Workers compensation (Queensland)

What the scheme requires

• Who must insure: All Queensland-based employers who employ workers must insure them against work-related injury or illness. A worker is an individual working under a contract of service who is an employee for PAYG withholding purposes, under the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003; some contractors count as workers. QLD · effective 2026-08-13 WorkSafe Queensland · 2026-08-13
• Premium basis: WorkCover Queensland bases the accident insurance premium on the employer's wage costs, industry (WorkCover Industry Classifications) and claims history. The calculation breakdown is published on WorkCover Queensland's premium pages. QLD · effective 2026-08-13 WorkSafe Queensland · 2026-08-13
• Certificate of currency process: WorkCover Queensland sends the certificate of currency once the premium is paid or a payment plan is set up, confirming cover for the full financial year. It can be viewed or downloaded any time in WorkCover Connect under Insurance, then Certificate of Currency. QLD · effective 2026-08-13 WorkSafe Queensland · 2026-08-13
• Small employer exemption: No small-employer exemption is stated: all Queensland-based employers who employ workers must insure them. Coverage turns on the worker definition (an individual under a contract of service, employee for PAYG purposes), not on the size of the employer. QLD · effective 2026-08-13 WorkSafe Queensland · 2026-08-13

Who administers it

• WorkCover Queensland — The Queensland workers compensation insurer for employers that are not self-insured.

The cover this scheme deals with

• Workers compensation insurance — Statutory cover for injury to workers, arranged through each state or territory scheme rather than on the open market.

What this scheme does not do

Scheme cover and a business’s own insurance answer different questions. A workers compensation scheme responds to injury and illness suffered by a business’s own workers; it does not cover injury to members of the public, damage the business causes to someone else’s property, or the business’s own assets.

• Where injury to the public is dealt with
• Who counts as a worker

Sources

• WorkSafe Queensland — WorkSafe Queensland — regulator portal (WHSQ, Electrical Safety Office, WCRS)