CTP Weekly Payments Explained (NSW)

If a motor accident stops you working, or reduces your capacity to work, statutory weekly payments are the CTP scheme's income-support entitlement. They're not automatic — they depend on certificates, earnings evidence, and the scheme rules that apply to your accident date — but for most injured people they're one of the first entitlements that actually matters day to day.

How much weekly payments are worth

Weekly payments are generally calculated as up to 95% of your pre-accident average weekly earnings for the first 13 weeks, then up to 80% or 85% from week 14 onward, depending on your assessed earning capacity. The amount is subject to a legislated maximum that's indexed each year — we don't publish a dollar figure here because it changes; ask CTP Assist or your lawyer for the current maximum.

How long weekly payments run

Weekly payments generally stop after 104 weeks (two years) from the accident. They can continue beyond that if you've lodged a common law damages claim that's still pending — up to 156 weeks (three years) where your whole person impairment is 10% or less, and up to 260 weeks (five years) where it's more than 10%. To keep weekly payments running past the two-year mark, your damages claim needs to be lodged within two years of the accident — another reason not to leave things to the last minute.

How fault changes things

Most injured people can access weekly payments regardless of fault. If you were wholly or mostly at fault (contributory negligence greater than 61%), weekly payments are generally limited to the first 52 weeks for accidents on or after 1 April 2023 (26 weeks for earlier accidents under the 2017 Act). Weekly payments after 52 weeks can also be reduced for contributory negligence — for example, not wearing a seatbelt.

What keeps weekly payments flowing

In practice, weekly payments stop or get delayed because certificates lapse, claims are lodged late, or the insurer isn't given clear evidence of your incapacity for work.

• Claim early — the insurer generally needs your claim within 28 days for weekly payments to be back-paid to the day after the accident.
• Keep your Certificate of Fitness current and specific about your restrictions.
• See a doctor experienced with CTP claims and keep your appointments — a lapsed or vague certificate is one of the most common reasons payments stall. See doctors and allied health for CTP claims.
• Respond promptly to insurer requests for earnings information or documentation.
• If you're self-employed or a gig worker, expect to provide more detailed evidence of your pre-accident earnings — see our guide on self-employed and gig worker claims.

If payments are cut off or reduced

An insurer stopping or reducing weekly payments is one of the most common triggers for a dispute. You generally have internal review rights first, and beyond that, many disputes go to the Personal Injury Commission. See our guide on what to do if the insurer stops your weekly payments for the practical next steps.

How weekly payments can interact with other income

If you're receiving income from another source — for example a return-to-work trial in a modified role, or certain other statutory payments — this can generally affect how your weekly payment is calculated, since the scheme is designed to support the gap in your earning capacity rather than duplicate income you're already receiving. Rules here can be genuinely intricate, so if you're juggling more than one income source while injured, it's worth confirming directly with your case manager or a lawyer exactly how it's being calculated, rather than assuming.

Partial capacity and graded return to work

Many people don't move straight from “can't work at all” to “fully recovered” — a graded return, with reduced hours or modified duties, is common. Weekly payments are designed to flex with that: as your certified capacity increases, the payment calculation adjusts accordingly. A clear, specific Certificate of Fitness that reflects your real, current restrictions is what keeps this transition accurate rather than a source of dispute.