How long after a car accident can you claim Australia?

It depends on the state or territory you're in. However, it's typically around three to nine months after a vehicle accident has occurred. To be eligible for weekly benefits, you usually need to get your claim in within 28 days.

What happens to my insurance costs after making an insurance claim?

Typically your insurance premiums will increase after making a claim on your insurance. You might also lose any no-claim or claim-free discount for maintaining your policy with no accidents or claims for a certain period. It may help to talk to your provider, so you can find out how much your rate will increase, and whether it's worth it to make your claim or whether you should just pay out of pocket for the damages.

How long will it take to have my claim processed?

According to the General Insurance Code of Practice, your insurer has 10 business days from the day it receives your claim to respond with the outcome or to let you know if it needs more time to collect information or conduct further investigation. If your insurer does need more time, it must tell you what else it needs from you, give you an estimated time frame for completion and inform you of its progress at least every 20 business days.

How long after a car accident can you claim?

Car insurance claim deadlines vary by insurer and incident, often up to 3 months, but filing them in ASAP is best.
CTP claim time limits differ by state, ranging from 28 days to 12 months for personal injury.
Insurers must respond within 10 business days, or update you every 20 days if more time is needed.

What's the time limit for a car insurance claim?

Comprehensive and third party car insurance claims

Most insurers don't have a specific claims deadline. The amount of time you have to submit a car insurance claim can vary between insurers, so it's worth getting in touch with yours as soon as possible. Once you've submitted a claim, the insurer has 10 business days to respond.

Compulsory third party claims

Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance is slightly different to other car insurance claims. CTP claim time limits vary between states and territories (we've outlined these limits below). CTP covers compensation for anyone injured or killed in a vehicle accident. It doesn't cover damage to property or vehicles. It's mandatory in all Australian states and territories.

Time limits for different types of claims

The benefits you can get from CTP are generally broken down into 2 categories, though it can differ slightly between states.

Statutory benefits. These are basic benefits that cover injuries and loss of earnings for a set amount of time after the accident. This is mainly for the driver who wasn't at fault, although more and more states are allowing the at-fault driver to access some of these benefits as well.
Personal damages. The not-at-fault driver can go after the at-fault driver's CTP insurance company for more compensation if their injuries are bad enough that they experience ongoing economic damage (and sometimes even non-economic damage like pain and suffering) that outlasts their statutory damages.

Time limits for CTP car insurance claims

State	Notes
New South Wales	In NSW, you can make a CTP claim up to three months after the accident. If you want to claim back for loss of earnings though, you must make your claim within 28 days from the date of the accident.
Victoria	You have up to 12 months from the date of the accident to make a claim, or from the date you first noticed injuries relating to the accident.
Queensland	If you cannot identify the vehicle driven by the other driver, you must make a CTP claim within three months of the date of the incident in QLD, or within nine months of first noticing injuries resulting from the accident. If a solicitor is managing your claim, you must submit it within one month of the first meeting.
South Australia	You must lodge a claim form within six months of the date of the accident or as soon as reasonably practicable if the at-fault vehicle can't be identified. If you don't comply with these timeframes, you should reach out to your CTP insurer.
Western Australia	You must submit a CTP claim within three years of the accident. Damages for personal injury can't be made after this time.
Tasmania	You must complete an Application for Benefits (Form B) and Form A if you were the driver or owner of a vehicle involved in an accident. You have to do this within 12 months of the date of the accident.
Northern Territory	In the NT, you need to submit a CTP claim within six months of the accident.
Australian Capital Territory	If the claim is to a CTP insurer in the ACT, you have nine months from the day of the accident or from the time you first notice injuries resulting from the accident. You have three months to submit a CTP claim through the nominal defendant. You have one month if you use a lawyer.

Finder survey: How many Australians have been involved in car accidents where they were not at fault?

Response
Yes	50.1%
No	48.11%
I have never driven before	1.79%

Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023

Frequently asked questions

Typically your insurance premiums will increase after making a claim on your insurance. You might also lose any no-claim or claim-free discount for maintaining your policy with no accidents or claims for a certain period. It may help to talk to your provider, so you can find out how much your rate will increase, and whether it's worth it to make your claim or whether you should just pay out of pocket for the damages.
According to the General Insurance Code of Practice, your insurer has 10 business days from the day it receives your claim to respond with the outcome or to let you know if it needs more time to collect information or conduct further investigation.
If your insurer does need more time, it must tell you what else it needs from you, give you an estimated time frame for completion and inform you of its progress at least every 20 business days.

Sources

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

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Gary Ross has written 576 Finder guides across topics including:

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2 Responses

JasonOctober 23, 2021

Hi i was in a accident white a taxi it was his fault waiting for the insurance still to pay been 8 month what can i do

Finder

JamesNovember 10, 2021Finder

Hi Jason,

I’m sorry to hear that you were in an accident. It’s best to reach out to the insurance company directly to inquire about the status of the claim.

If you think there has been unreasonable delay and you are not satisfied with the insurer’s reason for this, you can contact the insurer and lodge a complaint.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
James

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How long after a car accident can you claim?

Your car insurance claim deadline depends on the incident and the insurer. In many cases, you have up to 3 months but there are lots of exceptions.

Key takeaways