Applying for registration as a self-insured
employer
Self-insured employer status is available to those
employers who demonstrate the required level of
performance.
A decision to apply should only occur after careful
consideration of the benefits, risk and obligations
associated with registration as a self-insured
employer.
Initial meeting
An initial meeting will occur between the organisation
and ReturnToWorkSA. At this meeting the
organisation will be provided with a high level
overview of the obligations and requirements of
registration as a self-insured employer.
To arrange a time to meet please contact one of the
Self-Insured Technical Officers at ReturnToWorkSA
on 8233 2505
Initial assessment
ReturnToWorkSA will undertake a preliminary
assessment of the applicant’s organisational structure
and financial performance. The organisation will be
provided with a summary of the initial findings.
After this initial assessment ReturnToWorkSA may
seek to initiate further discussion with the
organisation to discuss its suitability for proceeding
with an application for self-insurance.
An organisation choosing to proceed with its
application does so on the basis of its own assessment
of the risks and benefits of its application.
Application Fee
An Application fee must be paid before any expression
of interest can be progressed to an application. The
application fee is $10,000 plus $15 per worker
employed by the organization in South Australia, plus
GST. Application fees are not refundable. Therefore
an organisation must ensure it understand the risks
and requirements of self-insurance before paying an
application fee.
Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct (Code) describes the
requirements and obligations of registration as a selfinsured
employer
and
the
considerations
ReturnToWorkSA must have regard to when granting
registration as a self-insured employer under the
Return to Work Act 2014 (the Act).
An organisation considering an application for
registration as a self-insured employer must ensure
that it has familiarized itself with the contents of the
Code.
How many employees do you employ in
South Australia?
The number of employees required for consideration
of an application for self-insurer registration or a
renewal of self-insurer registration will ordinarily be
200 or more employees on a full time equivalent basis.
In exceptional cases ReturnToWorkSA may consider
an application where the minimum number of
employees has not been met.
Financial performance
ReturnToWorkSA will provide an initial assessment of
an applicant’s performance against the financial
criteria ReturnToWorkSA considers when deciding to
grant a registration as a self-insured employer. The
criteria and benchmark performance levels can be
located in chapter 3 of the Code.
Understanding your group structure
You may have been asked to complete a preliminary
information sheet that examines the organisational
structure. This includes details of companies that are
related to the applicant, and may include related
companies that no longer employ in South Australia.
If you have not yet provided this information, contact
us to discuss what is required. You should also
recognize that your group structure will remain an
important part of continued assessment of your
organization should you achieve self-insurance status.
The structure questions will also cover situations
where companies may be disregarded from your
group if there is a foreign parent company being the
only link between companies.
Costs associated with Self-insurance
The following is an estimation of some of the costs
associated with registration as a self-insured
employer. These amounts are our best estimate based
on our experience. As many of the costs will be
dependent on your negotiations with service
providers. Your experience or cost may be very
different and ReturnToWorkSA accepts no
responsibility for the accuracy or applicability of any of
these estimates.
 Annual fee to ReturnToWorkSA – approximately
4 to 5% of base premium
 Annual Actuarial valuation $15,000 to $25,000
 Financial guarantee cost –1.5% to 2% of value of
the guarantee.
 Excess of Loss Insurance –$30,000 to $50,000 for
small to medium applicants and can be much
more for very large employers.

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Administrative costs – Claims practitioner, WHS
practitioner and any administrative support.
The cost of a claims data system to record and
transmit data to ReturnToWorkSA - $50,000
initial
purchase
plus
annual
upkeep
requirements.
All claims costs incurred by your workers.
One off actuarial valuation by the
ReturnToWorkSA scheme actuary: cost $20,000
to $35,000 depending on claims portfolio to base
the claim transition process.
Have you considered or obtained an
actuarial feasibility study?
ReturnToWorkSA believes that a feasibility study will
help you understand the benefits and risks associated
with registration as a self-insured employer. Before
proceeding to an application an applicant should
undertake a feasibility study.
Assessment under each of the elements
referred to in section 129(11)
An organisation will need to demonstrate, amongst
other things, that it has and is capable of maintaining,
 a significant level of employment
 an ability to meet liabilities relating to workers
compensation claims,
 established and implemented an appropriate
WHS and injury management systems,
 a good record in relation to serious injuries and
interaction with SafeWorkSA (e.g. no
prosecutions)

allocation of appropriate financial, human and
physical resource to the administration of its
claims and rehabilitation activities,

a history of appropriate rehabilitation outcomes
and provision of suitable employment,
a better than industry record over recent years in
the incidence and severity of claims incurred,
consultation with appropriate industrial
associations
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How long does the application process
take?
The time taken to complete an application will vary
between organisations and will be dependent on the
level of preparation prior to application. An applicant
that has not undertaken a detailed assessment of its
preparedness for self-insurance will normally take
between one and two years to complete.
If an application is not completed within two years it
will generally be considered to have lapsed and may
be resurrected by the payment of a further fee.
Further Information
Further information is available at www.rtwsa.com or
by contacting our Self-Insured Technical Officers on
8233 2505