How do I apply for the Workforce Incentive Program?

This is a FAQ BLOG and you can refer to our General Practice Incentives & How To Get Them blog here.

Need help understanding your pathway?

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Date Updated: 2025-11-25

At the start of 2020, the Australian government introduced the ‘Workforce Incentive Program’, created to provide incentives for General Practitioners to work in MMM 3 – 7 areas. 

The way the program works, the more rurally you work and the longer you stay, the more of a financial incentive (read: money) you receive. 

So how do you apply?

Workforce Incentive Program – Practice Stream

There are two ways to apply, and application submissions can be submitted at any time: 

• through online application by Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) with the use of a Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account; or
• through a completed Practice Incentives application form IP001 and submitting it with the instructions indicated in the form

You will need to send a completed application, including all supporting documents, at least 7 calendar days before the point-in-time date (see table below). Also, remember to retain a copy of the documents within practice files for a minimum of 6 years.

Remember to include your supporting documents like the following:

• An accreditation or registered for accreditation certificate from an approved accrediting agency
• A Practice Incentives Practice (PIP) ownership details and declaration form (IP008) (for applications submitted through HPOS only)
• Other supporting documentation needed in the application form

Workforce Incentive Program – Doctor Stream

There are 2 systems to be used in receiving these financial incentives, and the application process would depend on which you are applying for:

• Central Payment System (CPS) 
  • For Doctors who bill eligible Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) services
  • If you bill the MBS, you don’t! When a medical practitioner bills a minimum of $6,000 per quarter for a required amount of quarters, Services Australia will write to the practitioner advising of the payment and requesting bank details. Medical practitioners must provide bank details within 60 calendar days of the date of the letter, otherwise the payment will lapse and they will not be eligible to receive that payment.

• Flexible Payment System (FPS) 
  • For Doctors who provide eligible non-MBS services and/or undertake approved Rural Generalist/GP training
  • If you do not bill Medicare, you must complete the FPS application form and submit it to the Rural Workforce Agency (RWA) in the state or territory where you provided most of your services or did your training. For participants under an approved training program, make sure that you fill up the relevant section to verify your training sessions.

Workforce Incentive Program – Rural Advanced Skills

You will need to apply through an online form which is separate for each stream.

• For Stream 1: Emergency Medicine, apply here.
• For Stream 2: Advanced Skills, apply here.

The Rural Workforce Agency (RWA) will be responsible for checking your application, then payment will be calculated and transferred to Services Australia. All enquiries before the payment will be handled by your RWA. You can also contact the RWA in your location for assistance.

We Can Help You

Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.

We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.

If you want to talk to someone about your pathway or practice management—book a consultation with us below, or if you need Recruitment or Document Assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click the buttons below. We’d be glad to help you!

Information from this blog has been taken directly from:

• About the Workforce Incentive Program – 6 June 2025 – 25 November 2025
• Workforce Incentive Program Practice Stream – 25 August 2025 – 25 November 2025
• Workforce Incentive Program Doctor Stream – 12 September 2025 – 25 November 2025
• Workforce Incentive Program – Rural Advanced Skills Stream – 9 July 2025 – 25 November 2025

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