When a company goes into liquidation owing its people money, the wages don't just vanish. There is a legal minimum you're owed, and a government scheme, the Fair Entitlements Guarantee, that pays most of it when the company can't. What you get and how fast depends on rules most people meet for the first time on their worst week at work.
This piece covers what you're owed, who pays it when the employer can't, and what's worth doing in the first week. Every figure links to its source. The estimator below runs entirely in your browser.
What am I owed when I'm made redundant?
Two separate things: notice and redundancy pay. The National Employment Standards set the minimums. Notice runs from one week (a year or less of service) to four weeks (more than five years), with an extra week if you're over 45 and have at least two years in. Redundancy pay runs on a separate scale, from 4 weeks at one year of service up to 16 weeks at nine years.
Two quirks catch people. First, the scale drops from 16 weeks to 12 at ten years of service. That isn't an error; it's a 2004 industrial decision that assumed long service leave takes over at that point. Second, small business employers, meaning fewer than 15 employees when notice is given, generally don't owe redundancy pay at all, though notice and unused leave are still owed. Casual employees aren't entitled to either. On top of the minimums, your award or agreement can be more generous, so check it.
Estimate your entitlements
The legal minimums under the National Employment Standards.
Before tax, no overtime or bonuses.
Redundancy pay: 7 weeks. Minimum notice: 3 weeks.
7 weeks
3 weeks
- The Fair Entitlements Guarantee advances redundancy at 4 weeks per full year of service — at or above the minimum scale at every service length, so it only bites if your award or contract gave you more.
- Unpaid wages are covered up to 13 weeks, and notice up to 5 weeks, all at a wage cap of $3,032 a week.
- Unpaid super is never covered by FEG. That goes through the ATO.
General information, not advice. This uses the published NES scale (fairwork.gov.au, June 2026) and FEG caps (dewr.gov.au, July 2026). Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
Who pays if the company can't?
The Fair Entitlements Guarantee, a federal scheme of last resort. It covers you if your employment ended because of your employer's insolvency, in the six months before an insolvency practitioner was appointed, or any time after that appointment — so being made redundant a few months before the liquidation formally started doesn't rule you out on timing grounds. FEG advances most of what you're owed, and the government then stands in the queue of creditors instead of you.
It has caps, and they matter. Wages are covered up to 13 weeks. Payment in lieu of notice is capped at 5 weeks. Redundancy pay is capped at 4 weeks per full year of service, which matches or exceeds the minimum scale at every length of service, so it only bites if your award, agreement or contract gave you more than four weeks a year. And everything is calculated at a maximum weekly wage of $3,032 for 2026-27; if you earned more than that, the cap applies. Annual leave and long service leave are covered too.
Eligibility has one hard edge worth knowing early: at the time your employment ended you must have been an Australian citizen, a permanent visa holder, or a special category visa holder. People on temporary or bridging visas are not eligible for FEG, and their path is lodging a proof of debt with the liquidator as a creditor instead. That is a genuinely hard outcome and there's no soft way to say it.
What does FEG not cover?
Superannuation. If your employer wasn't paying your super, FEG will not make it up, no matter what else it pays. Unpaid super goes through a different door: the Australian Taxation Office collects it as a charge on the employer, the liquidator is required to report it, and you can report it yourself from your ATO online account. In a liquidation, unpaid super ranks alongside wages ahead of ordinary creditors, so it's worth pursuing even when the company looks empty.
FEG also excludes contractors, bonuses, irregular one-off payments, and "excluded employees" under corporations law, which means company directors, their spouses and their relatives. And if the liquidator expects to pay your entitlements in full within 112 days, FEG may not apply at all, because the company can cover it.
How long does it take, and what's the deadline?
The department aims to process claims within an average of 14 weeks of receiving an effective claim, and pays within 2 business days of a decision. In practice the clock often depends on the liquidator, because claims are assessed against employment records the liquidator verifies; a slow or disorganised liquidation slows your money down.
The deadline is firm: you must lodge within 12 months of your employment ending or the liquidation starting, whichever is later. Claims go through FEG Online Services. You'll need identity documents proving citizenship or residency (a driver's licence isn't accepted for this), bank details, and your tax file number.
