Domestic abuse compensation: criminal injuries, civil claims and time limits

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you cannot speak and are calling from a mobile, press 55 when prompted to have your call transferred to the police. Free, confidential helplines are listed at the end of this guide.

Domestic abuse is not only physical violence. In England and Wales, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 defines it as abusive behaviour between people aged 16 or over who are personally connected, including physical or sexual abuse, violent or threatening behaviour, controlling or coercive behaviour, economic abuse and psychological or emotional abuse, whether a single incident or a course of conduct. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own offences of abusive behaviour. Not every form of abuse is covered by every compensation route. This guide is general information, not legal advice, and we are not a law firm.

Criminal injuries compensation

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 covers England, Wales and Scotland. You may be eligible if you were injured as the direct victim of a crime of violence, which the Scheme defines as a crime involving a physical attack, any other act or omission of a violent nature that causes physical injury, a threat causing fear of immediate violence in circumstances that would cause a person of reasonable firmness to be put in such fear, a sexual assault to which a person did not in fact consent, or arson or fire-raising, done intentionally or recklessly. Economic abuse on its own is not on that list. Applying costs nothing, and you do not have to use a legal adviser; if you choose to use one, you cannot claim the cost back.

Several rules matter in domestic abuse cases:

• Living together. No award is made if, at the time of the incident, you and the assailant were adults living together as members of the same family, unless you no longer live together and are unlikely to do so again (paragraph 20). No award is made if the assailant may benefit from it (paragraph 21).
• Reporting and co-operation. The incident must have been reported to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, taking account of your age and capacity and whether its effect meant you could not reasonably report it earlier, and you must co-operate as far as reasonably practicable in bringing the assailant to justice (paragraphs 22 and 23).
• A series of incidents. Unless the Scheme says otherwise, the date of a series of incidents is the date of the first incident (Annex A), which matters for the time limit.
• Conduct and convictions. An award may be withheld or reduced because of your conduct or unspent convictions (paragraphs 25 and 26).

An application must reach CICA as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within two years of the incident. A claims officer can extend this where exceptional circumstances meant you could not apply earlier and the evidence means the application can be decided without further extensive enquiries. You do not need to wait until a police investigation or court case has finished. An award is withheld or reduced if you receive damages, a settlement or a compensation order for the same injury (paragraph 85). See our criminal injury compensation guide.

Northern Ireland has its own scheme. nidirect says applications should be made within two years of the incident, although they may still be accepted later if it was not reasonable to expect one within that time.

Suing the abuser

A civil claim is brought against the abuser personally. Two kinds of claim are common:

• Assault and battery for physical or sexual violence. In A v Hoare (2008) the House of Lords departed from Stubbings v Webb, which had held that the personal injury time limit rules in section 11 of the Limitation Act 1980 did not apply to a deliberate assault. So a claim for injury caused by an assault usually has three years from the assault, or from your date of knowledge if later, and the court can allow a later claim where that is equitable.
• Harassment. In England and Wales, section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 says a person must not pursue a course of conduct that amounts to harassment of another and which they know or ought to know amounts to harassment. A course of conduct means conduct on at least two occasions, and harassing a person includes alarming them or causing them distress (section 7). Under section 3, harassment can be the subject of a civil claim, and damages may be awarded for, among other things, any anxiety caused by the harassment and any financial loss resulting from it. Northern Ireland has the same rules in articles 3 and 5 of the Protection from Harassment (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

In Scotland, a claim of this kind is an action of harassment under section 8 of the 1997 Act, and the damages include damages for any anxiety caused and any financial loss. Section 8A deals with harassment amounting to domestic abuse, and for that section the words "course of" are omitted, so it does not require a course of conduct.

If the abuser was convicted, the conviction can be used in a civil claim in England and Wales: under section 11 of the Civil Evidence Act 1968 they are taken to have committed the offence unless the contrary is proved. Before starting a claim, ask a solicitor whether the abuser has the means to pay any damages and costs.

Compensation orders in criminal cases

If the abuser is convicted in England and Wales, the court can make a compensation order requiring the offender to pay compensation for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from the offence (section 133 of the Sentencing Act 2020). Where a compensation order is available, the court must give reasons if it does not make one (section 55). A compensation order counts against any CICA award for the same injury, as explained above.

Protection orders and legal aid

Compensation is separate from protection. In England and Wales, the family court can make a non-molestation order prohibiting a person from molesting another person who is associated with them, or a relevant child (section 42 of the Family Law Act 1996). Legal aid can cover non-molestation orders, occupation orders and home rights under Part 4 of that Act (paragraph 11 of Schedule 1 to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012). GOV.UK says you might be able to get legal aid if you have evidence that you or your children have experienced domestic abuse and you cannot afford to pay legal costs, and that you can ask for evidence from the courts, the police, a multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC), social services or a health professional.

Evidence that helps

• Police records. A CICA application asks for the police force you reported the crime to and your crime reference number.
• Medical records and photographs of injuries, and records of any counselling or treatment for the psychological effects. See our guide to psychological injury claims.
• Messages and a diary. Texts, emails, call logs and a dated record of incidents can show a course of conduct.
• Witnesses, such as family, friends, neighbours or support workers who saw injuries or incidents.

Keep copies somewhere the abuser cannot reach. GOV.UK suggests only downloading the Bright Sky support app if it is safe for you to do so and you are sure your phone is not being monitored. Our guide to evidence for a personal injury claim has more detail.

Time limits

In England and Wales, a claim for personal injury must usually be started within three years (section 11 of the Limitation Act 1980), but section 11 does not apply to harassment claims under section 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, so the general six-year period for claims in tort applies to them (section 2). Northern Ireland has the same structure (articles 6 and 7 of the Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989). In Scotland, an action of harassment that includes a claim for damages must be started within three years after the date the harassment ceased, or a later date of awareness (section 18B of the 1973 Act), and other personal injury actions within three years (section 17).

If you were under 18 when the abuse happened, the time for an injury claim usually runs from your 18th birthday, and in England and Wales no time limit applies to an injury claim for sexual abuse suffered under 18, because of section 11ZA of the Limitation Act 1980 (in force since 29 June 2026).

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: criminal injury compensation, CICA calculator, psychological injury claims, PTSD and trauma claims, time limits and choosing a solicitor.

Official sources used for this guide: Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012; Domestic Abuse Act 2021, s.1; Protection from Harassment Act 1997, s.3; Sentencing Act 2020, s.133; Limitation Act 1980, s.11; GOV.UK: domestic abuse, how to get help. This guide is general information about the law in the UK, not legal advice; the law can change, so check your own position with a regulated solicitor.