WorkCover is the primary workers’ compensation insurer for Queensland. They can offer medical and financial support if you are unable to do your duties because of a workplace injury.
How long you can stay on WorkCover generally depends on a range of factors, including how long it takes to achieve a full recovery and your medical and rehabilitation needs.
In most cases, WorkCover will continue to provide financial assistance until:
But if you have a severe injury with a long recovery, you may receive support until you reach maximum medical improvement (your injuries are stable), typically determined by an independent medical examination.
Our legal guide answers all your questions regarding: how long you can be on WorkCover in Queensland.
The WorkCover website recommends seeking advice from a case manager or a personal injury lawyer when navigating WorkCover, given its complexity, particularly for lump-sum offers and common-law claims.
If you understand all your options and how they apply to your circumstances, you will be aware of all your entitlements.
The Workers Compensation Lawyers QLD provides a free case review for work-related injuries that can explain your rights and entitlements under workers’ comp legislation, including eligibility for weekly payments.
Furthermore, we back all our legal services with a 100% no-win, no-fee, no-financial-risk guarantee. Pay for a win and zero if you lose. It’s free to know where you stand. Call 1800 575 023
An injured worker must meet the following eligibility requirements before calculating workers’ compensation benefits:
Once the employee has an accepted claim, they may be entitled to receive weekly payments that partially replace lost wages.
The workers’ compensation insurer can make weekly payments that partially replace lost wages when you have an accepted WorkCover claim. Here’s how it works when you are incapacitated.
Payments for injured workers are usually higher for the first 13 weeks and then reduce in value.
To calculate weekly payments, WorkCover considers your normal weekly earnings for the 12 months before you became injured or ill, including:
There are several factors that determine how long you can receive workers compensation benefits, including:
Going back to work with suitable duties could be with your original employer, suitable employment with another employer, or even self-employment.
You will stop receiving weekly payments when one of the following occurs:
If you can return to work before a full recovery, wage-replacement payments will stop, but WorkCover may continue to fund treatment and rehabilitation costs.
Five years is the maximum period for which payments for lost wages can be received, but most people don’t reach this limit. That’s because most recover and return to work before reaching the limit.
If you reach the five-year limit (and even if you don’t) you may qualify for a permanent impairment payout, and/or make a common law claim for employer negligence.
You may be eligible for a permanent impairment payout for a work-related injury when you have reached maximum recovery.
In Queensland, you generally can’t collect WorkCover payments until your retire. That’s because the maximum period for receiving compensation for lost wages is 260 weeks, and most people stop well before reaching this limit, which means:
In Queensland, it is unlawful for an employer to terminate an employee during the first 12 months of a work-related injury if the primary cause is the employee’s inability to do their work duties.
However, after 12 months, they can dismiss you for a genuine reason, such as:
Every state of Australia has a workers’ compensation regulator (which is a government body) that oversees its workers’ compensation scheme. Their role is to ensure efficiency and fairness by:
WorkCover payments are subject to income tax deductions in the same manner as employer-paid wages.
Your weekly compensation will stop when the first of the following happens: you return to work, your injury reaches maximum medical improvement, you have been receiving weekly payments for five years, or the total compensation paid reaches the maximum amount.
