Compensation in Northern Ireland

Compensation Services, part of the Department of Justice, handles criminal injuries and criminal damage claims free of charge. You do not need a solicitor to apply.

Criminal injuries compensation

If you've been injured or affected because of a violent crime or your parent, child, husband, wife or partner has died because of a violent crime, you may be entitled to compensation. 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
• are making your application within two years of the incident that caused your 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. Victims of human trafficking and of historical sexual abuse can also apply.

You can apply online through an nidirect account, or on a paper form. Victim Support NI gives free help with the application. If you are unhappy with the decision, ask for a review within three months from the date of the first decision, then appeal to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland within three months of the review decision. See nidirect: criminal injuries.

Criminal damage to your home or car

You may be entitled to compensation if there has been physical damage to your property or vehicle. The damage must have been caused within Northern Ireland, either by an unlawful assembly of three or more people, or by a person acting in connection with an unlawful association such as a terrorist group.

You can apply if you suffer a loss of more than £200.00 because of that damage. You must complete and send your notice of intention within 10 days of the damage being caused to the property or vehicle. See nidirect: criminal damage.

Damage or injury from a road or pavement defect

If your property or vehicle has been damaged, or you’ve suffered a personal injury, due to a road or street problem and you believe the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is responsible, you can make a claim for compensation. There is no automatic entitlement to compensation. Each claim must be investigated.

Report the defect first and keep the 'W' reference number. You must send photographs of the damage to your property or vehicle so your claim can be processed. The average decision takes four months for vehicle damage and six months for property damage or injury. See nidirect: road or street claims.

Moved to Universal Credit by a wrong decision

If you had to move to Universal Credit because of a decision that was later found to be incorrect, you may be entitled to a one-off payment. You may be due compensation if all of these apply:

• you were getting Housing Benefit, tax credits, income-related ESA, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support, and a decision ended it
• because of that decision, you successfully claimed Universal Credit within one month of your benefit ending
• the amount of Universal Credit you were entitled to was less than what you got from your benefit before the move
• the decision to stop your benefit was later overturned, by an appeal or because the decision was reversed

The lump sum will be worked out by taking your biggest monthly loss and multiplying it by 12. Apply by phoning the Universal Credit Service Centre and pressing 1, or at your Jobs & Benefits office. You will get a decision about your application within six weeks of DfC receiving it. See nidirect: Successful Legacy Benefits Appeals Compensation Scheme.

Infected blood

The Infected Blood Payment Scheme Northern Ireland supports people infected with hepatitis C or HIV through NHS-supplied blood or blood products, and bereaved partners. The IBPS NI closed to new applications in April 2025 and will legally transfer to the UK-wide Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) from 1 February 2027.

If you live in the UK, income tax will not be taken from the payments you receive from the IBPS NI. Payments from IBPS NI do not count for Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA or Universal Credit, but you must still tell the Department for Communities about them. See nidirect: Infected Blood Payment Scheme.

Money held for you by the courts

Unclaimed money held by the Court Funds Office is money that is being held because the rightful owner cannot be found. It can include money held for minors, surplus funds after a repossession, bail money, and money left in a will where the beneficiary cannot be found.

Money a court awards to someone under 18 is held by the Court Funds Office until they turn 18. Forms are automatically sent to the minor on their 18th birthday so that they can claim the funds. The Courts Service publishes a list of unclaimed funds, and you can contact the Court Funds Office even if your name is not on it. See nidirect: Unclaimed money in court.

Jury service allowances

If you have been summoned to jury service, you can claim allowances for travel, meals or financial loss over the time you had to be at court. You have 14 days from the date your jury service ends to complete the claim form and return it, along with all your receipts.

• Driving: the set mileage rate of £0.257 a mile.
• Meals: up to £5.71 a day if you are away more than five hours but less than 10 hours, and up to £12.17 for longer than 10 hours. Keep your receipts.
• Financial loss, including lost earnings: paid up to a maximum amount set by how long you are in court.

See nidirect: Claiming juror allowances.

Common questions

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