Deadlines: how much time you have
Almost everything else on this site can be done later. A deadline can't. Enter the date it happened and we'll show which time limits started running and how many days are left.
This is general guidance to orient you, not legal advice. Exact time limits depend on your situation and your state, and only the relevant body can confirm them for you.
What's running from that date
If a limit is close or has passed, call anyway: losing time wondering is worse than asking late. Fair Work Ombudsman: 13 13 94, free, interpreters available.
Every time limit, without calculating
This list does not depend on any date: these are the limits that exist and who they are lodged with. It is here to be read without filling anything in, and it is what you get if this page cannot run its calculator.
Unfair dismissal claim
21 days
The usual time limit to lodge an unfair dismissal claim with the Fair Work Commission is 21 days from when the dismissal took effect.
Where: Fair Work Commission
General protections claim (if you were dismissed for asserting your rights)
21 days
If you believe you were dismissed for asserting your rights, complaining, or union membership, that's a different pathway from unfair dismissal. The usual limit is also 21 days from the dismissal.
Where: Fair Work Commission
Notify your employer of the injury
No fixed limit: do it as soon as you can
Report it in writing as soon as you can, without waiting. Exact time limits and the process vary by state, and reporting late can complicate a claim even where it doesn't prevent one.
Where: Your state regulator
Lodge the workers compensation claim
No fixed limit: do it as soon as you can
Time limits to lodge the formal claim vary considerably between states. Lodge as early as you can and confirm your state's limit with its regulator; many schemes accept a later claim where there's a valid reason.
Where: Your state regulator
Recover pay you're owed
No fixed limit: do it as soon as you can
A court generally cannot order payment of an underpayment relating to more than 6 years before proceedings start. Other rules can affect your case, so get advice before treating this calculation as final.
Where: Fair Work Ombudsman
Recover unpaid superannuation
1826 days
Unpaid superannuation goes through the ATO, not Fair Work. Your employer's obligation to pay it does not expire: there is no date after which they stop owing it. What changes is how easy it is to chase - past about five years the ATO generally will not pursue the period unless you can produce your payslips or income statements. If it is older than that, ask anyway. For most covered employees super is also a National Employment Standards entitlement, so in some cases there is a second route through the Fair Work Act. Check your myGov account to see whether your employer actually paid.
Your medical certificate
If you have an injury claim, your payments depend on your certificate being current. It is the thing that most often expires with nobody warning you, and when it does payments can stop. Enter the expiry date and we'll build a calendar reminder: it warns you a week before and two days before, so you can book the appointment in time.
The reminder is created on your own phone or computer. The date is not sent to any server or stored on this site.