NSW PIAWE calculator

PIAWE means pre-injury average weekly earnings. It is a statutory measure of earnings before injury that is used as one input when weekly workers compensation payments are calculated. PIAWE is not itself the weekly payment and it does not decide claim liability, work capacity or damages.

Depending on the records and the applicable rule, gross earnings can include ordinary wages, paid leave and leave loading, overtime, shift allowances, commissions, piece rates and a bonus the employer was obliged to pay. The amount must be connected to work performed in the applicable earnings period.

Compulsory employer superannuation, workers compensation or other compensation for loss of earnings, and a payment made entirely at the employer’s discretion are not included. Reimbursements and unclear payroll items should be classified before they are relied on.

The calculation usually begins with the 52 weeks immediately before injury. It is shortened if employment began later, then may be adjusted for a verified ongoing change that had a financially material effect. A legally permitted pay-cycle alignment can be considered only if it does not lower PIAWE. Qualifying unpaid-leave days are then excluded. The order matters.

Each employment held at the injury date is calculated separately using that job’s earnings and applicable period. The resulting weekly contributions are then added. Do not combine two jobs into one payroll total because different commencement dates, leave periods or employment changes may apply.

Where employment lasted less than four weeks before injury, the ordinary historical average may not be suitable. A prospective weekly earnings figure may need to be established from the employment contract, applicable award or enterprise agreement, prior hours and earnings, or comparable-worker evidence. The calculator requires that evidence to be confirmed.

A promotion, permanent role change, full-time or part-time change, or lasting change to hours or pay rate may change the start of the earnings period. The change must be ongoing and financially material, not merely a temporary roster variation. The entered earnings should match the adjusted dates.

A period of at least seven consecutive days may be left out where no earnings were paid or payable. Enter the exact dates and keep leave or payroll records. Short absences, partially paid periods and dates that cannot be verified should not be removed automatically.

Accommodation, use of a vehicle or another benefit forming part of remuneration needs separate treatment. A benefit retained after injury is generally not added as a cash amount. If it was withdrawn, a prescribed value may be relevant, but the entitlement, value and timing must be supported. A later withdrawal can require a separate variation review.

PIAWE may be recorded in an approved agreement or decided by the insurer. Check the weekly figure, the calculation period, included and excluded amounts, and the date of the document. A finalised figure should be compared with the source payroll records rather than accepted from a summary alone.

Ask for the written calculation and collect payslips, contracts, rosters, payroll summaries, leave records and evidence of allowances or employment changes. Depending on the evidence and procedural stage, a correction, insurer internal review or Personal Injury Commission dispute may be available. A higher figure is not automatic.

PIAWE is used within the weekly-payment framework, but the amount payable also depends on the entitlement period, work capacity, current weekly earnings, statutory limits and other rules. PIAWE evidence can be relevant to economic loss, but it does not by itself establish employer negligence or entitlement to work injury damages.