PIAWE Reassessment Frequently Asked Questions

Pre-Injury Average Weekly Earnings (PIAWE) is the weekly average of a worker’s gross earnings over the 52 weeks prior to their date of injury. The determination of PIAWE is used to calculate the amount of weekly payments made to a person for a work-related injury while they are unable to work, as part of their workers compensation claim in NSW.

The introduction of PIAWE was intended to provide a method of calculation based on what a worker had been earning prior to their injury. It includes specified allowances which is intended to result in fairer payments to injured workers by using average gross earnings from the 52-week period prior to the injury.

If you have a PIAWE calculation for your workers insurance payment, you are eligible to have your payments reassessed. Please contact your Claims Service Provider to submit a request for reassessment.

This depends on the type of settlement you received. Settlements can include work injury damages, commutations, or common law payments. In some instances, you will not be eligible, however we encourage you to contact your Claims Service Provider so your specific circumstances can be assessed.

We encourage you to reach out to your Claims Service Provider to discuss the relevant information that is held on your claim and any gaps in that information.  

As each person's circumstances are different, your Claims Service Provider will let you know what information is needed for your reassessment.

This may mean providing earnings information for the 52-week period leading up to your injury such as pay slips, your employment contract, PAYG statements, leave records or other information relating to your earnings.

Depending on the earnings information needed, you may need to contact your employer for this information, if you feel comfortable to do so. Insurers are dependent on information from employers when determining an injured worker's weekly workers compensation payment.

Visit the Payments for your employees page for more information regarding the obligations of your employer.

If your employer is an NSW government agency, we will contact them on your behalf.

You can contact the Independent Review Office (IRO).

IRO receives and accepts enquiries or complaints about the conduct of an insurer and is ready to take your call about this process. If required, IRO can connect you with an approved lawyer to provider legal advice which may be at no cost to you.

To contact IRO, phone 13 94 76, email contact@iro.nsw.gov.au or complete the IRO Make a complaint form. An IRO Solutions Team member will respond to you within one business day.

All Claims Service Providers are responsible for actioning requests for PIAWE reviews.

This depends on several factors. Your Claims Service Provider will give you information about the timing of your payment.

If, after your reassessment, it is determined you were overpaid you will not be asked or required to repay anything.

However, if you are receiving ongoing weekly entitlements these may be reduced because of this new determination. Your case manager will discuss your individual circumstances and what this means for you.

We acknowledge that this may cause you concern. If you are feeling anxious or stressed, we encourage you to contact our free mental health support service, Acacia Psychology on 1300 078 489 or info@acaciapsychology.com.

The following support services may be able to assist if you need financial support: 

• MoneySmart
• Service seeker
• Ask Izzy

The icare website, including this page, can be translated into many different languages by selecting the “Languages” option from the menu. Alternatively, the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) may also be able to assist.