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 Richlands and unsure where to start, our free claim check walks you through it and flags anything that may need more than a form.
Goulburn & Southern Tablelands · CTP claims
A plain guide to CTP claims for Richlands
Most people can lodge a CTP claim themselves. We'll check yours for free and flag anything that needs more help.
Postcode: 2580
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Richlands & Taralga
Richlands: treatment, paperwork and your claim
A crash on the Federal Highway near the ACT border needs a quick check first, because the ACT has its own scheme. If the crash was in NSW, lodge with the NSW CTP insurer, ideally within 28 days. If an ambulance took you to Goulburn Base Hospital, the ambulance record and the emergency notes both describe your injuries on the day of the crash. List both on the claim form, since the insurer may ask for them before it decides. Lodging a claim doesn't mean a trip to Goulburn, 42 km away. From Richlands, 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
- Goulburn & Southern Tablelands
- Postcode
- 2580
- Public hospital in the region
- Goulburn Base Hospital
- Distance to Goulburn
- ~42 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
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
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
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.
52 weeks
The threshold and at-fault line
For accidents from 1 April 2023, statutory benefits for a threshold injury, or where you were wholly or mostly at fault, generally end 52 weeks after the accident. Children 16 and under keep treatment and care as long as needed.
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?
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
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
Your claim paperwork checklist
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
- Receipts for treatment, medication and travel
- Names and numbers of any witnesses
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
What statutory benefits cover
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.
Keep in mind that treatment funding is a decision, not a given. Your treating team sends requests, and the insurer considers whether the treatment is reasonable and necessary. Keep receipts for anything you pay yourself. If a request is declined, you can ask for an internal review, generally within 28 days of receiving the decision.
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
Do you need a lawyer to make a CTP claim?
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
- Your injury has been classed as threshold and your doctor disagrees
- The insurer says you were mostly at fault
- Someone died in the crash
You may not need one
- You need help understanding a question on the form
- You just need to know which insurer to claim against
- Your weekly payments arrive on time and the amount looks correct
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 Richlands
- 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 Richlands
- 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 Richlands
Free claim check
A quick check for claims from Richlands
Lodged or not, a free claim check tells you what to do next. No obligation and no office visit.
The 52-week limit and who it applies to
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
Dealing with the insurer day to day
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.
- Send updated certificates before the old one runs out
- Note the date on any decision letter
- Ask what a request is for if it's unclear
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Your doctor does. In NSW CTP claims, the Certificate of Fitness records your injuries and your capacity for work, and the insurer relies on it when deciding weekly payments. The first one usually goes in with your claim, and you'll generally need updated certificates while you recover. Read each one before it's sent, and ask your doctor to correct anything missing, such as an injury that showed up days after the crash.
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 Richlands
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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.