Workers Compensation insurance covers the workers you engage, not you personally. If you’re self-employed or operate as a sole trader with no workers, you are not legally required to have workers compensation insurance for yourself, as you’re not considered a ‘worker’ under law. However, if you hire workers you are legally required to obtain workers compensation to cover them.

To cover your own potential work-related injuries or illness, you may wish to seek professional advice regarding your requirements. If you’re looking for income protection insurance, GIO does not offer this type of insurance; however, you can check out AAMI Income Protection Insurance, another brand within the Suncorp Group. For more details, visit the AAMI website.

If an employee tells you they’ve been injured or fell ill at work, here’s what you need to do:

• Make sure they get first aid or medical help right away. They’ll need a Certificate of Capacity from their doctor to confirm their injury or illness.
• Report the incident quickly. Record it in your workplace injury register and notify GIO (and your state workers compensation authority, if required) as soon as possible.
• Submit the claim. The sooner you lodge it, the better the outcome will be for both you and your worker.

Depending on your state, there are different timeframe requirements for notifying GIO of an injury and for submitting a claim.

Learn more about the workers compensation claim process in your state.

In most states, workers get paid for both annual leave and workers compensation.

Workers can take annual leave during workers compensation in NSW, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA – and the ACT as of 9 June 2023. However, in Tas, workers won’t get paid for workers compensation at the same time they’re being paid for annual leave.

Workers in SA can also take annual leave but the rules on taking annual leave can be different for workers if they're totally incapacitated for 52 weeks or more.

Workers in NT can’t take annual leave during workers compensation.

In NSW, Qld, Tas, Vic and WA – and in the ACT as of 9 June 2023 – annual leave will accrue during workers compensation if the employee would have otherwise been entitled to the accrual had they not been on workers compensation.

In SA, annual leave usually accrues during worker's compensation, unless the worker is totally incapacitated on workers compensation for 52 weeks or more, in which case different rules apply.

Workers in NT don’t accrue annual leave during workers compensation.

Yes, in Qld and NSW. But in most other states, workers can’t access their sick leave while on workers compensation.

In NSW if the payment for sick leave is higher, payment is the difference between the sick leave payment and workers compensation.

Yes, in Qld and SA – and in WA as of 1 July in 2024.

Sick leave doesn’t accrue for workers in the ACT, NSW, NT, Tas and Vic.

Employers are generally not required to pay superannuation on weekly workers compensation payments. However, a worker may still be entitled to superannuation contributions if they fall under an applicable modern award or an enterprise agreement.

Please note if a worker returns to work on reduced hours for which you’re paying them remuneration/wages, then you’ll still need to pay super on this amount.

Yes, weekly workers compensation payments are treated as taxable income for workers. That means tax will be withheld by the insurer, not by you as the employer directly. Lump-sum compensation for permanent impairment, however, is usually not taxable. For more information, visit the Australian Tax Office website.