Average premium rate workers compensation (3 figures)
The Workers Comp Premium Index carries 3 published figures read from 3 sources' own pages, from 1.34 to 1.85 percent, read 12 October 2026.
4 of the 14 named sources read in full publish a figure; 10 publish none, read 12 October 2026.
By jurisdiction
| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| jurisdictionAustralia, standardised average | 1.34% | 1.34 to 1.34% | 1 |
| jurisdictionVictoria | 1.8% | 1.8 to 1.8% | 1 |
| jurisdictionQueensland, per $100 of wages | 1.34AUD | 1.34 to 1.34AUD | 1 |
| jurisdictionSouth Australia | 1.85% | 1.85 to 1.85% | 1 |
Every figure, with its source
One row per published figure: the figure as the source's own page publishes it, the page, and the day it was read. A figure that is not on a page we read is not on this one.
| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReturnToWorkSA, premium calculations | 1.85% | South Australia | 2026-09-12 |
| WorkSafe Victoria, industry rates and key dates | 1.8% | Victoria | 2026-10-12 |
| WorkCover Queensland, premiums held steady for 2026-27 | 1.34AUD | Queensland, per $100 of wages | 2026-09-12 |
| Safe Work Australia, premiums (comparison of arrangements) | 1.34% | Australia, standardised average | 2026-10-12 |
The sentence each figure was read from (4)
- ReturnToWorkSA, premium calculations, read 2026-09-12:
The average premium rate for 2026-27 is 1.85%.
- WorkSafe Victoria, industry rates and key dates, read 2026-10-12:
The average premium rate for 2026–27 is 1.8% of the state's rateable remuneration.
- WorkCover Queensland, premiums held steady for 2026-27, read 2026-09-12:
The target average premium rate will remain at $1.343 per $100 of wages, with no increase for the coming financial year.
- Safe Work Australia, premiums (comparison of arrangements), read 2026-10-12:
In 2021–22, the Australian standardised average premium rate was 1.34% of payroll, consistent with the previous year 2020–21 (1.34% cent of payroll).
Read in full, publishes no figure
10 named sources were read in full on the dates shown and print no usable figure. They are counted, never filled in.
- icare NSW, understanding WICs and premium rates, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- icare NSW, 2026-27 premium settings, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- icare NSW, premium calculation, experience-rated, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
- WorkSafe Victoria, WorkCover insurance premiums order, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- ReturnToWorkSA, average premium rate for 2026-27 maintained, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
- WorkSafe Tasmania, workers compensation insurance for employers, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- NT WorkSafe, workers compensation, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Comcare, how premiums are calculated, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Comcare, premium performance of employers in the scheme, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
- Safe Work Australia, comparative performance monitoring report, 24th edition, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
Methodology
Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2).
4 of the 14 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 10 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 1 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere.
The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source in % (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences), so N counts sources, never sentences; 29 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded.
The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): one cell per industry classification per jurisdiction, taken from that scheme's gazetted or recommended rate and stated per $100 of wages or as a percentage of remuneration, beside the scheme's average premium rate; the derived figure is the ratio between the dearest and cheapest scheme for the same classification and the five-year trend per scheme, which only Safe Work Australia attempts and only at an aggregate level
29 candidate sentences on these pages were refused by a reviewer; each refusal and its reason is recorded in the review ledger.
Sources (15)
- icare NSW, understanding WICs and premium rates(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- icare NSW, 2026-27 premium settings(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- icare NSW, premium calculation, experience-rated(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- WorkSafe Victoria, industry rates and key dates(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- WorkSafe Victoria, WorkCover insurance premiums order(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- WorkCover Queensland, premiums held steady for 2026-27(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- ReturnToWorkSA, average premium rate for 2026-27 maintained(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- ReturnToWorkSA, premium calculations(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- WorkSafe Tasmania, workers compensation insurance for employers(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- NT WorkSafe, workers compensation(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Comcare, how premiums are calculated(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Comcare, premium performance of employers in the scheme(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Safe Work Australia, premiums (comparison of arrangements)(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Safe Work Australia, comparative performance monitoring report, 24th edition(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- WorkCover WA, 2026-27 recommended premium rates(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
Cite or embed this figure
The Workers Comp Premium Index carries 3 published figures read from 3 sources' own pages, from 1.34 to 1.85 percent, read 12 October 2026.
4 of the 14 named sources read in full publish a figure; 10 publish none, read 12 October 2026.
Workers Comp Premium Index, jurisdiction Australia, standardised average: median 1.34 percent across 1 source, read 12 October 2026.
Workers Comp Premium Index, jurisdiction Victoria: median 1.80 percent across 1 source, read 12 October 2026.
Workers Comp Premium Index, jurisdiction Queensland, per $100 of wages: median 1.34 AUD across 1 source, read 12 October 2026.
Workers Comp Premium Index, jurisdiction South Australia: median 1.85 percent across 1 source, read 12 October 2026.
Cite as: "employeecostaustralia.com Workers Comp Premium Index", updated 2026-10-18, https://employeecostaustralia.com/datasets/workers-comp-premium-index/.
Download the CSV (4 rows, computed 2026-10-18)
Want these figures checked by an Australian accountant?
Tell us what you are hiring for and we will introduce you to up to three firms. Each is an accountant or payroll provider who works with employers your size in your state.
Questions this data answers
What is the workers compensation premium rate for an industry in each Australian jurisdiction, and how far apart are the nine schemes for the same work?
The Workers Comp Premium Index carries 3 published figures read from 3 sources' own pages, from 1.34 to 1.85 percent, read 12 October 2026.
Where do the figures in the Workers Comp Premium Index come from?
Every figure is quoted from its source's own page and dated (last read 12 Oct 2026). 14 named sources were read and 4 publish a figure; the 10 that publish none are recorded as not published, never estimated.