Wollongong & the Illawarra · CTP claims

Towradgi: your CTP claim, step by step

Lodge on time, keep the right papers, understand your payments. Get free help if anything goes sideways.

Most CTP claims begin the same way: an accident, a visit to the doctor and a form. What happens next depends on your injury, your work and the insurer's decisions. This guide explains each stage for people in Towradgi, with honest notes on when you can manage alone and when it's worth getting help from a lawyer, a doctor or allied health.

Postcode: 2518

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How a CTP claim unfolds over time

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 104 weeks

    Weekly payments generally end

    At the 104-week mark, weekly payments generally end. They can run longer only while a common law damages claim is pending, and how much longer depends on the level of impairment.

General information, not legal advice. Dates depend on your accident date and circumstances. Rules change, so check the current rules.

Getting your claim in

You can lodge a claim for statutory benefits online through Service NSW, or directly with the relevant CTP insurer. If you're not sure which insurer that is, CTP Assist (1300 656 919) can help you identify it. The form asks about the accident, your injuries, your work and the treatment you've had so far, so have those details close by.

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

Your case manager and what to expect

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
  • Send updated certificates before the old one runs out
  • Note the date on any decision letter

Read next:Dealing with your insurer and case manager

What people in Towradgi need to lodge a claim

If Wollongong Hospital or Shellharbour Hospital treated you, keep the records together with your police event number. Those details go straight into the claim form. At roughly 64 km from the Sydney CBD, Towradgi 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
Wollongong & the Illawarra
Postcode
2518
Nearest public hospital
Wollongong Hospital
Distance to Wollongong
~5 km
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Documents to gather before you start

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
  • Recent payslips, tax returns or business records
  • Receipts for treatment, medication and travel

Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days

When the 52-week limit applies

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.

Read next:Threshold vs non-threshold injury

What statutory benefits cover

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.

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

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

The Certificate of Fitness

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.

Read next:The Certificate of Fitness

Help beyond lodging

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?

Lodging alone, or with help?

Lodging a CTP claim is something most people do without any legal help. A few situations change that. Here's a quick guide to which is which.

Often worth talking to a lawyer

  • Someone died in the crash
  • Another driver was at fault and your injury is more than threshold
  • The insurer has refused to accept the claim
  • The insurer's reasons for a decision don't make sense to you

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 just need to know which insurer to claim against

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 still working out what kind of claim you have after the crash, the car accident claim page for Towradgi sorts that out first. Car accident claim in Towradgi
  • If your main question is whether to bring in a lawyer, the CTP lawyer page for Towradgi explains when legal help is worth it. CTP lawyer in Towradgi
  • If a decision has already gone against you, the claim denied page explains internal review and what comes after it. CTP claim denied in Towradgi

Frequently asked questions

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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.

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