CTP claim or insurance claim — which one am I making?

The short version

After a NSW crash with injury and car damage there are typically two separate claims:

• The CTP claim — for the personal injury. Against the at-fault vehicle's green slip insurer. Pays your weekly income, medical, rehab, and potentially damages.
• The motor insurance claim — for the car. Against your comprehensive insurer (or the other driver's if you have third-party-only). Pays for repairs, write-off payout, hire car.

They're different policies, on different rules, with different deadlines. People mix them up constantly. Below is what each one actually does.

The CTP claim — for the person

CTP (Compulsory Third Party) is the green slip every NSW-registered vehicle has to carry. It covers injury to people in a motor accident involving that vehicle.

What it pays:

• Weekly income payments while you can't work — up to 52 weeks for most people.
• Medical treatment, rehab, psychological treatment.
• Care and assistance at home.
• A damages lump sum at the end, if the crash was someone else's fault and your injury is non-threshold.

What it doesn't pay: anything to do with your car, your phone, your luggage, or the other driver's property.

Deadline: 28 days from the crash to lock in backdated benefits. See the 28-day rule.

The motor insurance claim — for the car

Your comprehensive motor insurance covers your vehicle and other property. The exact cover depends on the policy type:

• Comprehensive — covers your car and other property, regardless of fault (subject to excess and policy terms).
• Third-party property — only covers damage you cause to other vehicles or property. Your own car isn't covered.
• CTP-only / unregistered — no car-damage cover at all. You'd have to claim against the at-fault driver's insurance directly, or wear the loss.

What it can pay: repair costs, hire car, towing, write-off settlement, content losses (varies by policy).

Deadline: usually 30 days to notify your insurer, but the claim itself runs on the policy timeline — typically weeks to a few months. Read your PDS for specifics.

Worked example

You're rear-ended at a red light. The other driver was clearly at fault. You're shaken, your neck hurts, and the back of your car is crunched.

Two claims to run:

1. CTP claim against the other driver's green slip insurer. You submit a Personal Injury Claim Form within 28 days. Statutory benefits start — weekly income if you can't work, medical funding for physio and GP visits. If your neck injury turns out to be non-threshold, there's a damages claim at the end.
2. Motor insurance claim for the car. Either against the other driver's insurance (you give them the other driver's details), or — usually faster — through your own comprehensive policy with the insurer pursuing the other side later. Repairs booked, hire car arranged if you have that cover.

Two files. Two assessors. Two timelines. Both legitimate. See property damage claim NSW for the car side in more depth.

What if you only had one type of damage?

Injury only, no car damage

Just the CTP claim. (Common for passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, or drivers in a minor knock where the car's fine but the person isn't.)

Car damage only, no injury

Just the motor insurance side. No CTP claim because no personal injury. But — watch the 28-day window. Soft-tissue injuries can take days or weeks to surface. If symptoms come up later, you'll want to have at least put the CTP claim in. See delayed injury.

Both sides, but you were at fault

Statutory-benefits CTP claim still available (up to 52 weeks regardless of fault). Car damage is between you and your comprehensive policy — claiming on it can affect your premium and excess.

Why people get this wrong

Insurers don't go out of their way to explain the split. You ring the at-fault driver's insurer, they take car details, you assume that's the claim — and you don't realise the CTP side has a 28-day clock that's already running. By the time the car's repaired, you've burned the backdate.

One call to us and we'll tell you which claims you should be running and on what deadlines. The CTP side is what we run end-to-end. The car side we coordinate alongside so nothing falls through.

What we do for you

We run the CTP claim — submission inside 28 days, statutory benefits set up, insurer chased weekly, damages claim built where it's available. The car coordination runs alongside at no extra cost.

Take the short check at /check, or call (02) 7238 7379 and a real person picks up.