What the program covers
If you have work up tests or surgery for a kidney or partial liver donation and meet the eligibility requirements, you can claim for:
- leave from work – your employer must agree
- out-of-pocket expenses for related travel or accommodation
- both.
Read about how to claim, including what supporting documents you must provide.
Reimbursement of leave
What you can claim
We reimburse up to 342 hours of leave at the National Minimum Wage (this is not the same as award or registered agreement wages).
This equates to 9 weeks of leave for a 38-hour week.
You can spread this time over a longer period, depending on:
- how many hours you would normally work each week
- how many hours of leave you’ve been paid for each week.
If you earn more than the National Minimum Wage, you may not get an hour-for-hour reimbursement of leave credits. Your employer may choose to only re-credit your leave up to the value of the reimbursement payment.
What you can’t claim
You can’t claim:
- unpaid leave
- leave covered by income protection insurance
- costs claimed through a state or territory scheme.
Contact us if you have queries about what you can and can’t claim.
How leave reimbursements work
Leave reimbursements go to the employer (or you, if self-employed) to reimburse the leave you’ve been paid for.
Payment to the employer can be to:
- re-credit your leave – if you took sick or annual leave for your work up tests or organ donation
- contribute towards reimbursing the employer – if you did not have sick or annual leave to take, but your employer still paid you
- a combination of both.
The leave reimbursement payment cannot be transferred to a new employer who has not directly paid you for your leave.
If you are self-employed
If you are self-employed, we will reimburse up to 342 hours of income lost at the National Minimum Wage.
If you don’t have enough leave
If you work casually or do not have enough leave, you can participate if:
- your employer pays you for time off – this can be through an ex-gratia (voluntary goodwill) payment
- you meet all other eligibility requirements.
Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses
What you can claim
You can claim up to $1,000 out-of-pocket expenses related to travel and accommodation, including:
- accommodation (based on reasonable amounts, in line with Taxation Determination TD 2020/5 – see part 5.1.7 of the guidelines)
- economy airfares
- public transport including bus, train and taxi fares
- car hire
- parking for the day of an appointment
- petrol – up to 7 days before or after an appointment
- road tolls.
We will send your reimbursement directly into your nominated bank account.
What you can’t claim
You can’t claim other expenses, such as:
- medical expenses
- meals
- childcare
- expenses for family members or carer.
Claiming
How to claim
To claim:
- complete the application form – Part A for donors and Part B for employers (if claiming for leave)
- email us your form and supporting documents.
If you need to edit or update your application once submitted, email us.
Supporting documents
Supporting documents include, where relevant:
- a medical certificate to verify the dates of
- payslips to confirm you were paid for time off
- receipts or bank statements showing expenses on and around the dates you were at testing, appointments and surgery (or a statutory declaration if you don’t have a receipt)
- self-employed donors must provide evidence of business income, such as:
- work-up testing
- appointments
- surgery – you can also provide an email or letter from your transplant surgeon, transplant coordinator or the hospital
- recovery period
- most recent tax return
- business activity statement
- profit and loss statement
- relevant payslips
- bank statements
- out-of-pocket expenses tracker (not mandatory but makes the assessment easier)
- appointment sign-off sheet (not mandatory but makes the assessment easier)
- leave tracker (not mandatory but makes the assessment easier).
The amount reimbursed will be based on receipts or statutory declarations that align with medical certificates or evidence of appointments.
When to apply
You can apply after you have returned to work following:
- your surgery if you went ahead with the donation
- your last appointment if you are claiming for work-up testing only.
Processing time
Our assessment timeframe varies, depending on the complexity of the application and evidence provided.
You can contact us for an update on the status of your application at any time.
Requesting a review
If you’re unhappy with our decision, email us within 28 days of our decision to request a review.
A team member who was not involved in the original decision will review your case, and let you know the outcome within 21 days. If a longer period is required, we will stay in contact with you.
If you are still not satisfied with the review outcome, you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
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