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 Spencer and unsure where to start, our free claim check walks you through it and flags anything that may need more than a form.
Hawkesbury · CTP claims
A plain guide to CTP claims for Spencer
Most people can lodge a CTP claim themselves. We'll check yours for free and flag anything that needs more help.
Postcode: 2775
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Your first months: the CTP claim timeline
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.
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
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.
Getting your claim in
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
What you'll need to lodge
The claim goes more smoothly with a few things ready: the police event number, the other vehicle's registration, your Certificate of Fitness, payslips or tax records showing what you earned, and your employer's details. If you've paid for treatment or medication, keep the receipts too. Missing something shouldn't stop you lodging on time.
- Police event number
- Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
- Your Certificate of Fitness
- Hospital discharge summary, if you were admitted
- Your employer's name and contact details
Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days
Starting your claim from Spencer
If Hawkesbury District Health Service or Nepean Hospital treated you, keep the discharge papers with your police event number. Those two documents answer most of the early questions on a claim form. Lodging a claim doesn't mean a trip to Gosford, 19 km away. From Spencer, 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
- Hawkesbury
- Postcode
- 2775
- Public hospital in the region
- Hawkesbury District Health Service
- Distance to Gosford
- ~19 km
Free claim check
A quick check for claims from Spencer
Tell us where your claim is up to. The check is free, there's no obligation, and it's all by phone or online.
Why the Certificate of Fitness matters
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
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
Working with the insurer and your case manager
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.
- Ask for important decisions in writing
- Note the date on any decision letter
- Ask what a request is for if it's unclear
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
Signs your claim needs more than a form
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?
Is this a claim you can run yourself?
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
- Your injury has been classed as threshold and your doctor disagrees
- 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
- Your injury is healing well within the first months
- Your weekly payments arrive on time and the amount looks correct
- You need help understanding a question on the form
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 Spencer
- 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 Spencer
- 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 Spencer
Frequently asked questions
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CTP claims: suburbs near Spencer
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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.