Small business return to work incentive

WorkCover Queensland is trialling an incentive to eligible small businesses to improve return to work outcomes for injured workers and their employers.

Getting back to work is an important step in recovering from a workplace injury and means a worker can return to their normal life, often reducing the financial and emotional impact on them and their family.

There are also benefits for an employer to facilitate an early and safe return to work, including improving staff morale, increasing workforce productivity and reducing potential of workers' compensation premium increases.

This new incentive is in the form of a payment from WorkCover to the employer upon the safe and sustainable return to work of an injured worker by the agreed date of return to work. This payment will be up to the value of the employer excess payment on the claim.

The payment will be subject to eligibility and success criteria – terms and conditions are detailed below.

Please direct any queries to your WorkCover Customer Advisor.

Eligibility criteria

1. The incentive payment opportunity must be offered in writing by WorkCover Queensland (WorkCover) directly to the employer for a particular claim.
2. The employer cannot have outstanding prior debts with WorkCover.
3. The employer excess payment for the relevant claim has been paid in full.
4. Any contravention of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 or Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 may result in an employer not being eligible.
5. The relevant claim has been accepted within 2 weeks of the date of injury.
6. The injured worker must be cleared by their treating medical professional to return to work.
7. The injured worker must return to work by the agreed date of return to work.
8. There is no loss of injured worker's wages by the agreed date of return to work.
9. Your incentive payment offer must be kept confidential except to the extent required by law.
10. If having returned to work, the injured worker resigns or is terminated by the agreed date of return to work, the employer will not be paid the incentive.

WorkCover reserves the right to exercise its full discretion when assessing eligibility and offering incentive payments.

How will payments be made?

WorkCover will pay the incentive payment within 2 weeks after the agreed date of return to work if the eligibility criteria is met.