Most CTP claims begin the same way: an accident, a police report and a form. What happens next depends on your injury, your work and the insurer's decisions. This guide explains each stage for people in Caringbah South, with honest notes on when you can manage alone and when it's worth getting help from a lawyer, or from a free service such as CTP Assist.
Sutherland Shire · CTP claims
Caringbah South: your CTP claim, step by step
Check your claim for free, by phone or online. Legal help if it needs it; a clear plan if it doesn't.
Postcode: 2229
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Caringbah South & Dolans Bay
How a CTP claim unfolds over time
A CTP claim runs to a clock that starts on the day of the accident. Here are the main points on it. Some depend on your accident date, so check which rules apply to you.
Day 0
The accident
Make sure everyone is safe first. Then report the crash to police and note the event number, which the claim form asks for. The other vehicle's registration helps identify the right insurer later.
Within 28 days
Lodge your claim
The 28-day mark is the one to aim for: claims received by then generally have weekly payments back-paid to the day after the accident. Lodging sooner also means the evidence is fresh.
Within 14 days of your explanation
A late claim, explained
Lodged late, but inside 3 months, for an accident from 1 April 2023? Explain the delay fully. An explanation the insurer hasn't rejected within 14 days is treated as accepted, so back-pay can still apply.
Within 3 months
The last point to claim
Three months after the accident is the practical cut-off. Later claims can only be accepted in limited circumstances, usually with a full and satisfactory explanation. If you're past it, speak to a lawyer straight away.
Weeks 1–13, then 14+
Weekly payment rates
Weekly payments are up to 95% of your pre-accident earnings for the first 13 weeks. From week 14 they're up to 80% or 85%, depending on your earning capacity. An indexed maximum applies.
52 weeks
The threshold and at-fault line
At 52 weeks, people with a threshold injury, and people wholly or mostly at fault, generally stop receiving weekly payments and treatment and care. For accidents between 1 December 2017 and 31 March 2023, that limit was 26 weeks.
104 weeks
Weekly payments generally end
Two years in, weekly payments generally stop unless you've lodged a damages claim that's still pending. To keep them going past 2 years, that damages claim must be lodged within 2 years of the accident.
General information, not legal advice. Dates depend on your accident date and circumstances. Rules change, so check the current rules.
Getting your claim in
There are two main ways to lodge: the Service NSW online form, or the CTP insurer itself. Either way, you'll be asked for the accident date and place, the vehicles involved, your injuries, your employer and income, and any witnesses. Most people can complete it themselves in one go if they have the details to hand.
Not sure which insurer?
If more than one vehicle was involved, or you don't have the other driver's details, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can help identify the right insurer.
Read next:CTP formsThe personal injury claim form
Your claim paperwork checklist
Think of the claim as three bundles of evidence: what happened, how it has affected you, and what it's costing you. The first is police and vehicle details. The second is the certificates and records that describe your injuries. The third is proof of earnings and receipts. Lodge on time even if one bundle isn't complete yet.
- Police event number
- Date, time and place of the crash
- The other driver's name and contact details
- Recent payslips, tax returns or business records
- Your employer's name and contact details
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
What people in Caringbah South need to lodge a claim
Weekend riders and cyclists use the Royal National Park roads. If you were hurt out there, report it to police when you can, because the event number goes on your claim form and the 28-day clock is already running. At roughly 22 km from the Sydney CBD, Caringbah South is no further from the CTP system than anywhere else. The Service NSW claim form is online, insurers work by phone and email, and our claim check is by phone and online. Crashes on The Kingsway, Port Hacking Road and Burraneer Bay Road are claimed the same way as anywhere else in NSW. What matters for the form is the police event number and the other vehicle's registration, which tells you which CTP insurer to claim against.
- Region
- Sutherland Shire
- Postcode
- 2229
- Distance to Sutherland
- ~6 km
- Main roads
- The Kingsway · Port Hacking Road
Free claim check
Check your claim before the deadline
Call (02) 7238 7379 or start online. A free claim check helps you lodge on time and spot problems early.
The 52-week limit and who it applies to
Plan around the 52-week mark if it applies to you. Keep your certificates current, note the date the period ends, and ask the insurer in writing what will happen to your weekly payments and other benefits at that point. If you think the threshold decision itself is wrong, you can ask for an internal review, generally within 28 days of receiving it.
Read next:Threshold vs non-threshold injury
Dealing with the insurer day to day
Your case manager will ask for updated certificates, may request reports about your injuries and may arrange an independent assessment. Attend any assessment you're asked to, and keep your own notes afterwards. If you think a decision is wrong, ask for an internal review rather than letting it sit, because the review window is generally 28 days.
