For Insolvency Practitioners

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Role of the insolvency practitioner

As an insolvency practitioner, you play a vital role in supporting the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) scheme. To ensure claims are processed quickly and accurately, you should:

  • contact the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (the department) early in the liquidation process if company funds are insufficient to cover outstanding employee entitlements.
  • provide accurate and complete information about amounts owing to employees at the time of liquidation or bankruptcy.
  • respond to enquiries and resolve discrepancies between verified amounts and claims raised by the department promptly to ensure timely and accurate payments to eligible employees.
  • keep the department informed about dividend recovery prospects and any developments that may affect recovery.

FEG IP online

FEG IP Online is your secure portal for managing all FEG tasks. It streamlines communication with the department, and gives you full visibility over case progress.

How to access FEG IP Online:

  • Go to FEG IP Online.
  • Confirm with your system administrator that your account has been created before you start registration.
  • Register using your Azure B2C account and set up multi-factor authentication.

What you can do in FEG IP Online:

  • View and manage all tasks assigned to you.
  • Upload verification spreadsheets for employee entitlements.
  • Respond to discrepancies quickly and efficiently.
  • Access case details, reports, and claimant outcome letters.

Download the How do I access FEF IP Online Services fact sheet.

Download the FEG IP Online Frequently Asked Questions.

Employee entitlement verification

Your role in verifying employee entitlements is critical to ensuring accurate and timely payments under FEG. Here’s what you need to do:

  • Complete the verification spreadsheet within 14 calendar days of receiving the task.

    We understand that insolvencies can be complicated and sometimes the 14-day timeframe is not achievable. Please speak to our team to arrange an extension if needed.

    Include essential details such as:

    • Employee name and date of birth
    • Start and termination dates
    • Average weekly hours and wage rate
    • Accrued annual leave and long service leave (where applicable)
  • Do not alter column headings or formulas in the FEG spreadsheet. If you use your own template, map it in FEG IP Online before uploading.
  • Do not include entitlements for excluded employees (e.g., directors, their spouses, and certain relatives). Instead, note their names in the Comments section of the task.
  • Provide supporting documents if company records are incomplete. The department can request additional documents from claimants.
  • Verify full legal entitlements without applying FEG caps. The department applies caps during claim assessment.

If you cannot access books and records within four weeks, notify the department immediately. They will proceed with an alternative assessment method to avoid delays.

Discrepancy process

After you submit your verification spreadsheet, the department compares your data with claimant information. If we need to resolve any discrepancies, you will receive a discrepancy task in FEG IP Online:

  • Case Discrepancy Report – for issues affecting multiple claimants.
  • Claimant Discrepancy Report – for individual claimant issues.

Each task includes FEG’s recommendations. You can agree or disagree with each discrepancy and provide comments or supporting documents where needed. You can:

  • review discrepancies at case or claimant level.
  • respond in bulk or individually.
  • upload supporting documents.
  • generate printable discrepancy reports.

If you disagree without providing comments, FEG may contact you directly for clarification, which can delay claim processing. If you require more time to respond to a discrepancy report than the department has provided, it is important you seek an extension of time. If no response is received by the due date, the department may proceed to a decision based on the information available.

When the Insolvency Practitioner can’t verify

If you are unable to verify employee entitlements, take these steps immediately to avoid delays:

  • Use the ‘Opt Out’ function in FEG IP Online.
  • Notify the department promptly so they can move forward with an alternative claim assessment.

If you advise that you cannot verify employee entitlements, the department will take steps to ensure claims are assessed without delay. This may involve one or a combination of the following:

  • Engaging a third party to verify the entitlements on your behalf, or
  • Assessing claims using available evidence, including documents provided by claimants and any supporting material you upload.

To assist this process, upload any documents you do have—such as employment contracts, payroll summaries, enterprise agreements, or governing instruments—through FEG IP Online. These documents help the department calculate entitlements accurately when full verification isn’t possible.

Get funding for recovery proceedings

Funding is available to help liquidators and bankruptcy trustees recover money through the FEG Recovery Program.