Fair Work Information Statements to Give New Staff

Every new employee gets the Fair Work Information Statement. Casual employees also get the Casual Employment Information Statement, while employees entering fixed term contracts get the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement. Your client remains responsible for giving them.

Which Statement Each New Employee Must Receive

The required statements depend on the employee’s employment type and whether their contract ends after an identifiable period. These obligations apply to employers and employees covered by the national workplace relations system.

New employee	Statements to give	When to give them
Full-time, ongoing	Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS)	Before, or as soon as practicable after, employment starts
Part-time, ongoing	FWIS	Before, or as soon as practicable after, employment starts
Casual	FWIS and Casual Employment Information Statement (CEIS)	Before, or as soon as practicable after, casual employment starts, with CEIS repeats below
Fixed term	FWIS and Fixed Term Contract Information Statement (FTCIS), plus CEIS if also casual	FWIS at employment commencement. FTCIS before, or as soon as practicable after, entering the contract. CEIS follows the casual schedule

Fixed term describes the contract’s duration. It can overlap with full-time, part-time or casual employment, so do not treat those labels as mutually exclusive.

The Fair Work Act 2009 sets the employer’s FWIS obligation in section 125 and CEIS obligation in section 125B. Section 125A requires the Fair Work Ombudsman to prepare the CEIS. Sections 333J and 333K cover preparation and giving of the FTCIS.

As the bookkeeper, you can maintain the starter pack and arrange delivery within your agreed services. Confirm who sends it and who checks completion. Outsourcing administration does not transfer the employer’s legal obligation.

The Fair Work Information Statement (FWIS) Explained

The FWIS explains the minimum workplace rights a new employee needs to know. It covers the National Employment Standards, flexible working requests and modern awards. It also explains workplace rights, agreements, termination and the roles of the Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work Commission.

Give the FWIS before, or as soon as practicable after, the employee starts. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s delivery guidance permits paper, email and an emailed link to the statement or its official page. Putting it on a shared drive without giving it to the employee leaves the delivery task unfinished.

Send the statement published by the Fair Work Ombudsman unchanged. Put your client’s welcome message in a separate document. A contract’s summary of workplace rights does not replace the FWIS.

Casual Employment Information Statement: First Day and Repeat Dates

The CEIS explains casual employment and the employee choice pathway to permanent work. The current definition considers whether there is a firm advance commitment to ongoing work. It also requires entitlement to a casual loading or specific casual pay rate under the relevant award, agreement or contract.

The practical employment relationship matters, including whether work can be offered and refused and the pattern of work. A contract labelled casual does not settle the classification by itself.

Under the employee choice pathway, eligible casuals can notify their employer in writing that they believe they no longer meet the casual definition. The minimum employment period is six months, or 12 months for a small business employer. The CEIS explains grounds for refusing a notice and how disputes reach the Fair Work Commission.

The CEIS delivery schedule requires a copy at the start and further copies as soon as practicable after the relevant period:

• Small business employers give it again after 12 months of employment.
• Other employers give it after six months and 12 months, then after every subsequent 12-month period.

A small business employer has fewer than 15 employees at the relevant time. Include employees of associated entities in the same count. Casuals count only when they work on a regular and systematic basis. Use the number of people, not full-time equivalents.

Record each casual’s start date and set the repeat tasks in the payroll or practice workflow. Check the employer’s size at each repeat point because growth can change which schedule applies. Giving the CEIS again does not automatically change the employee’s employment type.

Fixed Term Contract Information Statement

The FTCIS goes to employees entering new fixed term contracts within the commencement scope of the fixed term rules. Existing employees entering another covered contract also receive it. The obligation starts when the contract is entered into, which can happen before the employee’s first shift.

For non-casual employees, the general limits include a maximum two-year term, including extensions or renewals. A contract cannot allow more than one extension or renewal. Consecutive contracts for the same or similar work can also breach the limits where employment continues and the statutory conditions apply.

