Photo: AshBoar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0RAF claim status
How to check a Road Accident Fund claim, and what the stages mean
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The official ways to check an RAF claim
| Channel | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Contact centre | 087 820 1 111, Monday to Friday 07:30–16:30 | RAF |
| SMS | 44930 | RAF |
| [email protected]; outstanding documents go to [email protected] with the subject line "Backlog Documents" | RAF | |
| Online | The RAF website's menu links to the RAF Self Service Portal (selfservice.raf.co.za) and the RAF Chatbot (chatbot.raf.co.za) | RAF |
| In person | RAF regional offices and customer service centres, where information officers help direct claimants free of charge | RAF FAQs |
| Head office | 2 Eco Glades Office Park, 420 Witch Hazel Avenue, Centurion; (012) 621 1691, Monday to Friday 07:45–16:00 | RAF |
The RAF calls this step "drive your claim forward": it asks claimants to verify with the contact centre that all required documents were received (RAF, how to claim). An incomplete claim is sent back at the pre-assessment stage — that is the most common reason a status does not move.
What happens after you lodge: the stages and the legal clock
The RAF's how to claim page describes three things the Fund decides once the claim is lodged:
- Validity — was there a road accident, does the claim comply with the Act, was it lodged in time? An incomplete claim is objected to and the documents are returned for you to resubmit.
- Merits — who was to blame, and in what proportion (your share of blame reduces the payout).
- Quantum — how much the losses are worth: medical costs, income, general damages for a serious injury, support or funeral costs.
The RAF Act puts a clock on the first steps:
| Rule | What it means for your status | Law |
|---|---|---|
| 60 days | If the RAF does not object to the validity of your claim within 60 days of receiving it, the claim is deemed valid in law in all respects | s 24(5) |
| 120 days | You may not issue summons before 120 days have passed since lodging, unless the RAF rejects the claim in writing earlier | s 24(6) |
| 5 years | A claim must be settled or taken to court within 5 years of the accident, or it prescribes | s 23(3) |
Keep the RAF's written acknowledgement of receipt: when you deliver a claim by hand, the RAF must acknowledge receipt and the date in writing (s 24(1)(b)). That date starts the 60-day and 120-day periods.
Why RAF payments come in parts (the "second payment")
The RAF's Know your rights page explains that when a claim succeeds it pays the compensation, the legal costs (if the matter went to court) and interest (if applicable), and that "the payments are typically staggered over time with the compensation paid first and the legal costs paid much later".
- Before legal costs are paid, your attorney drafts a party-and-party bill of costs and negotiates it with the RAF.
- If they cannot agree, the bill goes to the Taxing Master, who assesses it and issues an allocator confirming the amount the RAF must pay.
- Your own attorney's fee is set by your fee agreement, usually a contingency fee agreement under the Contingency Fees Act 66 of 1997 (RAF).
A contingency fee agreement must state, among other things, what counts as success, how fees are calculated, and that you may withdraw within 14 days of signing; you must receive a copy on the day you sign. If you feel aggrieved by the fees, you can refer the agreement to the Legal Practice Council ([email protected], 010 001 8500) (RAF).
If you claimed directly, without a lawyer
The RAF says a lawyer is not required and that its information officers help claimants free of charge (RAF FAQs). If you lodged directly, you are the RAF's contact: check the status yourself with the channels above, and send missing documents with your claim reference. Never sign away a share of your payout to a "claims helper" who is not an attorney: the RAF does not have to pay such a claim (s 19(c) and (d) of the RAF Act).
Who can claim, the documents and the deadlines: Road Accident Fund claims. Claiming for general damages: RAF serious injury assessment. After a death: RAF death claims.
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Next step
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my RAF claim status?
Call the RAF contact centre on 087 820 1 111 (Monday to Friday, 07:30–16:30), send an SMS to 44930 or e-mail [email protected] with your claim reference. The RAF website also links to a Self Service Portal and a Chatbot.
How long does an RAF claim take?
The Act sets no total duration. The RAF has 60 days to object to the validity of a lodged claim (s 24(5)); you may sue after 120 days if it has not been settled (s 24(6)); and the claim must be settled or taken to court within 5 years of the accident (s 23(3)).
How long does the RAF second payment take?
The RAF says payments are staggered: the compensation is paid first and the legal costs much later, after the attorney's bill of costs is agreed or taxed by the Taxing Master. It publishes no standard waiting time.
What is the RAF SMS number?
44930, according to the RAF's how-to-claim page, which also gives the contact centre number 087 820 1 111.
Where do I send missing RAF documents?
The RAF asks for outstanding documents to be e-mailed to [email protected] with the subject line "Backlog Documents". The claim itself must be lodged in original, by hand or registered post.
Sources
- Road Accident Fund — How to claim: documents, RAF 1 and RAF 4, 'Drive your claim forward' (archived copy of 22 April 2026; menu links to the RAF Self Service Portal and RAF Chatbot)
- Road Accident Fund — Claims FAQs (archived copy of 17 January 2026)
- Road Accident Fund — Know your rights: how payments, legal costs and contingency fees work (archived copy of 20 May 2026)
- Road Accident Fund Act 56 of 1996, consolidated text (LawLibrary / Laws.Africa): ss 17, 18(4), 19, 23, 24 and 26