If your needs or losses are greater than the set amounts
You may be able to claim extra compensation via the ‘supplementary route’ if:
- the usual care and financial loss compensation amounts are not enough to cover the money you've lost due to your infection, or due to a rare severe health condition you have developed as a result of your infection
- you were subjected to unethical research
This is for exceptional cases and the vast majority of people will only need to use the core compensation route.
If you choose to apply through the supplementary route, your core compensation payment will remain unaffected.
Your claim manager will ask you to share extra information about your situation which could result in a longer assessment process.
Autonomy award for unethical research
The autonomy award compensates people who may have been subjected to unethical research practices.
You are eligible for this award if you:
- attended Lord Mayor Treloar College as a student any time between 1970 and 1983
- were treated for a bleeding disorder in the UK before 1986
If both apply to you, you will receive the higher award.
This table sets out the compensation amounts for the autonomy award for unethical research:
| Award category | Compensation amount |
|---|---|
| Treated for a blood disorder between 1970 and 1983 whilst attending Lord Mayor Treloar College | £60,000 |
| Treated for a blood disorder before 1986, aged under 18 | £45,000 |
| Treated for a blood disorder before 1986, aged 18 or over | £30,000 |
Severe health condition award
You may be able to get extra support if you have a severe health condition that is not covered by the core route. This could include a financial loss award and/or a care award.
You may qualify if you have a condition in one of these groups:
- Group 1 - Severe visual impairment
- Group 2 - Neurological disorders resulting in long-term severe physical or mobility disability
- Group 3 - Neurological disorders resulting in long-term severe neurocognitive impairment
- Group 4 - Severe psychiatric disorders potentially resulting in inpatient psychiatric care
- Group 5 - End-stage kidney disease requiring renal replacement therapy
- Group 6 - Other hepatic disorders caused by hepatitis B or hepatitis C resulting in long-term severe disability. This includes where the infection has caused decompensated cirrhosis, liver cancer and/or liver transplant.
- Group 7 - Qualifying chronic hepatitis-associated conditions - Other disorders caused by hepatitis B or C resulting in long-term severe disability.
If you currently receive support scheme payments under an enhanced category such as Special Category Mechanism (SCM), you will automatically be eligible for Group Seven as part of your IBCA compensation.
Severe health condition – Financial loss award
If you have a qualifying severe health condition, you may be eligible for a higher rate of financial loss. This is because your condition is likely to have caused greater financial impact than the standard rate under the core route.
Your claim manager will ask you to share official documents to show you:
- have a qualifying condition
- were unable to work for all or part of the year (if you are in Group 2, 3 or 4)
You cannot apply for this award if you:
- have HIV – this is because the rate you receive via core compensation is already the maximum
- developed your condition after reaching retirement age – this is because it would not have affected your ability to earn
Severe health condition – Care award
If you have a severe health condition, the core care award may not provide you with the amount of care you will require for your whole lifetime.
In this case, the supplementary route may give you an additional care award.
You may be eligible if the number of years between your diagnosis and your healthy life expectancy is greater than the number of care years assumed under the core route.
The Severe health condition care award is dependent on how severe your infection is and the number of years and type of care already included in your core care award. Your claim manager will explain this during your claim.
The table below shows the breakdown of Financial loss and Care awards by group.
| Severe health conditions | Condition | Financial Loss award | Care award modification* |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Group 1 Severe visual impairment |
HIV | No additional award. | £5,460 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 1 care band). |
|
Group 2 Neurological disorders resulting in long-term severe physical or mobility disability |
HIV | No additional award. | Up to £23,424.72 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 2 care band). |
|
Group 2 Neurological disorders resulting in long-term severe physical or mobility disability |
Hepatitis |
Financial loss for years following diagnosis is adjusted to 100% financial loss. This equates to £29,657 per annum from year of severe health condition diagnosis until age of 66 (retirement age) then the corresponding pension rate. |
Up to £23,424.72 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 2 care band). |
|
Group 3 Neurological disorders resulting in long-term severe neurocognitive impairment |
HIV | No additional award. | Up to £23,424.72 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 2 care band). |
|
Group 3 Neurological disorders resulting in long-term severe neurocognitive impairment |
Hepatitis Decompensated cirrhosis |
Financial loss for years following diagnosis adjusted to 100% financial loss for years of severe health condition diagnosis beyond 4 years. This equates to £29,657 per annum from year of severe health condition diagnosis until age of 66 (retirement age) then the corresponding pension rate. |
Up to £23,424.72 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 2 care band). |
|
Group 4 Severe psychiatric disorder |
HIV | No additional award. | £5,460 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 1 care band). |
|
Group 4 Severe psychiatric disorder |
Hepatitis |
Financial loss for years following diagnosis adjusted to 100% financial loss. This equates to £29,657 per annum from year of severe health condition diagnosis until age of 66 (retirement age) then the corresponding pension rate. |
£5,460 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 1 care band). |
|
Group 5 End-stage kidney disease requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) |
