Concurrent employment and earnings
How is PAWE calculated for a casual worker with multiple jobs?
Evidence every job and calculate one statutory PAWE figure from the applicable earnings record
A casual worker should disclose every concurrent job and provide gross earnings records for the statutory period that applies to the individual. The insurer ordinarily determines one PAWE figure under Schedule 1 rather than a separate weekly benefit for each employer. Casual hours, different pay cycles and a recently started job must be aligned to the same legal period before totals are combined. Weekly payments then separately account for actual post-accident earnings or earning capacity. Omitting a secondary job can materially understate PAWE.
Multiple employment can involve different pay cycles, start dates, casual rates, overtime and periods with no shifts. The calculation should not simply add one recent payslip from each job. Each source needs to be aligned to the same statutory period and checked for overlap, gross earnings and exceptional payments.
The accident may affect the jobs differently. A claimant may return to a desk role but remain unable to do a physical weekend job. That difference is relevant to post-accident earnings and capacity, but it should not be used to erase properly evidenced pre-accident earnings from the second job.
Reviewed by Herman Chan, Stephen Young Lawyers
How should earnings from different jobs be combined?
Start by identifying the statutory PAWE category and period. For each job, list gross earnings received within that period and the pay dates they cover. Then reconcile totals so a fortnightly payment, arrears or annual bonus is not counted twice or attributed to the wrong week.
If one job began shortly before the accident or a significant earnings change occurred, the general 12-month average may not be the applicable rule. The insurer should identify the Schedule 1 provision it uses rather than silently average one job over a period before that employment existed.
Worked example, with assumptions: a casual worker has two concurrent jobs throughout an applicable 52-week period. Job A paid AUD 31,200 gross and Job B paid AUD 10,400 gross. The combined gross earnings are AUD 41,600, giving a simple weekly average of 41,600 ÷ 52 = AUD 800. If either job ran for a shorter period or a Schedule 1 exception applies, using 52 as the divisor may be wrong; select the legal category before doing the arithmetic.
What if I can return to only one job?
Medical evidence should address the actual demands of each role. A generic certificate stating partial capacity may not explain why the person can perform computer work for limited hours but cannot lift, drive commercially, stand for a long shift or work overnight.
The insurer may compare PAWE with post-accident earnings or earning capacity under the relevant entitlement-period formula. Keep current payslips and rosters from the job resumed, and evidence of hours or duties lost from the other job. Actual earnings and assessed capacity should not be conflated without reasons.
Where do multiple-job calculations go wrong?
Common errors include omitting a casual job, using net income from one employer, applying mismatched date ranges, treating reimbursements as earnings, overlooking a recent start or counting the same arrears twice. A side business may also require a different evidentiary analysis from wages.
Ask for the insurer worksheet. A transparent calculation should allow you to trace each source total into the final PAWE figure. If it cannot, prepare a job-by-job schedule and request correction or review of the specific decision.
Practical next steps
Prepare a multiple-employment PAWE schedule
Keep every employment separate at the evidence stage, then reconcile them into the statutory period.
List every earning activity
Record employer or business, role, start date, pay cycle, ordinary pattern and whether it continued on the accident date.
Collect records for each source
Obtain payslips, rosters, contracts, bank and tax records without mixing employers in one untraceable total.
Align the periods
Convert pay cycles carefully and attribute earnings to the correct pre-accident period.
Record post-accident work separately
Keep hours, duties and earnings after the crash for each job, including work attempted but not sustained.
Compare the insurer worksheet
Check that all jobs, gross earnings, statutory category and post-accident figures are explained.
Evidence
Multiple-jobs evidence checklist
The insurer should be able to verify each employment and the combined result.
- Employment contract or engagement record for each job.
- Payslips covering the relevant period for every employer.
- Rosters or timesheets showing the ordinary pattern of work.
- Tax income statement and bank records used as reconciliation.
- Evidence of commissions, overtime or allowances and whether they were recurring.
- Certificate of Fitness addressing different job demands.
- Post-accident payslips and reduced-hours records for each job.
- Insurer PAWE calculation showing each source included.
Multiple-employment mistakes
- Do not assume a low-hours second job is too small to disclose.
- Do not add net bank deposits to gross payslip totals.
- Do not use different averaging periods for different jobs without identifying the statutory basis.
- Returning to one job does not automatically establish capacity for another role with different demands.
- A side business may require business-income evidence rather than treating turnover as personal earnings.
Timing
Decision and review timing
Multiple jobs do not create extra time to challenge an incomplete PAWE decision.
- Disclose all jobs when the earnings information is first requested and supplement missing records promptly.
- Keep the date the final PAWE decision was received and the calculation attached to it.
- Check the decision-specific internal-review and PIC information immediately if a job was omitted or the wrong period was used.
- Lodging the statutory benefits claim within 28 days remains important to the earliest potential weekly-payment backdating position.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I receive a separate weekly payment for each job?
- Generally the scheme determines one PAWE and applies the statutory weekly-payment calculation. The evidence for each job must still be included in that figure.
- What if one job paid cash?
- Use lawful contemporaneous evidence such as payslips, tax reporting, rosters and receipts. Unsupported estimates may not establish gross earnings and may raise separate tax or employment issues.
- Does overtime from a second job count?
- It depends on the statutory definition and evidence of gross earnings in the applicable period. Identify the payment and whether it was actually received rather than assuming every occasional amount is included or excluded.
- What if one job started recently?
- A Schedule 1 exception may apply where continuous earning began less than 12 months before the accident or another defined change occurred. The insurer should state the category and period used.
- Can I work one job while receiving weekly payments?
- Potentially, if the statutory calculation still shows accident-related partial loss. All post-accident earnings and work capacity must be disclosed.
- Can physical restrictions differ between jobs?
- Yes. Medical evidence should describe the demands and restrictions for each role. A job title alone is not enough.
Related NSW CTP guides
Official sources
- Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (NSW), current in-force version
- Motor Accident Injuries Regulation 2017 (NSW), current in-force version
- SIRA Motor Accident Guidelines, current published version
- SIRA Motor Accident Guidelines Part 4: claims
- SIRA: Certificates of Fitness for motor crash injuries
The legislation and official guidance linked above are the source basis for this page. PAWE and weekly-payment outcomes depend on the statutory category, complete earnings evidence, accident-related loss and the decision applying to the individual claim.
Multiple-job PAWE review
Has one of your jobs been omitted from the PAWE calculation?
Send the pay records for each job and the insurer worksheet. We can compare the statutory period, source totals and post-accident earnings used.
General information only: This page provides general NSW CTP information, not legal, financial, employment or tax advice. It does not calculate an individual entitlement, promise payment or extend a claim or review deadline.