Change to how you receive incentive payments
Beginning in May/June 2021, Certificate of Recognition (COR) financial incentives will no longer be mailed as physical cheques. Instead, if you meet the program’s incentive eligibility criteria, the payment will be credited directly to your WorkSafeBC account. This change will eliminate delays in reimbursement created by mail delivery disruptions or outdated contact information, will eliminate the step requiring you to deposit your cheque, and will reduce our environmental footprint. If you have any questions about this change, please email partners.program@worksafebc.com.
Financial incentives are an important part of the certificate of recognition (COR) program, so it’s necessary for employers to understand the process and criteria they must meet to be considered for an incentive.
If you are an employer who has achieved COR certification and are in good standing with WorkSafeBC, you will be considered for an incentive approval.
It’s important to note that incentives and COR certificates are two different streams. You may have a valid certificate and still not be approved for an incentive.
Process
To be eligible for an incentive, there are a number of steps involved after registering in the program.
After completing all required training and meeting other program standards, you must successfully pass your certification audit in order to be considered for an incentive for that year. In each of the following years (years two and three), you must successfully pass your annual maintenance audit to maintain your certification and to be considered for an incentive. In other words, you must have successfully obtained or maintained your certification for the incentive year to be considered eligible for an incentive.
Once your audit has been completed and verified, your certifying partner will update your status with WorkSafeBC indicating you are eligible for COR certification. In the year following your audit, WorkSafeBC will check to see if your company or organization is in good standing. After this verification, you will receive either a letter regarding your incentive status or an incentive cheque.
Criteria
To be considered for an incentive, your organization must:
- Have achieved or maintained your certificate in the previous year (in other words, you conducted and passed an audit that met the certifying partner’s verification process)
- Be in good standing with WorkSafeBC in the current year
To be approved for an incentive, your organization must be in good standing with WorkSafeBC. Your organization will not be approved for an incentive if, in the previous year, you have:
- Engaged in activity that would cause WorkSafeBC to impose, or consider imposing, an administrative penalty
- Suppressed claims for compensation or a claim cost
- An outstanding balance related to your WorkSafeBC employer account
- Failed to register with WorkSafeBC
- Not reported payroll to WorkSafeBC for the audit year
- Engaged in any misconduct WorkSafeBC considers inconsistent with participation in the COR program
This list comes from Assessment policy AP1-42-4.
Overview of timing and scheduling
WorkSafeBC initially considers certificates for incentive payments in the second quarter of the following year. The beginning of the second quarter is when the Partners Program considers payroll for the previous year to be stabilized. If the incentive is not paid by the end of the second quarter, the audit is reconsidered for incentive three more times before the following year.
For example, if your organization is certified at any point this calendar year, it will be considered for an incentive as early as the second quarter of the following year. You can expect to receive a cheque and/or correspondence by the end of June. Please contact our office after July 1 if you have not received a cheque and/or correspondence related to the prior-year audit.
Incentive amount
WorkSafeBC uses the following calculation to determine the incentive amount:
Employer’s reported assessable payroll x (CU base rate / 100) x 10%
See also
Find your classification unit, industry, or rate
Report payroll & pay premiums