Naknada štete stiže na tekući račun.

Because štete is in the genitive singular.

The basic noun is šteta = damage.
In the phrase naknada štete, Croatian uses the genitive to show what the compensation is for:

• naknada = compensation
• štete = of damage / for damage

So the phrase literally looks like compensation of damage, even though natural English would usually be damage compensation or compensation for damage.

Yes, it is a very common fixed expression, especially in legal, insurance, and administrative contexts.

It refers to compensation paid because damage or loss has been caused. In everyday Croatian, you may also hear odšteta, which is a close synonym.

So:

• naknada štete = more formal / legal-sounding
• odšteta = often more everyday and shorter

Because the grammatical subject is naknada štete, and the head of that noun phrase is naknada, which is feminine singular.

So the verb agrees with naknada, not with štete.

• naknada = singular
• therefore stiže = it arrives / is arriving

Even though there are two nouns in the phrase, only naknada controls agreement.

Stiže comes from stizati, meaning to arrive or to be arriving.

In this sentence, it is used naturally for something like money, a payment, a letter, a package, or a transfer. Croatian often uses stići / stizati where English might say:

• is arriving
• is coming in
• is being paid into
• will reach

So in a banking context, stiže does not necessarily mean something is physically moving like a person. It can also mean a payment is on its way or is coming into the account.

Here na is used with the accusative to show destination: the compensation is arriving onto / to the account.

So:

• na
  • accusative = movement toward a destination
• tekući račun is in the accusative singular

Because račun is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative singular looks the same as its nominative singular:

• nominative: tekući račun
• accusative: tekući račun

That is why the form does not visibly change.

In this sentence, tekući račun means a current account or checking account, depending on the variety of English.

This is important because račun is a very broad word in Croatian. It can mean:

• account
• bill
• invoice
• calculation

But in the phrase tekući račun, it specifically refers to a regular bank account used for everyday transactions.

Yes, it could, but it would be less specific.

• na račun = to an account
• na tekući račun = to a current/checking account

Adding tekući clarifies what kind of account is meant. In real usage, speakers may omit it if the context already makes it obvious that they mean a bank account.

Because Croatian does not have articles.

So where English says:

• the compensation
• a checking account

Croatian simply uses the noun:

• naknada
• tekući račun

Definiteness is understood from context, word order, or other words such as demonstratives if needed.

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence as given:

• Naknada štete stiže na tekući račun.

is a neutral, natural order.

But you could also say:

• Na tekući račun stiže naknada štete.

This puts more focus on where the money is arriving.

So the meaning stays basically the same, but the emphasis changes.

They are very close in meaning, and in many contexts they can be translated the same way.

A useful rule is:

• odšteta = shorter, more everyday
• naknada štete = more formal, legal, official

So this sentence could also be expressed as:

• Odšteta stiže na tekući račun.

That sounds a bit less formal, but the meaning is very similar.

It can do both, depending on context.

Most directly, stiže means is arriving or comes in. But in real use, Croatian often uses the present tense for something expected very soon or already underway, so it can also sound like:

• is on its way
• will arrive soon

So if someone says Naknada štete stiže na tekući račun, they may mean the payment is currently being processed or is expected to appear soon in the account.