Contractor guideline flowchart

What it contains

Your worker is anyone who works for you, or completes work for you as an employee (this includes any apprentice, trainee, labourer or trades assistant). This may also include a contractor or subcontractor.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to find out whether your contractors are considered your workers. If they are, this may impact whether you need to register for WorkCover insurance and your total remuneration, which is one of the key factors that influences your premium.

This flowchart will help you determine whether a contractor counts as your worker for WorkCover premium purposes and if they're eligible for contractor deductions.

This guideline doesn't apply to you if you hired an individual through a labour hire (or on-hire) firm and pay that firm for work undertaken in your business.

This guideline also doesn't apply to owner drivers, door-to-door sellers, timber contractors, taxi drivers, share farmers, outworkers and sporting contestants. These individuals have special rules that can be found in the relevant clause of Schedule 1 of the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013.

This guideline is not definitive and you need to consider the whole of the relationship between you and the person doing the work. For help with this, contact your agent or WorkSafe Advisory.