- Ask for important decisions in writing
- Send updated certificates before the old one runs out
- Note the date on any decision letter
What happens after you lodge
After you lodge, the insurer works through a few questions: is this a valid claim, what did you earn before the accident, and which benefits apply to you? Your answers, the police report and your payslips feed into each one. You'll hear from a case manager, and decisions should arrive in writing with reasons. If one doesn't look right, you can generally ask for an internal review within 28 days of receiving it.
Read next:What happens after you lodge
What the insurer pays for
If the injury affects your work, weekly payments are generally based on your pre-accident earnings, and the percentage steps down after the first 13 weeks. The insurer relies on your earnings records to set the rate and on your Certificate of Fitness to know what work you can do. There's an indexed maximum, and payments generally stop after 104 weeks.
Statutory benefits also include treatment and care, but only where it's reasonable and necessary and within your benefit period. For running the claim, the practical points are simple: ask before you commit to a large cost, keep every receipt, and get decisions in writing. A declined request is a decision like any other, and you can generally ask for an internal review within 28 days of receiving it.
Rules change
The scheme has changed more than once since 2017. What applies to you depends on your accident date, so check the current rules before relying on any detail.
Read next:CTP weekly paymentsCTP entitlements
Help beyond lodging
If you lodged late, the stakes are higher: claims more than 3 months after the accident are accepted only in limited circumstances. The same goes if you've received a settlement offer or a letter you don't understand. In those situations, an independent lawyer's view is usually worth getting sooner rather than later.
Read next:Do I need a lawyer? Quick check
Lodging alone, or with help?
Lodging a CTP claim is something most people do without any legal help. A few situations change that. Here's a quick guide to which is which.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Weekly payments stopped earlier than you expected
- The insurer says you were mostly at fault
- You've been asked to sign a release or settlement
- The insurer's reasons for a decision don't make sense to you
You may not need one
- You need help understanding a question on the form
- Your injury is healing well within the first months
- The insurer is approving your benefit requests
Many stalled claims are missing something simple: an event number, payslips or a current certificate. Ask your case manager in writing what's outstanding, then send it and keep a copy. What happens after you lodge
Not quite your situation?
- If you're not sure a CTP claim is even the right claim, for example because only your car was damaged, start with the car accident claim page. Car accident claim in Caringbah South
- If your main question is whether to bring in a lawyer, the CTP lawyer page for Caringbah South explains when legal help is worth it. CTP lawyer in Caringbah South
- If the insurer has already refused your claim or cut off payments, the page on denied claims covers the review steps and deadlines. CTP claim denied in Caringbah South
Frequently asked questions
A parent or guardian can generally make the claim on the child's behalf, using the same claim form. Aim for the same 28-day mark, and keep the claim documents together. Whoever was at fault, a child who was 16 or under when the accident happened can keep receiving treatment and care for as long as it's needed. If an older child had a job at the time, tell the insurer, because lost earnings may also be part of the claim.
No. Most people can lodge a CTP claim themselves, online through Service NSW or with the insurer, and CTP Assist can help with questions for free. A lawyer becomes more useful if the claim is refused, if you're outside the time limits, if the insurer disputes your injury or fault, or if you may have a damages claim. Our free claim check can tell you which applies.
No. It helps to send one with your claim, because the insurer uses the Certificate of Fitness to see your injuries and what work you can do, and that affects weekly payments. But lodging on time matters more. If you don't have one yet, lodge within 28 days anyway and send the certificate when you get it. Keep updated certificates coming while you're off work, as gaps can hold up payments.
Yes. A claim made within 3 months of the accident is still possible, but weekly payments may then run only from the date you claimed. For accidents from 1 April 2023, if you give a full and satisfactory explanation for the delay, you may still be paid from the day after the accident. An explanation the insurer doesn't reject within 14 days is treated as accepted.
Generally up to 104 weeks, or 2 years. For a threshold injury, or if you were wholly or mostly at fault, they generally stop at 52 weeks for accidents from 1 April 2023. Beyond 104 weeks, payments continue only in limited cases where a damages claim is still pending, which how compensation works explains. Keep your Certificates of Fitness current throughout, because gaps can interrupt payments.
A CTP claim pays statutory benefits as you go, and most injured people can claim them regardless of who was at fault. They include weekly payments if you can't work, or can't work as much, and treatment and care that is reasonable and necessary for your injuries. How long they last depends on your injury, your share of fault and your accident date. CTP covers people, not vehicles, so car repairs are a separate matter.
CTP claims: suburbs near Caringbah South
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CTP Lawyer is not a law firm. This page is general information, not legal advice; the independent lawyer you speak with can advise on your own situation.