The deadline is the firm part: 12 months. The processing time bends. Lodge early.
What's worth doing in the first week?
- -Gather your records while you still can. Payslips, your contract, super statements, and anything showing hours worked. FEG claims are assessed against records, and yours fill the gaps the company's might leave.
- -Get the liquidator's details and tell them what you're owed. Registering as a creditor puts your entitlements on the record, and the liquidator's appointment starts the clocks that matter.
- -Lodge the FEG claim early. You don't need the liquidation to finish first. The 12-month deadline is hard, and lodging early puts you in the processing queue sooner.
- -Check your super yourself. Log in to ATO online services and compare what was paid against what your payslips say. If there's a gap, report it; FEG won't fix this one, the ATO route is it.
- -Deal with the income gap, not just the claim. Waiting weeks for money you're owed is its own emergency. If debts are pressing before the money lands, the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 connects you with a financial counsellor at no cost.
How often does this actually happen?
More than most people think, and concentrated where you'd guess. 9,307 companies entered external administration in the first eight months of 2025-26, down 1.3% on the same period last year, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (March 2026). Construction leads at 24% of insolvencies, with accommodation and food services at 15%. Behind each one is a set of people doing exactly the maths on this page.
What you're owed and what FEG advances, in one place:
| Entitlement | The legal minimum | FEG will advance |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid wages | Everything owed | Up to 13 weeks |
| Notice (or pay in lieu) | 1–4 weeks by service, +1 week if 45+ with 2 years | Up to 5 weeks |
| Redundancy pay | 4–16 weeks by service (12 weeks at 10+ years); small business exempt | Up to 4 weeks per full year of service |
| Annual leave and long service leave | Everything accrued | Covered |
| Superannuation | Every quarter owed | Not covered — ATO route instead |
All FEG amounts are calculated at a wage cap of $3,032 per week for 2026-27 (dewr.gov.au, 1 July 2026).
Just lost your job, or about to? The job loss action plan sequences the first two weeks, and the runway calculator shows how long what you have will last.
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Redundancy pay and entitlements, content last updated 25 June 2026.
- Fair Work Ombudsman — Notice of termination and redundancy pay fact sheet, content last updated 16 January 2026.
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations — Fair Entitlements Guarantee, last modified 26 March 2026.
- DEWR — Making a FEG claim and Claim assessment, last modified 1 July 2026.
- Australian Taxation Office — Unpaid super from your employer, last updated 4 June 2026.
- ASIC — Corporate Insolvency Update, Issue 39, March 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much redundancy pay am I entitled to?+
Under the National Employment Standards: 4 weeks' pay at one year of service, rising to 16 weeks at nine years, then dropping to 12 weeks at ten or more. Your award or agreement can add to this. Casuals and most employees of small businesses (fewer than 15 staff) aren't entitled to redundancy pay, and redundancy pay starts at 12 months of service (fairwork.gov.au, June 2026).
My employer has fewer than 15 employees. Do I get anything?+
Redundancy pay generally no, but everything else yes: minimum notice (or payment in lieu), unpaid wages, and accrued leave are all still owed regardless of business size. Some awards have their own redundancy schemes for small business, so it's worth checking yours. And one exception matters here: if the business only became small by making people redundant on the way into liquidation, redundancy pay may still be owed.
Can I claim FEG if I'm on a temporary visa?+
No. FEG requires you to have been an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or special category visa holder when your employment ended (dewr.gov.au, July 2026). Temporary and bridging visa holders lodge a proof of debt with the liquidator instead, and it's worth talking to a financial counsellor about the wait.
Does FEG cover my unpaid superannuation?+
No, never. Unpaid super is pursued through the ATO, which collects it from the employer as a charge; the liquidator is required to report it, and you can report it yourself through ATO online services. In a liquidation, super ranks with wages ahead of ordinary creditors.
How long do I have to make a FEG claim, and how long until I'm paid?+
You must lodge within 12 months of losing your job or the liquidation starting, whichever is later. The department aims to process claims within an average of 14 weeks and pays within 2 business days of a decision (dewr.gov.au, July 2026).
TEKVA Limited is a registered Australian charity that backs working-age Australians under financial pressure, through hardship support, financial counselling, AI upskilling and emergency grants.
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