Nothing in the Motor Accident Insurance Act requires a claimant to have a lawyer. Every year a substantial share of Queensland CTP claimants lodge their claim directly with the insurer, and the Motor Accident Insurance Commission publishes figures on how those claims go. This is what the rules and the data say, without the sales pitch.

Key points

  • You may run a CTP claim yourself; from March 2026 MAIC's Standard 910 sets rules for how insurers must treat unrepresented claimants.
  • MAIC's figures show unrepresented claims finish faster, with the caveat that more serious claims tend to be represented. MAIC does not publish payouts split by representation.
  • Running it yourself is reasonable for a minor, resolved injury with admitted liability; not where symptoms continue, work is affected or liability is disputed.

What the regulator has done

In 2026 MAIC introduced a Claims Management Standard specifically for unrepresented claimants. It requires insurers to communicate in plain language, to explain the claims process and the claimant's rights, to tell claimants that they may obtain legal advice, and to deal fairly with people who are managing a claim alone. The standard exists because MAIC recognised that an unrepresented claimant is negotiating against a professional, and that the process needed guard-rails.

What the figures show

MAIC's published scheme statistics show that about a third of CTP claimants now lodge directly with the insurer, and that claims lodged without a lawyer tend to finish sooner than represented claims. MAIC's own commentary is careful about why: people with more complex or serious injuries are more likely to engage a lawyer, so the two groups are not directly comparable. MAIC does not publish average payouts split by whether the claimant had a lawyer, so be wary of anyone quoting a precise multiple. That caution is fair. What the figures do establish is that the type of claim that runs well without a lawyer is a particular one.

When running it yourself is reasonable

  • The injury is minor and has fully resolved within a few months.
  • You have lost little or no income and have no ongoing treatment.
  • Liability is admitted without argument.
  • The insurer's offer covers your documented out-of-pocket costs and a modest amount for the injury, and you have checked it against the injury scale.

In that situation, the cost of legal representation may exceed what it would add, and a lawyer worth speaking to will tell you so at a free first consultation.

When it is not

  • Symptoms are continuing, or you have not yet stabilised.
  • You have lost work, or your capacity to do your job has changed.
  • The insurer disputes liability, or argues you were partly at fault.
  • The insurer has refused treatment, or has made an early offer before your specialists have reported.
  • The injury is to your neck or back, is psychological, or involves more than one body part.

These are the claims where value is set by evidence that has to be obtained in the right order, where the heads of damage interact, and where the difference between an early offer and a properly prepared claim is measured in multiples rather than percentages.

The one thing to do either way

Before accepting any offer, have someone who is not the insurer tell you what the claim is worth. A settlement cannot be reopened. Our first consultation is free, we will tell you plainly if the claim is one to run yourself, and if it is, we will tell you what to check in the offer.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a lawyer to make a CTP claim in Queensland? No. The Act does not require one, and MAIC now requires insurers to explain the process to unrepresented claimants. Whether one is worth it depends on the injury and what is at stake.

Will a lawyer cost more than they add? In a minor, resolved claim, possibly, and a lawyer should tell you so at a free first consultation. In a claim with ongoing symptoms or lost income, the difference between an early offer and a prepared claim is usually far larger than the fees, which are capped at 50 per cent of the net amount in any case.

Can a settlement be reopened if I later find it was too low? No. Once a claim is settled it is final, which is why the value should be checked independently before accepting.

Sources

  • Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994 (Qld) — legislation.qld.gov.au
  • Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Claims Management Standard 910 – Unrepresented Claimants (effective 1 March 2026) — maic.qld.gov.au
  • Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Annual report and scheme statistics — maic.qld.gov.au
  • Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), s 347 (the 50 per cent limit on fees in speculative personal injury claims) — legislation.qld.gov.au