What the register covers
Unpaid wages and penalty rates, untaken annual leave, long service leave, allowances and other entitlements recovered during a Fair Work investigation or court action.
Amounts range from a few dollars to tens of thousands. Hospitality, retail, cleaning, security and horticulture workers are heavily represented.
How to search
Search your own name first, then search by employer. Many records are listed under the trading name of a business rather than its registered company name, so try both - the pub, the café, the franchise store.
Think back through every casual or short-term job, including ones that ended badly or where the business later closed. Those are exactly the situations that generate trust money.
Claiming
Complete the claim form on the Fair Work site with your identity documents and any evidence of the employment - payslips, a roster, a contract, a bank statement showing wages paid.
There is no time limit on money already held in trust, and no fee to claim it.
If you are owed wages that were never recovered in the first place, that is a separate process: lodge an enquiry with Fair Work about the underpayment itself.
Tip: There is no time limit on claiming money already held in trust by Fair Work.
Common questions
Official sources
This guide is based on the official Australian registers and the bodies that administer them. Always search and claim through these sites directly - they are free.