Weekly compensation

If a worker has experienced a work-related injury or illness, they might need time off work while they recover. Their doctor will put details of this on their work capacity certificate.

If a worker can’t work, will they still get paid?

If a workers’ compensation claim is accepted, workers may be able to receive weekly compensation for lost wages.

What are workers entitled to?

An insurer will work out how much a worker will be paid based on the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.

Payments will depend on:

• how long a work capacity certificate or other medical opinion says the worker should be off work
• the date of the injury
• the date a doctor first assessed the injury
• the length of time a worker has been receiving compensation
• whether a worker’s job has an award or workplace agreement in place
• what a worker’s normal wage payments are each week (normal weekly earnings)
• Queensland full-time adult ordinary time earnings (QOTE).

QOTE is the amount of a Queensland full-time adult's ordinary time earnings. These are adjusted year by year (usually on July 1) and are declared by the Australian Statistician. The current rate of QOTE is published in the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation (QOTE) Notice and can be found on the Queensland Legislation website.

How does a worker get paid?

The first week's compensation for a worker will come directly from their employer. This acts as their insurance excess for a claim.

After that, an insurer will commence weekly compensation payments. Workers may receive these via their employer or directly from their insurer depending on the circumstances. This helps workers stay on track and keep life as normal as possible.

If there are any delays in receiving wage information from an employer, an insurer will make a basic weekly payment to a worker until their weekly compensation can be calculated.

Tax will be deducted from their payments in the same way as a normal wage. An insurer doesn’t take deduct things like superannuation. An employer may still have to pay super while a worker is receiving workers’ compensation. This will depend on their award or workplace agreement.

How long will a worker be paid for?

A worker’s weekly compensation will stop when the first of the following happens:

• they go back to work and start earning income
• they receive a lump sum offer
• they've been receiving weekly payments for five years
• their total weekly compensation reaches the maximum amount payable.

Learn about what happens if a claim is stopped.

What information does an insurer use to calculate weekly compensation?

An insurer will use information from an employer or from a worker to calculate a worker’s normal weekly earnings. When an insurer is determining a claim, they will ask for:

• An itemised payroll report from the employer for 12 months before the date of injury. The report must show each payment including wages, penalties and allowances, OR
• Payslips from the employer or from the worker for 12 months before the date of injury (or from the date started, if less than 12 months), OR
• If these aren't available, an insurer may accept other written wages evidence, such as tax invoices or bank statements.

Workers and employers should contact their insurer (WorkCover Queensland or a self-insurer) if they have questions about workers’ compensation payments.

More information on calculating normal weekly earnings and what to do if a worker or employer have concerns about the wage calculation.