The fixed term contract rules explain the commencement boundary and exceptions. Examples include specialised skills for a specific task, formal training arrangements and replacing someone temporarily away. Other exceptions concern peak demand, qualifying high-income employees, certain government funding, governance positions and award provisions. Additional exceptions have their own conditions.

Casual employees are outside these contract limits but still receive the FTCIS when entering a covered fixed term contract. Small business employers have no general exemption from giving the FTCIS or from the non-casual contract limits. An exception to a limit does not remove the statement obligation.

Ask the client’s employment adviser to assess an unusual contract or repeated renewals. Keep the statement delivery task separate from that assessment.

Getting the Current Version: 2026 Updates and the PDF

Download the statements from their Fair Work Ombudsman pages when preparing a starter pack. The download linked in 2026 can still carry an earlier edition year. A year in a saved filename does not establish that it is the correct statement.

The downloaded FWIS carries a 2026 update year. The CEIS and FTCIS downloads carry 2025 update years. Use the official downloads in place when delivery is required, rather than assuming all three have a new annual edition.

You can get each PDF directly from the FWIS download, CEIS download and FTCIS download. Keep the copy actually sent with the employee’s record so a later replacement on the website does not erase your delivery evidence.

Reusing an old starter pack can send superseded information after a law change. Replace the pack’s downloads when the Fair Work Ombudsman changes them. Avoid rewriting the statement to update it yourself.

For employees who need language help, the Fair Work Ombudsman has professionally translated resources in over 30 languages. Its language-help directory includes Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, plus Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian and Vietnamese. It also has Auslan resources and an automatic website translator.

Those resources are not a promise that each current information statement has a translated PDF in every language. The Arabic page, for example, explains the obligations in Arabic but links to English statement PDFs. Give the published statement and provide the relevant language resource or interpreting help alongside it.

Adding the Statements to an Employer Client’s Starter Pack

Start with the client’s headcount and employment list so you can choose the correct statements and casual repeat schedule. Record associated entities, which casuals work regularly and systematically, each employee’s employment type and their start date. Identify fixed term contracts and when the client enters them.

Use this order for each new starter:

1. Send the offer letter or contract, with the employment type and contract period recorded.
2. Give the required information statements, meeting the separate contract-entry timing for the FTCIS.
3. Collect the forms the employee completes, including the TFN declaration and super choice form.
4. Check the delivery record and schedule any CEIS repeats.

The new employee forms guide covers the forms the employee returns. Statements are information the employer gives, so their delivery does not depend on the employee completing those forms.

In a fictional example, an employer has nine employees and no associated entities. Five are ongoing employees, three are regular casuals and one is a non-casual fixed term employee. All nine count for the small business test.

The five ongoing employees receive the FWIS when they start. Each casual receives the FWIS and CEIS, with the CEIS repeated after 12 months. The fixed term employee receives the FWIS at commencement and the FTCIS before or as soon as practicable after entering the contract.

If that client hires two more casuals and remains below 15 counted employees, each new casual follows the small business schedule. Staff joining later have their own repeat tasks based on their start dates.

For each delivery, keep the employee identifier, statement name and edition, date given, method and copy or link sent. Keep the sent email or paper handover record. Record a failed email delivery and resend it, rather than marking the task complete.

Add this task to the bookkeeping client onboarding checklist. Keep separate tasks for Payday Super preparation and Single Touch Payroll finalisation, which address different employer obligations.

If a Client Has Not Been Giving the Statements

A client who has missed a required statement must give the correct statement now and repair the delivery steps. Check both new starters and existing casuals with missed repeat statements. Record the actual delivery date, leaving the original omission visible.

Breaches can expose the employer to civil penalties. The Fair Work Ombudsman can investigate and take enforcement action. Its compliance-notice guidance explains notices requiring an employer to fix a covered breach and provide evidence. Failure to comply can lead to court orders and penalties.

If the client receives a notice, use its specified requirements and response deadline. Promptly refer disputed obligations or contract issues to an employment adviser. Sending a missed statement now does not erase the earlier breach.

Put your advice to the client in writing and keep it within the services in your engagement letter. Name the person responsible for sending the missing statements, then check the delivery records before closing the task.