Add/update workers compensation (WIC) groups and rates

WIC groups and rates are a valuable tool in your platform, as they can provide you with a WorkCover estimate using your payroll data. This is available as an option in your Advanced Payroll Activity Report. 

  Hot tip: Throughout this guide, we will refer to the WorkCover Industry Classification groups and rates as WIC groups and WIC rates for ease.

In this section, we will look to understand some basics, including:

• What affects WIC rates, and why do they differ per state/ territory?
• Where to find the relevant WIC rates for your state/ territory and Industry.
• How to best structure WIC groups and rates in your platform.

What affects WIC rates?

WIC rates will vary depending on various circumstances, and many businesses, especially labour hire, may have situations where multiple WICs are applicable. Below are some of the factors that will affect your relevant WIC groups and rates:

• Rates are set for each state or territory by the governing body of that state or territory.
• Rates are applied according to the industry, based on the main tasks performed by your staff or the primary activity you invoice clients for.
• Various other factors, such as whether your business has made previous claims.
• There will also be variations between private insurers.

Finding the relevant WIC rates for your state/ territory and business

The WIC rates are set each year by the WorkCover authority in the relevant state or territory, based on the claims experience of the industries in which the business operates.

It is likely that you already know and have a record of the WIC rates for your business, but it is important to review these at the end of each financial year, as these rates will likely change and need updating in your platform each year.

Helpful resources for each state and territory can be found below:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

  Hot tip: The above resources are intended to help you find the WIC rates for your state/ territory. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct rates for the financial year, as well as those applicable to your relevant insurer and industry.

Structuring WIC groups and rates in your platform

When setting up your WIC groups and the relevant rates in your platform, it’s wise to plan ahead and consider the structure you wish to establish and maintain over time as your business expands into other states, territories, and industries where applicable.

We recommend using a state/ territory-based structure for your WIC Groups. This will allow your WIC structure to expand if your business begins operating in multiple states or territories or engages in various activities or industries.

Here are some example WIC structures to use as examples when deciding on the configuration in your platform.

For example, suppose your business operates in multiple states or territories. In that case, you may want to use a state-based group structure with the relevant WIC IDs, names, and rates listed underneath each state or territory.

Example 1: A business that operates in a single state (NSW) within a single industry (Clubs -Hospitality).

Example 2: A business that operates in multiple states/ territories. This includes multiple industries in VIC and a single industry in QLD.

 Hot tip: Each pay rate and rate item (such as an allowance) should be designated as Work Cover applicable (yes/no) in the 'Variables applied' section of the pay item/allowance. The system then calculates these as you process your payroll to produce an estimate. 

When adding WIC groups and the relevant rates to your platform, this will follow a 2-step process.

• First, you'll create a WIC Group, and
• Next, add the ID, Industry names & WIC rates under the Group.

You'll use this process to set up new WIC Groups when:

• You're setting up the WIC groups and rates in your initial platform setup.
• Your business starts operating in a new state/ territory that has associated WIC codes and rates.
• Your business acquires a new industry that has associated rates with it.

Configure WIC groups and rates

We will now go over the steps for carrying out these processes.

To add a new WIC group, assign rates:

1. From the main menu, navigate to > Payroll Settings > Workers Compensation.
2. Select Add Group.
   • Enter the Group ID - This can be a combination of numbers and letters.
     • This ID cannot already be used for another WIC Group in your platform.
   • Enter the Name.- In most cases, this will be the name of the 'State/ Territory' or 'Group of Industry' if your business operates only in one state or territory. 
3. Select Save.

Now that the WIC Group has been created, you can assign the relevant IDs, Names and associated Rates within your WIC Group.

To add a new WIC group, assign rates:

1. Navigate to the Group you'd like to add rates to.

2. On the right, select the + symbol that indicates Add New rate.

   

3. In the next fields, you'll enter the:
   • WIC rate ID- The WorkCover Industry Classification number as per your state or territory's WorkCover gazette.
     • This can be numbers or letters only (no special characters).
   • WIC rate name- The WorkCover Industry Description as per your state or territory's WorkCover gazette.
   • Rate- The Industry Rate associated with the WorkCover Industry description.
4. Once you have entered the relevant details, Save your new rate, you can then continue to add new rates under that group.

In the images below, you can see how we have correctly added the WIC classification, description and rate (found in the most recent Victorian Gazette) to the relevant fields under the Victoria- VIC Group we added earlier. 

There may be times when you need to update your existing WIC Group structure or edit the rates within these groups. Some examples may include: 

• Updating the WIC Group name.
• Adding a new WIC rate to an existing WIC Group.
• Adjusting the WIC rates in your platform as an EOFY process - This will likely be the most common use case.

  Hot tip: In the last section of this guide, you'll find some helpful links to assist in locating the yearly WIC rates per state/ territory. These will help update your WIC rates for the new financial year.

Update WIC groups

If you need to modify a WIC group, you can edit all fields until the group has been used in reporting in your platform. Once it has been used, the Group ID cannot be edited.

To update your WIC Groups:

1. From the main menu, navigate to > Payroll Settings > Workers Compensation.
2. Choose to update the following within the WIC Group: 
   • Add (+ icon) - Add a new WIC rate to the WIC Group.
   • Edit (pencil icon) - Edit the Group name (group ID cannot be edited).
   • Delete (bin icon) - Delete the WIC Group.
3. Once you have made the relevant changes, select Save.

Update WIC rates

At the end of each financial year, you may be required to update your existing WIC rates. Please refer to your relevant state's WorkCover governing body.

 Please note: When entering a new financial year, it's crucial to review and update your WIC rates (if necessary) from the first pay period of the financial year.

To update your WIC rates:

1. From the main menu, navigate to > Payroll Settings > Workers Compensation.
2. Open the WIC Group by selecting the arrow next to the relevant group and select the edit icon to edit the name and rate within that group (or to delete, using the bin icon).
   
     Hot tip: Before deleting any WIC codes, please first update your Operations Rates book with a new code. 
3. Once you have updated the relevant rate details, select Save.

You'll find Workers' Compensation data in the following reports:

• WorkCover Report - This report shows the accrued WorkCover liabilities against each WIC code you have assigned in your platform.
• Advanced Payroll Activity Report - The APAR can show you the amounts paid to each employee by WorkCover code.
• Workers' Compensation reporting - Refer to this guide to see more information on:
  • Reporting on the dates and length of employees' WorkCover in the Time Off export.
  • Multiple options for reporting on WorkCover paid- This includes the Leave Report, APAR, and the payroll export.