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 Rhodes and unsure where to start, our free claim check walks you through it and flags anything that may need more than a form.
Inner West · CTP claims
Starting a CTP claim after a crash near Rhodes
Lodge on time, keep the right papers, understand your payments. Get free help if anything goes sideways.
Postcode: 2138
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Rhodes & Wentworth Point
Starting your claim from Rhodes
If you were treated at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital or Concord Repatriation General Hospital, list the hospital and the dates on your claim form. The insurer uses those details to request records, so accuracy now saves delays later. For people around Rhodes who speak a language such as Mandarin and Korean at home, the claim form and insurer letters can be the hardest part. Ask CTP Assist, a free service on 1300 656 919, for an interpreter. Rhodes is about 6 km south-west of Macquarie Park, 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.
- Region
- Inner West
- Postcode
- 2138
- Nearest public hospital
- Concord Repatriation General Hospital
- Community languages
- Mandarin, Korean
- Distance to Macquarie Park
- ~6 km
How a CTP claim unfolds over time
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
Get medical help 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
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.
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
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 the claim: where and how
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
Weekly payments and treatment
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.
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
Documents to gather before you start
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
- Your Certificate of Fitness
- Hospital discharge summary, if you were admitted
- Receipts for treatment, medication and travel
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
Your doctor's part in the claim
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
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
- Your injury has been classed as threshold and your doctor disagrees
- Someone died in the crash
- Weekly payments stopped earlier than you expected
- Another driver was at fault and your injury is more than threshold
You may not need one
- Your treatment requests are being approved
- The insurer has accepted your claim
- You just need to know which insurer to claim against
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 still working out what kind of claim you have after the crash, the car accident claim page for Rhodes sorts that out first. Car accident claim in Rhodes
- 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 Rhodes
- 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 Rhodes
Free claim check
Not sure your claim is on track?
Tell us where your claim is up to. The check is free, there's no obligation, and it's all by phone or online.
Working with the insurer and your case manager
Once your claim is lodged, the insurer usually assigns a case manager. They're your main contact for payments, treatment requests and paperwork. Keep a simple log of each call: the date, who you spoke with and what was agreed. If something is promised by phone, ask for it by email so you have a record.
- Log every call with the date and the name of the person
- Keep copies of everything you send
- Reply to requests promptly
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
Signs your claim needs more than a form
Help comes in different forms. For treatment and medical evidence, doctors and allied health practitioners who know the CTP scheme are often the right first call. For disputes and damages, an independent CTP lawyer. For general questions, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919. Our free claim check helps you work out which of these you need.
Read next:What help do I need?
Frequently asked questions
The insurer generally pays for treatment and care that is reasonable and necessary for your accident injuries, within the benefit periods that apply to you. That can include some travel to and from treatment. Each request is a decision rather than a given, so check before you commit to large costs and keep every receipt. If a request is declined, you can ask for a review.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CTP claims: suburbs near Rhodes
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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.