If you were hurt in a motor accident and live in Leichhardt, you can usually make a CTP claim without a lawyer. The claim goes to the CTP insurer, either online through Service NSW or directly, and timing matters: lodge within 28 days and weekly payments can generally be back-paid to the day after the accident. Our free claim check helps you get it right and tells you if anything about your claim needs legal help.
Inner West · CTP claims
CTP claims for people in Leichhardt
Lodge on time, keep the right papers, understand your payments. Get free help if anything goes sideways.
Postcode: 2040
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Leichhardt & Annandale
What people in Leichhardt need to lodge a claim
Hurt on Parramatta Road, Victoria Road or in the WestConnex tunnels? Report it to police and keep the event number. The claim form asks for it, and the insurer will generally want the crash to have been reported. If Royal Prince Alfred Hospital admitted you, note the dates of your stay and when you were discharged. Days in hospital are days you couldn't work, and the insurer will want them on the claim form alongside your first Certificate of Fitness. Lodging a claim doesn't mean a trip to the Sydney CBD, 5 km away. From Leichhardt, the claim form can be completed online, most insurer contact happens by phone and email, and our free claim check works the same way.
- Region
- Inner West
- Postcode
- 2040
- Nearest public hospital
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
- Distance to the Sydney CBD
- ~5 km
Your first months: the CTP claim timeline
These are the dates that shape most statutory benefits claims in NSW. Missing an early one can cost weeks of payments, so it helps to know them before you need them.
Day 0
The accident
Your health comes first, then the paperwork. Report the accident to police, keep the event number, and write down the date, time and place while they're fresh, since the claim form asks for all three.
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
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.
Getting your claim in
Lodging is mostly a matter of answering the form honestly and completely. Describe every injury you know about, even ones that seem small, and list each practitioner you've seen. If you're unsure of an answer, give the most accurate answer you can and say so, rather than leaving it blank. The insurer can ask follow-up questions, and it generally will, so a clear first account saves trouble later.
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
When the 52-week limit applies
Plan around the 52-week mark if it applies to you. Keep your Certificates of Fitness current, keep treatment going as your doctor recommends, and ask the insurer in writing what will happen to payments and treatment when the period ends. 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
Why the Certificate of Fitness matters
Ask your GP for a Certificate of Fitness at your first visit after the crash, and keep getting updated ones while you're off work or on reduced hours. Gaps between certificates can cause gaps in payments. If your doctor isn't familiar with CTP forms, a practitioner who knows the scheme can make the process easier.
Read next:The Certificate of Fitness
What you'll need to lodge
Think of the claim as three bundles of evidence: what happened, what it did to your body, and what it's costing you. The first is police and vehicle details. The second is hospital records and your Certificate of Fitness. The third is proof of earnings and receipts. Lodge on time even if one bundle isn't complete yet.
- Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
- Hospital discharge summary, if you were admitted
- Recent payslips, tax returns or business records
- Your employer's name and contact details
- Receipts for treatment, medication and travel
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
Do you need a lawyer to make a CTP claim?
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
- The insurer has refused to accept the claim
- Someone died in the crash
- You've been asked to sign a release or settlement
- Your claim went in more than 3 months after the accident
You may not need one
- The insurer has accepted your claim
- Your injury is healing well within the first months
- Your treatment requests are being approved
A claim runs on medical evidence. If you don't yet have a GP who'll complete a Certificate of Fitness, we can point you to doctors and allied health who know the CTP scheme.
Not quite your situation?
- If you're still working out what kind of claim you have after the crash, the car accident claim page for Leichhardt sorts that out first. Car accident claim in Leichhardt
- If your main question is whether to bring in a lawyer, the CTP lawyer page for Leichhardt explains when legal help is worth it. CTP lawyer in Leichhardt
- If a decision has already gone against you, the claim denied page explains internal review and what comes after it. CTP claim denied in Leichhardt
Free claim check
Check your claim before the deadline
Tell us where your claim is up to. The check is free, there's no obligation, and it's all by phone or online.
Your case manager and what to expect
Your case manager will ask for updated Certificates of Fitness, may request medical reports and may arrange an assessment with a doctor the insurer chooses. 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.
- Ask for important decisions in writing
- Note the date on any decision letter
- Ask what a request is for if it's unclear
Weekly payments and treatment
Income support is the part of a CTP claim most people ask about first. The insurer can only pay the right amount if it knows what you earned before the accident and what you can earn now, so send your earnings records early and tell it about any return to work. A maximum weekly amount applies and is indexed every year, so check the current figure with the insurer rather than relying on an old one.
Your CTP insurer covers treatment and care for accident injuries where it's reasonable and necessary, within whatever benefit period applies to you. That can include doctor visits, physiotherapy, medication and some travel for treatment. The insurer decides each request, and decisions can be reviewed, so ask before committing to large treatment costs.
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
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 your doctor disagrees, 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:What help do I need?
Frequently asked questions
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. Hospital discharge summaries, receipts for treatment and medication, 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.
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.
A case manager is usually your main contact at the insurer. They handle your weekly payments, treatment requests and updated certificates, and they pass on the insurer's decisions. Keep a note of each conversation and ask for important decisions in writing. If you disagree with a decision, you can ask for an internal review, generally within 28 days.
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.
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 hospital and GP records 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.
Only in limited circumstances, usually where there's a full and satisfactory explanation for the delay. The rules are strict and depend on your facts. Speak to a lawyer straight away if you're outside 3 months, and gather anything that shows why you couldn't claim sooner, such as a hospital stay, a period when you couldn't manage your affairs or a symptom that only appeared later.
CTP claims: suburbs near Leichhardt
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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.