Travel expenses in NSW CTP claims: treatment, rehab and assessment costs
By Herman Chan, Stephen Young Lawyers | Published 2026-05-03
Yes, travel expenses can sometimes be reimbursed in a NSW CTP claim, but the cost still needs to connect with accident-related treatment, rehabilitation services, or assessments and be properly supported. The practical question is usually not just “did I travel?”, it is whether the trip was linked to reasonable and necessary treatment or assessment, whether the insurer had enough information, and whether you kept proof. General information only, not legal advice.
What counts as a CTP travel expense?
In a motor accident claim, travel costs usually arise because you need to attend medical treatment, rehabilitation, insurer-arranged appointments, or dispute assessments. Examples can include kilometres travelled by car, public transport, taxis or rideshare where justified, parking, tolls, and occasionally accommodation where distance or injury-related limits make same-day travel unrealistic.
The cost is strongest when it is attached to a clear treatment or assessment record. For example, travel to your GP, physiotherapist, psychologist, specialist, radiology appointment, rehabilitation provider, insurer-arranged examination, or a Personal Injury Commission medical assessment is much easier to explain than a vague entry that only says “travel”.
Travel is usually part of the wider treatment and care file. If the insurer is already questioning whether treatment is reasonable, necessary, or related to the crash, the travel cost may be questioned too. That is why travel reimbursement often overlaps with a treatment refusal dispute.
The source basis, in plain English
The Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (NSW) deals with statutory benefits for treatment and care, including section 3.24. Current SIRA CTP guidance frames treatment and care by asking whether the service is reasonable and necessary and related to the motor accident injury.
SIRA’s Motor Accident Guidelines also address payment of reasonable and necessary costs and expenses, including travel expenses to attend approved treatment, rehabilitation services, assessments, insurer-arranged examinations, joint medical examinations, and assessments by a medical assessor of the Personal Injury Commission. SIRA guidance describes payment after the account or reimbursement request is received, so the quality of the request and documents matters.
This page does not promise that every trip will be paid. It explains how claimants can present travel costs in a way that matches the statutory benefits framework and reduces avoidable disputes.
What evidence should you keep?
The best evidence is boring, consistent and contemporaneous. A simple spreadsheet or notebook can be enough if it matches appointment records and receipts.
For each trip
- date of travel and appointment time
- provider or assessor name
- clinic, hospital, assessment or PIC location
- reason for the appointment
- distance travelled and route if claiming kilometres
- parking, toll, taxi, rideshare or public transport receipts
If travel was unusual
- why public transport was not suitable
- whether pain, mobility, medication or anxiety affected travel
- why a closer provider was not used
- whether someone had to drive or accompany you
- why accommodation or a long-distance trip was necessary
- whether the insurer approved the treatment or assessment
When insurers commonly push back
Travel disputes usually happen because the insurer says the underlying treatment was not approved, the trip was not reasonable, the cost was not necessary, the distance was excessive, the records are incomplete, or the treatment was not sufficiently related to the accident.
Sometimes the real issue is not travel at all. The insurer may be testing causation, a pre-existing condition argument, work capacity, ongoing treatment need, or whether a provider’s plan is still justified. If that is happening, your response should answer the deeper issue rather than only resending receipts.
This is why good medical paperwork matters. Certificates, referrals, treatment plans and progress notes should make it clear why the appointment was needed and how it relates to the crash. If the dispute connects with certificates, see the guide to medical certificate requirements.
Practical steps before you send a reimbursement request
- Check whether the treatment or assessment was approved, arranged, or clearly connected to the claim.
- Match every travel entry to an appointment record, invoice, report, certificate, referral or assessment notice.
- Separate ordinary travel from unusual travel, such as taxis, long distances, accommodation or support-person travel.
- Explain why the cost was needed, especially if symptoms made cheaper transport unrealistic.
- Send one organised bundle rather than scattered receipts with no explanation.
- Keep a copy of what was sent and the date it was sent.
If you are changing providers or travelling further because a closer provider is unavailable, the clinical reason should be documented. You may also want to read the guide to changing GP or doctor during a CTP claim.
If the insurer refuses travel costs
Ask for written reasons. The response should identify whether the insurer disputes the appointment itself, the accident connection, the amount, the mode of transport, the distance, the proof, or prior approval. Different reasons need different evidence.
If the refusal is tied to treatment being unreasonable or unnecessary, the better starting point may be the treatment refused dispute pathway. If the decision is part of a broader claim problem, review the CTP claim disputes guide and the internal review process.
Frequently asked questions
- Can NSW CTP pay travel expenses for treatment?
- Yes, travel expenses can be payable where they are reasonable and necessary and connected with approved treatment, rehabilitation services, or assessments for accident-related injuries. Keep records and ask the insurer before assuming a cost will be reimbursed.
- What travel records should I keep for a CTP claim?
- Keep appointment dates, provider names, addresses, kilometres travelled, parking receipts, toll receipts, public transport receipts, taxi or rideshare invoices, and any reason ordinary transport was not suitable.
- Does the insurer have to approve every trip in advance?
- Approval issues depend on the treatment, the claim stage, and the insurer decision. The safest approach is to get written approval for treatment plans and clarify travel reimbursement before expensive or repeated trips.
- Can I claim travel to a Personal Injury Commission medical assessment?
- SIRA guidance recognises travel expenses for approved treatment, rehabilitation services, and assessments, including assessments conducted by a medical assessor of the Personal Injury Commission. Keep the appointment notice and travel proof.
- What if the insurer refuses to reimburse CTP travel costs?
- Ask for written reasons, check whether the dispute is really about causation, reasonableness, necessity, approval, or proof of payment, then respond with targeted evidence and consider the relevant internal review or PIC pathway.
Source note
Source basis checked before publication: SIRA NSW CTP material on treatment, rehabilitation and care, SIRA Motor Accident Guidelines references to reasonable and necessary costs and travel expenses, Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (NSW) section 3.24, and SIRA material on allied health and rehabilitation services in the NSW CTP scheme.