Canterbury-Bankstown · CTP claims

Starting a CTP claim after a crash near Undercliffe

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

A CTP claim is how you access weekly payments and treatment after a NSW motor accident. For many people in Undercliffe, it's a form, a medical certificate and some follow-up with the insurer. For others, it becomes the start of a dispute. This page walks through the steps and deadlines, and our free claim check tells you whether your situation needs a lawyer, a doctor or just a clear plan.

Postcode: 2206

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Key dates in a NSW CTP claim

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

    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.

  2. 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.

  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

    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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

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?

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

Threshold injuries and your benefit period

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

Undercliffe: treatment, paperwork and your claim

Hurt on the Hume Highway or King Georges Road? If Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital or Canterbury Hospital treated you, request your records so your GP can complete the first Certificate of Fitness accurately. At roughly 9 km from the Sydney CBD, Undercliffe 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
Canterbury-Bankstown
Postcode
2206
Nearest public hospital
Canterbury Hospital
Distance to Burwood
~6 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
  • Date, time and place of the crash
  • Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
  • Your Certificate of Fitness
  • Receipts for treatment, medication and travel

Read next:Checklist: your first 30 days

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

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

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

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
  • Keep copies of everything you send
  • Reply to requests promptly

Read next:Dealing with your insurer and case manager

When to get more help

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

  • Another driver was at fault and your injury is more than threshold
  • Your injury has been classed as threshold and your doctor disagrees
  • The insurer's reasons for a decision don't make sense to you
  • Your claim went in more than 3 months after the accident

You may not need one

  • The insurer has accepted your claim
  • You're lodging within 28 days with the paperwork ready
  • 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 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 Undercliffe
  • 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 Undercliffe
  • 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 Undercliffe

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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