WorkSafe Incentive Scheme for Employers (WISE)

WISE gives employers up to $26,000 to hire someone for at least 8 hours a week in an ongoing role when they can’t return to their previous employer after a work-related injury or illness.

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Employer eligibility for WISE

Most employers are eligible for WISE. However, they can’t access it to hire people through labour hire companies, employment agencies or group training organisations that place people into a workplace of another employer.

WISE can’t be used for traineeships and apprenticeships.

Employee eligibility for WISE

People with an injury or illness are eligible for WISE if they are:

  • ready to work, as agreed with their treating practitioner
  • employed in a role that WorkSafe recognises as appropriate (for example, in a role that suits the person’s capacity, or in a role with an employer that has a workers’ compensation policy)
  • employed for at least 8 hours a week in an ongoing role

People are not eligible for WISE if they are:

  • self-employed
  • employed in a company where they are a director or board member of that company

How WISE works

WISE payments

WISE is paid directly to the employer. They receive up to $26,000, in 3 instalments across 6 months.

The first payment is made when the WISE employment starts. It is a fixed amount of $2,000.

The second and third payments are made at the end of weeks 13 and 26 of ongoing employment. They equal 45% of the person’s gross earnings for each time period and are capped at $12,000 each.

Employers must submit a WISE payment form to claim each payment.

For example, Ann Smith is offered a new job as a receptionist for a real estate agent. Her gross wage is $980 a week and she started working on 15 April 2022.

Week 1 payment – $2,000
Payment 1 is a ‘fixed fee’ of $2000. It is paid on or about 15 April 2022.

Week 13 payment – $5,733
Payment 2 is capped at $12,000. It is paid after week 13, on or about 15 July 2022.
13 weeks x $980 = $12,740
45% of $12,740 = $5,733

Week 26 (final) payment – $5,733
Payment 3 is capped at $12,000. It is paid after week 26, on or about 14 October 2022.
13 weeks x $980 = $12,740
45% of $12,740 = $5,733

In total, Ann’s new employer receives $13,466 in WISE payments.

Injury insurance premium protection

If a person is injured at their new employer, the employer should contact the person’s WorkSafe agent. The agent will decide whether the injury is related to the original claim, or they may ask for a new WorkSafe claim to be lodged.

The new employer’s premium won’t change if a person sustains a new or recurring injury in the first 2 years after the WISE employment start date.

If the person’s injury is related to the original claim, their previous employer is responsible for any costs.

If the person’s injury is new and sustained as part of their new employment, it still won’t affect the new employer’s premium. However, the new employer will need to pay the employer excess for the new claim, which is the first 10 days of weekly payments, and the first $763 of medical and like expenses (as at 1 July 2022, indexed annually), unless they selected the excess buyout option on their WorkCover insurance premium.

Notes:

  • If the new employer is self-insured for workplace injuries, or is an interstate or Commonwealth Government employer, they are not eligible for WorkSafe’s injury insurance premium protection.
  • For WISE placements that started before 5 September 2016, injury insurance premium protection only applies for injuries that occurred in the first 12 months after the WISE start date.

More information