Workers compensation payments can stop because of your age
The pension age is when you become entitled to receive an age pension from the Australian government. The pension age is used, even if you do not plan to access the age care pension.
Injured before 1 March 2023
When were you born? | Your pension age | When will payments stop? |
|---|---|---|
1 July 1952 – 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months | 1 year after you were injured |
1 January 1954 – 30 June 1955 | 66 years | 1 year after you were injured |
1 July 1955 – 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months | 1 year after you were injured |
1 January 1957 – Now | 67 years | 1 year after you were injured or when you reach pension age* |
Injured after 1 March 2023
When were you born? | Your Pension Age | When will payments stop? |
|---|---|---|
1 July 1952 – 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months | 2 years after you were injured |
1 January 1954 – 30 June 1955 | 66 years | 2 years after you were injured |
1 July 1955 – 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months | 2 years after you were injured |
1 January 1957 – Now | 67 years | 2 years after you were injured or when you reach pension age* |
*Whichever time is longer. That is, if you are 60, you can be paid until you reach pension age but if you are 66 years and 11 months old, you will be paid for 1 year (if injured before 1 March 2023) or 2 years (if injured after 1 March 2023).
There are other reasons your payments might be stopped. If this happens, your employer will provide you with a letter to explain why. This is outlined in the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988.
What if you don’t agree?
You can ask the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) to look at your case.
This is called filing a Section 87 referral.
What does TASCAT look at?
TASCAT considers:
- if you could have kept working past your pension age, if you hadn’t been injured
- if you planned to keep working after your pension age
- if your injury is serious and ongoing.
To help TASCAT, you can give TASCAT copies of reports you have and any other information about your injury.
What happens next?
Once you have a filed a Section 87 referral, TASCAT will arrange a meeting with everyone involved i.e. you and your employer. This is an opportunity to talk about your concerns and hear from your employer. The goal is to find a solution that everyone agrees to. These meetings are usually done via teleconference (a phone call).
TASCAT will look at all the information before deciding if your payments can keep going and how long they can keep going.
Forms
Copies of the forms required are available on TASCAT’s website. TASCAT staff can answer general queries about the form and the process for filing the referral.
Get help
Worker Assist Tasmania provides advice and support to injured workers. Phone on 03 6216 7677 or email workerassist@workerassist.org.au.
WorkSafe Tasmania has more information on workers compensation.
The information contained on this page is also available in a fact sheet PDF format.