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 from your doctor, your earnings details and the insurer's name. If you're in Orange and unsure where to start, our free claim check walks you through it and flags anything that may need more than a form.
Central West, Orana & Far West · CTP claims
A plain guide to CTP claims for Orange
The 28-day and 3-month deadlines, the Certificate of Fitness and weekly payments, explained plainly.
Postcode: 2800
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Orange & Blayney
What people in Orange need to lodge a claim
Hurt a long way from town, perhaps on the Mitchell or Barrier highway? Get the crash reported to police as early as you can. The event number goes on your claim, and the 28-day clock starts on the day of the crash. The claim form asks where you were first treated and when. If that was Orange Health Service, write the name and dates as they appear on your paperwork, including any outpatient follow-up, so the insurer can match its records quickly. At roughly 206 km from the Sydney CBD, Orange 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
- Central West, Orana & Far West
- Postcode
- 2800
- Nearest public hospital
- Orange Health Service
- From the Sydney CBD
- ~206 km
Your first months: the CTP claim timeline
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
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
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
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.
- Date, time and place of the crash
- Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
- Hospital discharge summary, if you were admitted
- Your employer's name and contact details
- Receipts for treatment, medication and travel
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
The Certificate of Fitness
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
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
Lodging alone, or with help?
Lodging is usually straightforward. What happens afterwards is where some claims need legal help. These lists show common signs either way; the claim check can give you a clearer answer.
Often worth talking to a lawyer
- Weekly payments stopped earlier than you expected
- Another driver was at fault and your injury is more than threshold
- Someone died in the crash
- Your injury has been classed as threshold and your doctor disagrees
You may not need one
- You need help understanding a question on the form
- Your treatment requests are being approved
- The insurer has accepted your claim
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 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 Orange
- 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 Orange
- If a decision has already gone against you, the claim denied page explains internal review and what comes after it. CTP claim denied in Orange
Free claim check
Lodging soon? Get a free claim check
Call (02) 7238 7379 or start online. A free claim check helps you lodge on time and spot problems early.
What the insurer pays for
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.
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
Working with the insurer and your case manager
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.
- Log every call with the date and the name of the person
- Ask for important decisions in writing
- Keep copies of everything you send
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 medical records, and it then decides whether to accept the claim and start weekly payments and treatment approvals. Keep sending updated Certificates of Fitness and answer requests promptly. Decisions should come with reasons, and most can be reviewed if you disagree.
Most people use the Service NSW online form, and you can also lodge directly with the relevant CTP insurer. The form asks about the accident, the police event number, your injuries and treatment, and your work and income. Attach a Certificate of Fitness from your doctor if you have one. Aim to have the claim in within 28 days of the accident, so weekly payments can generally be back-paid to the day after it.
CTP claims: suburbs near Orange
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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.