You don't need a lawyer to lodge a CTP claim, and many people never use one. What helps most is having the police event number, a Certificate of Fitness, your earnings details and the insurer's name. If you're in Kurri Kurri and unsure where to start, our free claim check walks you through it and flags anything that may need more than a form.
Newcastle & the Hunter · CTP claims
Your CTP claim from Kurri Kurri: forms, dates, payments
Most people can lodge a CTP claim themselves. We'll check yours for free and flag anything that needs more help.
Postcode: 2327
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- Helping people in Kurri Kurri & Abermain
Your first months: the CTP claim timeline
From the day of the crash to the two-year mark, this is how a typical claim for statutory benefits is timed. Your own claim may differ, especially if the insurer disputes something.
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
For accidents from 1 April 2023, a claim made after 28 days but within 3 months may still be back-paid if you give a full and satisfactory explanation. If the insurer doesn't reject it within 14 days, it's treated as accepted.
Within 3 months
The last point to claim
Claims can still be made up to 3 months after the accident, though weekly payments may then only start from the date of the claim. After 3 months, claims are accepted only in limited circumstances.
Weeks 1–13, then 14+
Weekly payment rates
For the first 13 weeks, payments are up to 95% of what you earned before the accident. After week 13 the rate becomes up to 80% or 85%; your earning capacity decides which. A legislated 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.
Lodging your claim: the practical steps
Before you lodge, report the accident to police if you haven't already. The claim form generally asks for the police event number, and the insurer will usually want to see that the crash was reported. Then complete the form online through Service NSW or with the insurer, attaching your Certificate of Fitness if you already have one.
Not sure which insurer?
CTP Assist, run by SIRA, can help you work out which CTP insurer to claim against. Call 1300 656 919, 8:30am to 5pm weekdays.
Read next:CTP formsThe personal injury claim form
Your case manager and what to expect
Insurers make decisions under the scheme rules, and your case manager is the person who passes them on. Most contact is routine: updated certificates, benefit decisions, payment questions. Reply promptly, keep copies of what you send, and ask for written reasons for any decision you don't understand. You can challenge decisions if you need to.
- Log every call with the date and the name of the person
- Send updated certificates before the old one runs out
- Keep copies of everything you send
Starting your claim from Kurri Kurri
Whether you were hurt on the New England Highway or the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, lodging within 28 days of the crash means weekly payments can generally be back-paid. After 3 months, a claim is accepted only in limited circumstances. Kurri Kurri is about 12 km south-west of Maitland, but there's nowhere you need to drive. Claims can be lodged online through Service NSW, and our claim check runs by phone and online, so you can deal with it all from home. Crashes on the Hunter Expressway, Cessnock Road and Lang Street 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
- Newcastle & the Hunter
- Postcode
- 2327
- Distance to Maitland
- ~12 km
- Main roads
- Hunter Expressway · Cessnock Road
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Documents to gather before you start
The claim goes more smoothly with a few things ready: the police event number, the other vehicle's registration, your Certificate of Fitness, payslips or tax records showing what you earned, and your employer's details. If you've paid for anything out of pocket because of the crash, keep the receipts too. Missing something shouldn't stop you lodging on time.
- Date, time and place of the crash
- Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
- Your Certificate of Fitness
- Your employer's name and contact details
- Receipts for costs you've paid because of the crash
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
Threshold injuries and your benefit period
The 52-week limit isn't only about threshold injuries. For accidents from 1 April 2023, it generally applies too if you were wholly or mostly at fault, whatever your injury. For accidents between 1 December 2017 and 31 March 2023, both limits were 26 weeks instead. Children who were 16 or under at the time of the accident are an exception: they can receive treatment and care for as long as they need it, regardless of fault.
Read next:Threshold vs non-threshold injury
Weekly payments and the other benefits
Weekly payments replace part of your income while the injury keeps you off work or on reduced hours. The insurer sets your rate from what you earned before the accident, so give it the full picture from the start: every job you held and the hours you usually worked. A legislated maximum applies and is indexed each year, so the cap itself changes over time.
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
Benefit rules depend on your accident date and have changed over time. This is general information; check the current rules or ask CTP Assist.
Read next:CTP weekly paymentsCTP entitlements
After the claim goes in
Most of the early weeks after lodging are paperwork. The insurer may ask for tax returns, the other driver's details or a signed authority to collect records, and it will send its decision on liability and weekly payments. Keep every letter in date order. If a promised payment or decision is late, ask your case manager in writing when it's due, and call CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 if you're stuck.
Read next:What happens after you lodge
When to get more help
Many people lodge and manage a CTP claim on their own. It's worth getting help when the insurer refuses the claim, classifies your injury as threshold when the evidence points the other way, stops payments, or argues about fault. It's also worth asking a lawyer about damages if your injury is more than threshold and someone else was at fault.
Read next:Do I need a lawyer? Quick check
Is this a claim you can run yourself?
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
- Your claim went in more than 3 months after the accident
- The insurer has refused to accept the claim
- Another driver was at fault and your injury is more than threshold
- You've been asked to sign a release or settlement
You may not need one
- You need help understanding a question on the form
- The insurer has accepted your claim
- The insurer is approving your benefit requests
Lodging late costs more than lodging imperfectly. Get the claim in within 28 days if you can, even if a document is missing, and send the rest when the insurer asks for it. CTP claim time limits
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 Kurri Kurri
- If you're weighing up whether your claim needs a lawyer at all, the CTP lawyer page covers when one helps and when it doesn't. CTP lawyer in Kurri Kurri
- 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 Kurri Kurri
Frequently asked questions
They're a percentage of your pre-accident earnings: up to 95% for the first 13 weeks, then up to 80% or 85% from week 14, depending on your earning capacity. They're subject to a legislated maximum weekly amount that is indexed each year, which is why we don't quote a dollar figure. The insurer works out your rate from your earnings information, so make sure it has the full picture.
The insurer generally acknowledges the claim, gives you a claim number and assigns a case manager. It may ask for more information, such as payslips or your consent to obtain records, and it then decides whether to accept the claim and start weekly payments. Keep sending updated certificates and answer requests promptly. Decisions should come with reasons, and most can be reviewed if you disagree.
Start with the police event number, the registration of the vehicles involved, your Certificate of Fitness and proof of your earnings, such as payslips or tax returns. Receipts for out-of-pocket costs and witness details help too. You don't need everything to lodge. It's better to lodge on time and send extra documents when the insurer asks for them.
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.
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.
CTP claims: suburbs near Kurri Kurri
Related reading
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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.