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About financial assistance for victims

This page answers some of the common questions about financial assistance for victims of crime, including questions about:

Who can apply

We can help victims of violent crime that was committed in Queensland.

We may be able to help primary, secondary and related victims.

  • A primary victim—the person directly injured by an act of violence or a person who witnessed domestic violence happen in the home they live in.
  • A related victim—a close family member or financial dependant of a person who was killed by an act of violence.
  • A parent secondary victim—a parent of a child victim; the child must have been under 18 at the time of the act of violence.
  • A witness secondary victim—a person who saw or heard an act of violence being committed against someone else.

If you have experienced one or more of these things, you can apply for financial assistance.

Violence that happened after 2009

For acts of violence that happened after 1 December 2009, the offender doesn’t need to be convicted for you to be eligible for financial assistance.

We can assess your claim based on the information we get from police. For special primary victims, we can assess your claim based on information from the person you reported the crime to.

Learn more about who you can report to.

Violence that happened before 2009

For violence that happened before 1 December 2009, a person is only eligible for financial assistance if:

  • the offender was convicted or plead guilty in a District or Supreme Court
  • the police state that the offender could not be located

or

  • the offender went through the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

For more information, please contact Victim Assist.

Funeral assistance

We may be able to reimburse or pay for funeral expenses for a person or an unborn child who was lost because of violence in Queensland.

When to apply

You need to apply within 3 years of the act of violence.

If the victim was a child at the time of the violence, they can apply for up to 3 years after they turn 18.

Depending on your circumstances, we may grant an extension if the violence happened more than 3 years ago. You just need to tell us in your application why it has taken you longer than 3 years to apply.

You must report the violence before you apply. Learn more about the reporting requirements.

Where you live

It doesn’t matter where you usually live—it matters where the violence happened. If you were a victim of violence while living or holidaying in Queensland, we may be able to give you financial assistance.

Victim of violence in another state or country

We can’t give you financial assistance for violence that wasn’t committed in Queensland, but we may be able to refer you to other agencies who can help.

If you’ve been a victim of violence that happened in more than one state or country, we can only help with what happened in Queensland.

Getting the money

We want to help you understand what to expect when you apply for financial assistance.

Timeframe

Due to the high number of claims already queued, it may be many months before we’re able to assess your application and pay approved expenses.

If you have an urgent expense, and meet the conditions for claiming urgent expenses, we may prioritise the assessment of the urgent expenses. If we decide the expenses don’t meet these conditions, we’ll let you know. Non-urgent expenses will be queued for general assessment within normal timeframes.

Once you receive your ‘notice of decision’ and your claim is approved, electronic payments will be deposited into your nominated bank account within 10 business days.

How much money

Every person’s situation is different. The amount we can pay and the types of things we pay for will depend on the:

  1. type of victim you are—primary, secondary or related victim
  2. crime committed against you
  3. injuries suffered.

If you have incurred an expense to help you recover, we may be able to pay you back. Therefore, the amount you receive depends on how much it costs you to recover.

If you are a primary victim or a related victim, you may also receive a one-off recognition payment. The amount you receive depends on the type of crime that was committed against you. We will need to assess your application to work out the amount you may receive. Recognition payments range from $3,000 to $15,000.

Declaring money received from others

Receiving money from other places or sources might impact getting money from us.

You must tell us if you have received money or are applying to receive money from any other person, agency, organisation, insurer or fund (including community donations) for the same act of violence that you are claiming financial assistance for.

Penalties may apply if you don’t tell us about a payment you receive, even if you receive it after we have decided your application.

Medical insurance

You can usually still get financial assistance from Victim Assist if you have medical insurance, but you need to tell us that you have it.

We will need to know what expenses are covered by your insurance policy. We can only help with expenses they don’t cover.

Under 18s

You can apply for financial assistance if you’re under 18, but you will usually need to ask your parents to fill in the application form for you.

If for some reason your parents can't fill in the form, you should contact us for advice.

See support for young victims and witnesses of crime and applications for child victims for more information.

In foster care

You can apply for financial assistance if you’re in foster care. Ask your Child Safety Services case manager or Community Visitor for help. They can help you:

  • make your application
  • locate the supporting documents you will need.

In domestic and family violence situations

You don’t need to be over 18 to make a claim as a victim of family violence. Victim Assist can help you, even if others in your family are not ready to get help.

Learn more about help for young people experiencing domestic and family violence.

Domestic and family violence

Domestic and family violence (DFV) occurs when one person in a relationship uses a pattern of violence or abuse to maintain power and control over another person. The person using violence could be your partner, ex-partner, a family member or an informal carer.

DFV does not always involve physical violence. It can take many forms, including coercive control and non-physical forms of abuse. We can help you if you have experienced DFV in Queensland.

Children affected by domestic violence can apply

Children can apply as a primary victim if they:

  • were directly injured because DFV was committed against them
  • witnessed DFV in the house they are living in.

Children can also apply as a witness if they have been directly injured because they saw or heard domestic violence committed against someone else outside of the home they are living in.

If you and your child experienced DFV, each person needs to:

Moving away from the violence

We may be able to help you move to get away from the violence. We may be able to help pay some of your relocation expenses.

Learn more about claiming other recovery expenses.

Staying in the relationship

If you are not able to (or wanting to) leave the relationship, we may be able to help pay for things like counselling and medical expenses.

We strongly recommend you get support from a specialist domestic violence service. You can contact:

Or contact us for help to find a service that's right for you.

Last updated:
8 April 2024
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