After a death in a motor accident: help for families

First, support

Trauma and grief support is available straight away through SIRA's CTP Assist line, 1300 656 919. The line is open weekdays 8:30am to 5pm.

If you need to talk to someone at any hour, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000.

There's no need to sort out the paperwork today. The dates that matter are further down this page, and they are measured in months.

Funeral expenses

If someone dies in a motor crash in NSW, CTP insurance covers reasonable funeral expenses regardless of fault. That includes transporting the person to near their usual home, including interstate and international transfers.

The person's legal personal representative, usually a close family member, can apply. If there isn't one, the person who paid for the funeral can apply. You can apply before or after the funeral.

Reasonable funeral costs can include:

• funeral director fees
• the service, whether burial or cremation
• the coffin and a mourning car
• a cemetery plot and flowers
• a newspaper obituary
• the death certificate.

Keep the invoices and receipts.

Compensation for family members

Close relatives who were financially dependent on the person who died may be able to claim compensation. That can include the financial support and the help around the home that the person provided.

Close relatives can include a spouse or de facto partner, a parent, a child or a sibling. A claim generally depends on the person who died not being mostly at fault.

These claims can be harder to work out than funeral expenses. An independent CTP lawyer can tell you whether a claim is open to your family and what it involves.

Time limits

Lodge within 3 months of the crash if you can. A later claim needs a satisfactory explanation for the delay, and claims must generally be made within 3 years.

If you're unsure about your dates, ask. Find out more about CTP time limits.

When you're ready for the paperwork

The claim goes to the CTP insurer of the vehicle at fault. If you don't know which insurer that is, SIRA's CTP Connect tool (opens in a new tab) can help, or we can. See how to find the CTP insurer.

You don't need every document before you start. The insurer will ask for what's missing, and you can add information later.

For questions about funeral expenses, the CTP Legal Advisory Service can give advice by phone. Do you need a lawyer? explains how to check you're eligible.

If you're filling in forms on behalf of the person who died, making a claim for someone else explains what to include.

When a lawyer helps

You don't need a lawyer to ask about funeral expenses: the CTP Legal Advisory Service above can help with those questions. Legal help tends to matter more for a claim by relatives who depended on the person financially, or if the insurer disputes something.

If you'd like to talk to a lawyer, see legal help for CTP claims. It's your choice.

How we can help

We're an independent service, not the government. We can help you find the insurer, go through the forms with you and keep track of the dates. If you want one, we can introduce you to an independent CTP lawyer.

Call us when it suits you, or ask for help with the paperwork and we'll call you back.

Rules change. This page reflects the rules as we understand them in September 2026. General information, not legal advice.