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.
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
When someone with a work-related injury or illness is ready to return to work, they talk to their WorkSafe agent about using WISE and getting help from an occupational rehabilitation provider.
The occupational rehabilitation provider will give the person practical advice and support for finding a suitable new job. They will also give employers who are interested in WISE free advice and support for hiring someone.
The person or their occupational rehabilitation provider contact a potential new employer about an advertised job and give them information about the WISE program. The job must be for at least 8 hours per week and ongoing.
The person applies for the job like anyone else, and the employer considers them like they do any other applicant. They interview them about their skills, qualifications and experience, and decide if they are the right fit for the workplace.
If the employer offers the person a job and they accept it, the occupational rehabilitation provider visits the workplace to make sure the person can do the job safely. The occupational rehabilitation provider will check with the person’s WorkSafe agent that WISE can be used for the job. If everything is OK, they’ll help the new employer fill in the WISE payment form, send the form to the person’s WorkSafe agent for processing, and the person can start work.
The new employer treats the WISE employee the same as they would any other employee performing that role, and has the same legal obligations toward them.
The occupational rehabilitation provider keeps in contact with the employee and employer for the first 13 weeks of the new job, and helps with any questions or problems. They also help employers submit the first WISE payment form. After 13 weeks, employers communicate directly with the employee’s WorkSafe agent.
WISE is paid directly to the new employer, in 3 installments over a 6-month period. The money contributes to their costs related to employment.
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.