Starting a CTP claim after a crash near Somersby

There are two main ways to lodge: the Service NSW online form, or the CTP insurer itself. Either way, you'll be asked for the accident date and place, the vehicles involved, your injuries, your employer and income, and the doctors treating you. Most people can complete it themselves in one go if they have the details to hand.

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
• Recent payslips, tax returns or business records
• Your employer's name and contact details
• Receipts for treatment, medication and travel
• Names and numbers of any witnesses

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.

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.

• Keep copies of everything you send
• Note the date on any decision letter
• Ask what a request is for if it's unclear

The Certificate of Fitness is where your medical story meets the insurer. It lists your injuries and says what work, if any, you can do. If a certificate misses an injury or overstates your capacity, weekly payments may not reflect your situation, so read each one before it goes to the insurer and raise anything wrong with your doctor.

Some claims are capped at 52 weeks. For accidents on or after 1 April 2023, people whose injury is classed as a threshold injury can receive weekly payments and treatment and care for up to 52 weeks after the accident. The threshold label replaced the older term “minor injury” on that date. Whether an injury is threshold is a medical question in its own right; for running the claim, the point is the time limit it sets.

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.