Recognition payment

A recognition payment is intended to acknowledge that you have been the victim of a violent crime or modern slavery.

The amount of a recognition payment is based on the type of violence you have experienced.  Not all offences or acts of violence have recognition payment categories associated with them. The payment categories are:

• $15,000 for financially dependent family victims or children under 18 at the time of death of the homicide victim.
  
• $7,500 for parents, step-parents or guardians, current spouses, or de facto partners of a homicide victim.
  
• $10,000 for primary victims of sexual assault resulting in serious bodily injury, involving multiple offenders or an offensive weapon, or a sexual assault, sexual act, or attempted sexual assault involving a series of related acts.
  
• $5,000 for primary victims of a sexual assault (not resulting in serious bodily injury, involving multiple offenders or involving an offensive weapon), attempted sexual assault causing serious bodily injury, assault resulting in grievous bodily harm, or physical assault of a child that involves a series of related acts.
  
• $1,500 for primary victims of an attempted sexual assault without serious bodily injury, sexual touching, sexual acts (if the victim was under 16 years old at the time), a robbery involving violence, or an assault which did not cause grievous bodily harm.
  

Who can apply?

You may be eligible for a recognition payment if you are a:

• primary victim
• parent, step-parent, guardian, current spouse or de facto partner of a homicide victim 
  
• financially dependent family victim 
  
• child of a homicide victim who was under 18 years old at the time of death.
  

For more information about primary and family victims, see Eligibility criteria.

How long do I have to apply?

The time frame for applying will vary depending on your individual circumstances:

• If you were an adult when the violent crime or modern slavery happened, you need to apply:
  
  • within 10 years of the incident if you were a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault
    
  • within 2 years of the incident if you were a victim of another type of violent crime or modern slavery.
    
• If you were a child when the violent crime or modern slavery happened, you need to apply:
  
  • at any time if you were a victim of sexual assault
    
  • within 10 years of turning 18 years old if you were a victim of domestic violence or child abuse
    
  • within 2 years of turning 18 years old if you were a victim of another type of violent crime or modern slavery.
    
• If you are a family victim, you need to apply within 2 years from the date the death was established as a homicide, or within 2 years of turning 18 if the family victim was a child at the time.
  

How do I apply?

To apply, please select the relevant online application form and follow the instructions to complete your application:

• If you are a primary victim, use the Application for Support.
• If you are a family victim, use the Application for Support for Family Members of a Homicide Victim. 

If you’re unable to apply online, you can download a PDF application form and send your completed form and supporting documents to us by email or post. 

What do I need to apply?

If you are a primary victim, you need to provide additional information and supporting documents with your completed application form. These include:

• a clear copy or image of your current government-issued identification, as well as a copy of your parent or guardian's identification if you're under 18. Visit Supporting documents to see a list of identification documents we accept.
• your bank account details or your parent, step-parent or guardian's bank account details if you are under 18 years old. If you would like victims support payments to be made to an account in another name, please contact us to discuss your options before submitting your application.
• a report that explains what happened. This can be either:
  • a police report (You do not need to send us the police report if you reported the incident to NSW police. You can provide information about your report to NSW police in the application form.)
  • a report from a government or government-funded organisation.
• medical, dental, or counselling report(s) that show how the violent crime affected you.

You must provide your medical, dental or counselling report(s) within 12 months of lodging your application or your recognition payment claim will be closed.

Family victims seeking a recognition payment must provide a different set of supporting documents. Please see Family Victims - A Factsheet About Supporting Documents (PDF, 71.2 KB) to learn more.

Collecting information to support your application

You can use the following resources and optional forms to help you collect the required information for your application for a recognition payment:

• Information about government and government-funded organisation reports. A government or government-funded organisation can write a report to provide information about what happened to you.
• Certificate of Injury (PDF, 649.5 KB). A counsellor, dental or medical practitioner can use this form to provide a medical, dental or counselling report about how the incident affected you.
  

For more information on how to collect the information required, visit Supporting documents.

If your application for a recognition payment is approved

If a recognition payment is approved while the applicant is younger than 18 years, the payment will be made to NSW Trustee and Guardian to hold the payment until the applicant turns 18 years old. For more information about how NSW Trustee and Guardian will manage the payment, please visit the NSW Trustee and Guardian website or contact them directly.