Redundancy letter for Australian employers
Confirms that a role is redundant and sets out the entitlements that follow. Genuine redundancy has a specific meaning here — the role must no longer be required, and consultation obligations must already have been met.
Redundancy letter
PDF · 2 pages · no signup
General information only, not legal advice.
This template is general information for Australian employers, not legal advice. Obligations depend on the applicable modern award or agreement, the employment contract and the circumstances — confirm anything you are unsure of with Fair Work or a workplace relations adviser. It does not constitute legal, HR, or professional advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for advice specific to your business, workforce, or circumstances.
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What's in the template
Everything the letter needs, plus the guidance that keeps it compliant.
The role, not the person
Fields for the position being made redundant and why the work is no longer required.
Consultation record
A field for the date consultation took place — most awards and agreements require it before a final decision.
Redeployment
What suitable alternative roles were considered, which is part of genuine redundancy.
Entitlements
Notice, redundancy pay, accrued annual leave and long service leave where applicable.
Last day
The end date, with a prompt that notice and redundancy pay are separate obligations.
Risk flag
An explicit note that this is a high-risk area and advice is worth taking before issuing.
What makes a redundancy genuine
Three tests, and failing any one of them puts the redundancy at risk.
The role is no longer required
Redundancy is about the position, not the person. If the work continues and someone else does it, it is not a genuine redundancy.
Consultation happened
Most modern awards and enterprise agreements require consultation with affected employees before a final decision. Doing it afterwards does not satisfy the obligation.
Redeployment was considered
Whether the employee could reasonably have been redeployed into another suitable role in the business, or an associated entity.
Entitlements paid correctly
Redundancy pay under the NES scales with continuous service. Small business employers may be exempt, and some awards provide more than the NES minimum.
This is the highest-risk letter on this shelf
Redundancy disputes are common and expensive, and the errors are usually procedural rather than substantive — consultation skipped, redeployment not considered, or notice and redundancy pay confused with each other.\n\nUse this template to structure the letter, but take advice on the process before you issue it. The template cannot tell you whether your redundancy is genuine.
How to use it
Four steps.
1. Consult first
Before any final decision, as the award or agreement requires. Record when it happened.
2. Consider redeployment
Genuinely, across the business. Record what was considered.
3. Calculate entitlements
Notice, redundancy pay, accrued leave. Check the award as well as the NES.
4. Issue with a statement
Provide a written breakdown of how each amount was calculated.
Do you calculate final pay for clients?
Redundancy pay, notice, accrued leave and long service leave all have to be right, and the leave balances behind them come from the rostering system. Advisors who bring shift-based clients onto RosterElf earn recurring monthly income per employee managed.
Recurring monthly income
$1.00–$2.00 per active employee
Signup bonus
$100 per new client business
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Learn moreRedundancy letter questions
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The role must no longer be required by the business, the employer must have complied with any consultation obligation in the applicable award or agreement, and redeployment into a suitable alternative role must have been considered.\n\nIf the work continues and someone else is doing it, it is not a genuine redundancy.
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Most modern awards and enterprise agreements require consultation with affected employees before a final decision on a major workplace change. Consulting after the decision does not satisfy the obligation.
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No — they are separate entitlements and both may apply. Notice (or payment in lieu) is required to end the employment; redundancy pay is an additional NES entitlement scaling with continuous service.\n\nAwards and contracts can provide more than the NES minimum for either.
Before you download
General information only — not legal advice
This document is a general HR template provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the latest changes in legislation or apply to every workplace situation. RosterElf Pty Ltd and the template provider accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this document. Users should seek independent legal advice and customise the template to ensure it complies with all relevant laws, awards and workplace requirements.