The Hills · CTP claims

Starting a CTP claim after a crash near Norwest

Lodge on time, keep the right papers, understand your payments. Get free help if anything goes sideways.

If you were hurt in a motor accident and live in Norwest, 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.

Postcode: 2153

  • Free claim check, no obligation
  • By phone & online, no office to visit
  • Helping people in Norwest & Crestwood

Key dates in a NSW CTP claim

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.

  1. 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.

  2. Within 28 days

    Lodge your claim

    Lodge your claim for statutory benefits within 28 days of the accident so weekly payments can generally be back-paid to the day after. You can lodge through Service NSW online or with the CTP insurer.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

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?

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

The 52-week limit and who it applies to

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

What people in Norwest need to lodge a claim

If Westmead Hospital treated you after a crash on the M2, Windsor Road or Old Windsor Road, gather those records before you lodge. They support the injury details on your claim form and your first Certificate of Fitness. At roughly 26 km from the Sydney CBD, Norwest 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.

Region
The Hills
Postcode
2153
Nearest public hospital
Westmead Hospital
From the Sydney CBD
~26 km
An older man and a younger woman working through something together on a laptop at home

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The Certificate of Fitness

In NSW CTP claims, your doctor fills in a Certificate of Fitness recording your injuries and your capacity for work. The first one generally goes in with your claim, and updated certificates follow as you recover. It's the document insurers rely on for weekly payments, so make sure it lists all your injuries, including any that appeared days later.

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.

  • Police event number
  • Date, time and place of the crash
  • Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
  • Your Certificate of Fitness
  • Names and numbers of any witnesses

Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days

Weekly payments and treatment

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.

Treatment and care is the other half of statutory benefits. The insurer generally funds treatment for your injuries, such as GP care, physiotherapy or psychology, where it's reasonable and necessary and within your benefit period. Approval isn't automatic: your practitioner usually requests it, the insurer decides, and you can ask for a review if you disagree.

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

Dealing with the insurer day to day

Insurers make decisions under the scheme rules, and your case manager is the person who passes them on. Most contact is routine: updated certificates, treatment approvals, 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.

  • Ask for important decisions in writing
  • Send updated certificates before the old one runs out
  • Note the date on any decision letter

Read next:Dealing with your insurer and case manager

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?

Lodging alone, or with help?

Plenty of claims run from start to finish without legal help. A few need it early. If you recognise your situation below, you'll have a fair idea where you stand.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • Your claim went in more than 3 months after the accident
  • You've been asked to sign a release or settlement
  • Another driver was at fault and your injury is more than threshold
  • The insurer says you were mostly at fault

You may not need one

  • You just need to know which insurer to claim against
  • The insurer has accepted your claim
  • You're lodging within 28 days with the paperwork ready

If your claim is stuck because the paperwork from your treating team is thin, doctors and allied health familiar with CTP claims can help with a clear Certificate of Fitness, records and treatment plans.

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 Norwest
  • If your main question is whether to bring in a lawyer, the CTP lawyer page for Norwest explains when legal help is worth it. CTP lawyer in Norwest
  • If a decision has already gone against you, the claim denied page explains internal review and what comes after it. CTP claim denied in Norwest

Frequently asked questions

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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.

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