Prepare the records for a Compensation Fund Return of Earnings

Establish the employer and assessment period

This workflow is for an employer preparing Compensation Fund records. Start with the registered employer name, registration number and the exact period displayed in the return. Confirm that the payroll data covers that same period before calculating totals.

The Department’s earnings statement guidance describes an assessment period from March to the end of February. Check the current return instructions, earnings ceiling and submission notice for the period you are filing. This guide deliberately does not repeat an old deadline or earnings limit as though it applies every year.

For the 2025 return cycle, read the Compensation Fund notice dated 8 September 2026. It addresses outstanding 2025 and earlier returns and calls for submission before 31 October 2026. That dated reminder does not establish a permanent annual deadline. Match the notice to the years outstanding in your own employer record.

Prepare a restricted working folder

• Employer registration details and previous Fund correspondence.
• Payroll summaries covering the assessment period.
• Employee start and end dates and records needed to explain changes.
• Supporting earnings calculations and any adjustments.
• Previous returns, assessments, payment confirmations and statements.
• Current contact information and an accurate description of business activities.

Keep employee-level information accessible only to people doing the authorised work. The summary sent to a manager can identify totals and unresolved issues without spreading personal payroll records through a general company folder.

Write down who prepares the calculation, who reviews it and who can submit it. Keep these roles clear when an outside adviser assists.

Reconcile, review and submit

1. Confirm the payroll period. List the months included and check for gaps, duplicated exports or records from the wrong entity.
2. Reconcile employee movements. Review starters, leavers and corrections. Explain changes in employee numbers using the underlying records rather than adjusting totals to resemble the prior year.
3. Calculate reportable earnings. Apply the current Fund instructions to the actual records. Keep the treatment of unusual items and the applicable ceiling visible in the working paper.
4. Check business details. Review the nature of business and contact particulars. If activities have changed, establish the proper update process rather than silently selecting a description that produces a preferred assessment.
5. Review before submission. Compare the return with the reconciled working paper. Resolve material differences and retain the approval.
6. Save the result. Keep the submitted return, acknowledgement and reference. Record any request for more information and preserve the response evidence.

Follow the assessment and payment trail

Read the assessment when it becomes available and compare the employer, period and underlying figures with your submission. If something appears wrong, preserve the evidence and investigate through the Fund’s supported process. Do not quietly change an internal copy of the assessment.

Before paying, verify the payment instructions and reference against the official record. After payment, keep both the bank confirmation and evidence of the allocation. A payment made is a different event from a payment correctly reflected on an account.

Use a simple status list: prepared, reviewed, submitted, assessed, payment checked and any remaining query. This makes handovers between the owner, payroll administrator and adviser easier to follow.

Keep the completion evidence together

Resolve the issue shown by the records

Old years remain outstanding: create a separate row for each period and work from the Fund’s records. A current return does not explain or settle an earlier missing period.

Payroll and the draft return disagree: check the period, earnings treatment and employee movements. Record the cause before amending figures.

The letter cannot be generated: review the employer record, outstanding returns, assessments and payments. The Department’s Letter of Good Standing guidance links good standing to current returns and payments.

A contractor supplies a letter: verify it through the official channel rather than relying only on the appearance of the PDF. For assistance with the records and assessment review, use Vatco’s COIDA assessments service; for the status document, use the separate Letter of Good Standing service.