How your recovery at work team supports you
Recovering from an injury can be challenging. But with the right team in place to support you, you can make a full recovery while at work. Find out how your employer, health provider and ACC all have a role to play in your recovery.
On this page
Our role in helping you get back to work
We can help if you need:
- work-focused rehabilitation
- financial support
- personalised care plans
- help getting to and from work.
Support we offer
Weekly compensation for your income
If you’re working reduced hours or alternative duties, your employer can pay you for the productive hours. We can top up that up with weekly compensation of up to 80% of your pre-injury earnings. This means you could receive up to 100% of your pre-injury income.
As you continue to recover and can do more of your usual work, the amount of weekly compensation we pay will reduce based on the income you receive from your employer.
If you receive both weekly compensation from us and wages from your employer, it means you have two sources of income. One of them will need a secondary tax code. Contact Inland Revenue about your tax codes.
Apply for weekly compensation through MyACC or by contacting us.
Learn how to apply for weekly compensation
Learn about and log in to MyACC
Getting to and from work
We may be able to help organise and contribute towards transport costs to get you to and from work. This includes buses, trains, taxis, or the use of a private car.
Setting up your workstation
If a medical professional recommends special equipment to help you recover at work, we may be able to help. We can sort out modified equipment for your workspace like specialised chairs or keyboards.
Checking-in on your recovery progress
We’ll support you with a rehabilitation programme. This is designed to help you recover from your injury while at work. As you progress through your recovery, we can update your rehabilitation plan. This might gradually increase your hours or tasks at work.
Learn more about the types of support we can offer to help you recover at work
Your health provider’s role
When you’ve been injured, you’ll need a medical certificate to assess your level of injury. You'll also need it to receive weekly compensation from us. If you are unable to do your normal work duties because of your injury, a medical certificate can be issued by:
- general practitioners (GPs)
- nurse practitioners
- medical specialists.
Being certified 'fit for selected work' means that you’re able to engage in some work while recovering. Although it may mean doing slightly different duties than your normal job. It could mean doing fewer hours or different tasks. It could also mean working with modifications or in a different environment.
When receive a 'fit for selected work' medical certificate, the next step is to talk to your employer. You'll need to discuss how modified duties may work in your role or industry.
Your employer’s role
Most people who can do some activities safely can recover at work. This might mean making some short-term adjustments. You could work with your employer to develop a recovery at work plan. This might include adjusting one or more of the following while you recover:
- duties
- hours
- workload
- working environment.
It is helpful to give your medical certificate to your employer. Use the information from your health provider to talk about suitable work duties that are available. It could be doing the same job, or a different job.
Your employer will get automatic notifications if your injury happened at work and when your medical certificate changes from fully unfit to fit for selected work.
They’ll also be able to view some details about your claim, whether the accident happened at work or elsewhere, using our MyACC for Business platform. This information includes the dates you are likely to be off work and any restrictions on your medical certificate, so they can plan to help you safely recover at work.
Conversation guide for injured employees
Use these conversation prompts to help you talk with your employer about your injury and recovery at work.