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 Woonona and unsure where to start, our free claim check walks you through it and flags anything that may need more than a form.
Wollongong & the Illawarra · CTP claims
Starting a CTP claim after a crash near Woonona
The 28-day and 3-month deadlines, the Certificate of Fitness and weekly payments, explained plainly.
Postcode: 2517
- Free claim check, no obligation
- By phone & online, no office to visit
- Helping people in Woonona & Bulli
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.
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
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
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.
Lodging the claim: where and how
Before you lodge, report the accident to police if you haven't already. The claim form generally asks for the police event number, and the insurer will usually want to see that the crash was reported. Then complete the form online through Service NSW or with the insurer, attaching your Certificate of Fitness if you already have one.
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
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.
- Ask for important decisions in writing
- Send updated certificates before the old one runs out
- Reply to requests promptly
Woonona: treatment, paperwork and your 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. Lodging a claim doesn't mean a trip to Wollongong, 9 km away. From Woonona, 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
- Wollongong & the Illawarra
- Postcode
- 2517
- Nearest public hospital
- Wollongong Hospital
- Distance to Wollongong
- ~9 km
Free claim check
Lodging soon? Get a free claim check
Call (02) 7238 7379 or start online. A free claim check helps you lodge on time and spot problems early.
What you'll need to lodge
You don't need a perfect file to lodge. Start with the basics you have, then add documents as they arrive. Insurers generally ask for more information later, and it's better to lodge within 28 days with a gap in the paperwork than to wait for every page and lose back-pay.
- Registration numbers of the vehicles involved
- Your Certificate of Fitness
- 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
Threshold injuries and your benefit period
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
Weekly payments and treatment
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
Your doctor's part in the claim
Ask your GP for a Certificate of Fitness at your first visit after the crash, and keep getting updated ones while you're off work or on reduced hours. Gaps between certificates can cause gaps in payments. If your doctor isn't familiar with CTP forms, a practitioner who knows the scheme can make the process easier.
Read next:The Certificate of Fitness
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?
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
- You've been asked to sign a release or settlement
- The insurer says you were mostly at fault
- 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
- Your weekly payments arrive on time and the amount looks correct
- The insurer has accepted your claim
- You're lodging within 28 days with the paperwork ready
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 Woonona
- If your main question is whether to bring in a lawyer, the CTP lawyer page for Woonona explains when legal help is worth it. CTP lawyer in Woonona
- 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 Woonona
Frequently asked questions
Only in limited circumstances, usually where there's a full and satisfactory explanation for the delay. The rules are strict and depend on your facts. Speak to a lawyer straight away if you're outside 3 months, and gather anything that shows why you couldn't claim sooner, such as a hospital stay, a period when you couldn't manage your affairs or a symptom that only appeared later.
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.
Usually it's the CTP insurer of the vehicle at fault. If another vehicle caused the crash, that's usually its insurer; if you were at fault, it's usually your own vehicle's. If you're unsure, or several vehicles were involved, CTP Assist on 1300 656 919 can help identify the right one. If the vehicle was unidentified or uninsured, the claim goes to the Nominal Defendant, a NSW Government-backed fund that stands in for the missing insurer.
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.
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.
Start with the police event number, the registration of the vehicles involved, your Certificate of Fitness and proof of your earnings, such as payslips or tax returns. Hospital discharge summaries, receipts for treatment and medication, and witness details help too. You don't need everything to lodge. It's better to lodge on time and send extra documents when the insurer asks for them.
CTP claims: suburbs near Woonona
Related reading
- How to make a CTP claim
- Check your time limits
- What happens after you lodge
- The CTP claim process
- Soft Tissue Injury
- Delayed Symptoms After a Car Accident
- Child Injured in a Car Accident
- Accident on a Learner or P-Plate
- CTP claims for drivers
- Wollongong & the Illawarra: area guide
- CTP Lawyer Help in Wollongong & the Illawarra
Ready to talk it through?
Get a free, no-obligation claim check. It's the first step toward understanding where your claim stands and what help it needs.
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.