see our guide to the Green Book in Northern Ireland.
Sources and methodology
All 470 entries in the Tariff of Injuries, and the 25 levels, were read from the Department of Justice scheme document and checked against the tariff printed in the nidirect guide: the level and amount of every entry match, in the same order. The calculator applies paragraph 28 and Notes 2 and 8 to the Tariff, and reproduces the £5,870 example in the guide.
- The Northern Ireland Criminal Injuries Compensation (Amendment 2020) Scheme (2009), Department of Justice, on justice-ni.gov.uk (PDF).
- Guide to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2009, on nidirect (PDF).
- Claiming compensation for criminal injuries and Claiming for criminal injuries sustained from April 2009, on nidirect.
Frequently asked questions
What are the lowest and highest awards in the NI tariff?
Level 1 is £1,000, the minimum award under the scheme, and Level 25 is £250,000, the maximum for any single description of injury. Awards over £500,000 may be paid in stages.
How does the NI scheme pay for more than one injury?
It pays the full tariff amount for the highest-rated injury, 30% for the second, 15% for the third and 10% for each remaining injury. The nidirect guide's example of a skull fracture, two front teeth and a nasal fracture comes to £5,870.
How much is a broken wrist under the NI tariff?
A fractured or dislocated wrist, including a scaphoid fracture, is Level 9 (£4,400) for one wrist with substantial recovery, and Level 12 (£8,200) with continuing significant disability.
What is the time limit for a criminal injuries claim in Northern Ireland?
The application must be received within two years of the incident, or within two years of the 18th birthday if the applicant was under 18. The limit can be waived only in limited circumstances.
Can I challenge a Compensation Services decision?
Yes. You can ask for a review within three months of the first decision, and then appeal to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland within three months of the review decision.