Employer Incentive Payment
Initial applications for Employer Incentive Payments have now closed.
We will continue to assess all 26-week and 52-week later payment claims as they become due.
| Program key details | |
|---|---|
| Eligible employers | All employers can apply, except government organisations and statutory bodies. Read more about employer eligibility |
| Status | Applications closed on 20 October 2025. |
| Available payment | Up to $15,000 per eligible employee. Payments are made over 3 instalments and must be claimed within strict timeframes |
| Key documents | |
Eligibility
No new initial applications are being accepted for Employer Incentive Payments.
If you have had an initial payment approved, and your employee completes 26 weeks of employment, you will have 12 weeks from the 26 week point to submit a claim for the second payment.
If the 26-week payment claim is approved, and your employee completes 52 weeks of employment, you will have 12 weeks from the 52- week point to submit a 52-week payment application.
How payments are made
Payments are made directly to the eligible employer, in 3 instalments. For full-time jobs:
- first payment of $4,500 is made after 4 weeks of continuous employment and approval of the initial application
- second payment of $5,250 is made after 26 weeks of continuous employment with the same employer, and approval of the second payment claim
- final payment of $5,250 is made after 52 weeks of continuous employment with the same employer, and approval of the final payment claim.
Part-time jobs receive 75% of the full payment.
You can only claim for second and final payments for an employee if:
- you are the employer who made the previous payment applications/claims for that employee
- the previous payments were approved.
Pro-rata (part) payments are not available for employment less than the required continuous employment period.
Later payment claim process
Later payment claims must be made online via QGrants.
Remember to keep your contact information up to date so we can contact you about future applications, claims and reviews.
Refer to our QGrants application help for instructions on applying through QGrants, status definitions and troubleshooting.
Evidence required for 26- and 52-week claims
You must confirm again that you continue to meet the eligibility criteria for all later payments outlined in the payment schedule.
You must provide evidence to support each later payment application. This includes evidence that the employee was employed for the eligible period.
Application timeframes
Initial applications closed on 20 October 2025. Applications received after 20 October 2025 will require a late application request and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For later payment claims, we must receive the:
- claim for second payment within 12 weeks of the employee completing 26 weeks of continuous employment
- claim for final payment within 12 weeks of the employee completing 52 weeks of continuous employment.
Submit your applications well before the cut-off dates. Applications and claims received outside of the timeframes will not be paid.
If you might not be able to apply in time, contact us immediately at backtowork@desbt.qld.gov.au.
Late applications
If there were circumstances outside of your control that prevented you from applying in time (e.g. ill health, loss of records due to a natural disaster or a large-scale internet failure), request consideration of your application:
- email your request to backtowork@desbt.qld.gov.au
- include a statutory declaration explaining why the application is late.
Note: Not knowing about the Back to Work program at the right time is not an acceptable reason for a late application.
We will notify you of our decision within 60 business days from when we receive your written request.