HIV | No additional award. | £5,460 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 1 care band). |
|
Group 5 End-stage kidney disease requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) |
Hepatitis |
Financial loss for years on dialysis adjusted to 100% financial loss. This equates to £29,657 per annum from year of severe health condition diagnosis to the age of 66 (retirement age) then the corresponding pension rate. |
£5,460 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 1 care band). |
|
Group 6 Other Hepatic disorders resulting in long-term severe disability |
Hepatitis |
Living person with a hepatitis B infection For those born after 1953: Pre effective treatment (2008 and earlier): 70% financial loss, £20,760 per annum For those born after 1953: Effective management from 2009: 60% financial loss, £17,794 per annum For those born in or before 1953: 70% financial loss, £20,760 per annum Living person with a hepatitis C infection For those born in or before 1961: 70% financial loss (£20,760 per annum) For those born after 1961: from diagnosis until 2017: 70% financial loss (£20,760 per annum) For those born after 1961: 2017 onwards: 60% financial loss (£17,794 per annum) |
£5,460 per year from date of severe health condition diagnosis (Level 1 care band). |
|
Group 7 Qualifying chronic hepatitis-associated conditions |
Chronic hepatitis B or C Cirrhosis with hepatitis B or C Decompensated cirrhosis, liver cancer and/or a liver transplant as a result of hepatitis B or C |
Person with hepatitis B: For people born in or before 1953: £20,760 per year. For people born after 1953: £20,760 per year before availability of effective treatment (up to and including 2008); £17,794 per year after effective treatment (from 2009 onwards). Person with hepatitis C: For people born in or before 1961: £20,760 per year. For people born after 1961: £20,760 per year before availability of effective treatment (up to and including 2016); £17,794 per year after effective treatment (from 2017 onwards). |
£5,460 per year from 2017. |
Exceptional loss awards
You may be eligible for an exceptional loss award if your financial loss or care costs are higher than those assumed under the core route.
This may apply if your care costs were higher than expected before 31 March 2025.
If you apply for an exceptional loss award, your claim manager will ask you to share supporting documents to confirm details to support your claim. This will help them process your claim and calculate your compensation. Documents you can use include records of earnings, invoices of care costs, employment offers, and documents showing early medical retirement.
Exceptional loss of earnings awards
You can apply for one of three awards for exceptional loss of earnings if you had to reduce your working hours or stop working because of your infection:
- PAYE earnings award (for employed people)
- Self-employment earnings award (for self-employed people)
- Potential earning capacity award
You are unlikely to be eligible for an additional award if you were able to keep working normally for a number of years after you were infected. This is due to the assumptions already made under the core route.
If your exceptional loss award is lower than the Severe health condition - Financial loss award, you will receive the Exceptional loss – Financial loss award amount. You will never receive less than the amount offered through core compensation.
PAYE earnings award
This is for people who were employed through Pay As You Earn (PAYE). The award considers:
- basic salary
- overtime pay
- incentive pay
- employer pension contributions
It is calculated based on your actual salary. The highest award available equates to a gross salary of £76,249 per year.
You will need to share documents showing:
- your income from when your earnings fell due to infection until you applied to IBCA, or turned 66
- your annual salary in the year before your infection
Self-employment earnings award
This is for people who are, or were, self-employed. The award considers:
- basic salary
- overtime pay
- incentive pay
It does not include income from:
- dividends
- investments
- capital gains
- savings
- shares or trusts
The self-employment earnings award is calculated based on your actual earnings. The highest award available equates to a gross salary of £76,249 per year.
You will need to share documents showing:
- your income from when your earnings fell due to infection until you applied to IBCA, or turned 66
- your income for the 5 years before your infection - this will be averaged to calculate your award
Potential earning capacity award
This award recognises the probability that infected people already on the path to a high-earning career would likely have earned more if they had not been infected.
It is a £60,000 one-off award.
You may be eligible if you:
- have HIV and/or chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C
- can show that you were employed, or had a job offer for a career where the average salary was above £38,504 before you were 66
Your documents supporting this must show either:
- you started the higher paying job at any point in the 10 years before you contracted the infection
- you could not start a higher paying job due to certain reasons (for example, pregnancy, injury, care giving) within 10 years before contracting the infection. Or if the job did not start for any other reason, that the offer was made within 1 year of contracting the infection.
Past care cost awards
If you paid for professional care before 1 April 2025, you may be eligible for one of two awards available for exceptional loss due to past care costs.
Excess deemed care costs award
You may be eligible for this award if you received Interferon treatment and paid for care for at least 6 months.
The amount you receive depends on the type of care you received, and how long you received it for.
Your documents supporting this must:
- detail the care you received
- show that you paid for the care
Excess actual costs award
If the costs of your past care are higher than the total amount provided through the core route and the Severe Health Condition award, you may be eligible for the Excess actual costs award.
This award is capped at an additional 25% above the total you would have received under both the core route and Severe health condition award, if applicable.
Your documents supporting this must show all of your past care costs.