Special Service Credits

Registered workers who are not working in the building and construction industry due to illness, injury, training, or doing unpaid work, may still be able to have their service credited.

If you fall under any of these categories, apply for special service credits via the Worker Portal.

Unable to work due to illness or injury

Registered workers who are (or were) ill or injured may be able to have periods of illness and injury added to their long service record. This applies to employees and self employed workers, regardless of whether the illness or injury was work related.

Maximum amount of medical service credits

Additional days can be added in the financial year in which your employment was terminated, i.e. from termination date to 30 June, and a further 220 days for each of the next three years ending 30 June. The maximum service that can be added in any financial year (including periods of illness or injury) is 220 days.

  • Employees - If your employment has been terminated, you should apply for medical service credits for periods of illness or injury after termination. If your employment has not been terminated and you are on paid sick leave or worker's compensation, your employer should continue to record your service.
  • Contractors - If you are a contractor, you should apply for medical service credits for any periods where you could not work due to illness or injury.
  • If you intend to claim a long service payment - Further medical service credits cannot be added after you have been paid a long service payment on the basis of ‘leaving’ the building industry, as your registration will be cancelled and removed from the register. If you are going to be off work for a long time, and want to receive your full allocation of medical service credits, you must wait until you've received the maximum amount of medical service credits before claiming.

Light duties after an injury

Registered workers who are on light duties as part of a rehabilitation program may be able to have such periods of light duty added to their record. The light duties work does not have to be building and construction work.

To qualify the worker needs to provide the following evidence:

  • The injury occurred while performing building and construction work
  • Light duties are part of a rehabilitation program
  • The number of days of light duties

Undertaking building and construction training courses

Where a registered worker is unemployed and undertakes a training course to enhance their chances of re-employment in the industry, they may be able to have that period added to their recorded service.

To qualify the course must be accepted by us being relevant to the building industry and the worker needs to provide evidence of the following:

  • The worker's employment has been terminated
  • The worker's last employment was in the building and construction industry.
  • The worker must not have performed paid work since the termination of their employment
  • The number of days spent undertaking the course

Speculative building work

A registered worker who performs unpaid building and construction work on a residential building constructed or acquired solely for the purposes of sale, is able to apply for service credits for the time spent doing that work.

To qualify the worker needs to provide the following evidence:

  • They were an owner or part owner of the property on which the work was undertaken
  • The date of completion of work
  • The period involved
  • The Long Service levy
  • The property has been sold

Voluntary emergency building work

If a registered worker performs voluntary building and construction work in NSW which is related to a declared emergency, the period of voluntary work may be added to the worker's recorded service.

To qualify the worker needs to provide the evidence of the following:

  • An emergency was declared
  • The work was undertaken by the applicant
  • The work was performed voluntarily
  • The number of days involved
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