What is the Workforce Incentive Program - Doctor Stream?

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?

Date Updated: 2026-09-08

What is it?

The ‘Doctor Stream’ gives financial incentives to Doctors working in eligible rural and remote areas, specifically MM3-7 locations. Financial incentives range from $0 to $60,000 based on MMM classification and years of active service in the location.

The Workforce Incentive Program was also launched last 1 January 2020, and replaced the General Practice Rural Incentives Program (GPRIP).

How does it work?

There are 2 systems to be used in receiving these financial incentives:

Central Payment System (CPS) – for Doctors who bill eligible Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) services
Flexible Payment System (FPS) – for Doctors who provide eligible non-MBS services and/or undertake approved Rural Generalist/GP training that is not reflected in the MBS.

Incentives are based on the number of active quarters, MMM classification, how long a Doctor has been part of the program, and a Doctor’s vocational registration status.

Am I eligible?

The eligibility criteria for the Doctor Stream is that you must:

provide a minimum amount of eligible primary care services or undertake eligible General Practitioner (GP) or Rural Generalist training under an approved training pathway in MM 3 to 7 locations
meet the required number of active quarters for payment
have an eligible current Medicare provider number
have provided current bank account details to Services Australia specifically for the WIP – Doctor Stream through the Health Professional Online Service (HPOS).

How much can I get?

You can receive from $0 to $60,000 annually depending on the location, year level, and vocationally registered status.

Here are visual tables for you to check how much you can get every year:

For eligible Non-VR Doctors not on an approved training pathway, here is a summary of the financial incentives:

Please note that starting from 1 January 2024, Non-VR Doctors, who are not on any approved training program and are working in a MM3-7 location, will obtain 80% of the value of WIP – Doctor Stream payments.

For eligible VR Doctors, here is a summary of the financial incentives:

If you are on a training pathway, here are the approved ones for the incentive:

Australian General Practice Training Program (ACRRM or RACGP)
Fellowship Support Program (RACGP)
Independent Pathway (ACRRM)
Practice Experience Program (RACGP)
Remote Vocational Training Scheme (ACRRM or RACGP)
Rural Generalist Training Scheme (ACRRM)

Payments will be sent to you once you have achieved the required number of active quarters for an initial payment. Just make sure that you have given your current bank account details to Services Australia through Health Professionals Online Services (HPOS) linked to their Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account specifically for the WIP – Doctor Stream. Also ensure that your bank accounts details are the same or updated.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The timely submission of MBS billings for the purposes of the WIP – Doctor Stream is the responsibility of participants.

What are active quarters?

Aside from the location and year level, your activity or active quarters determine how much you can receive as incentives. Your quarter becomes active if you meet the minimum quarterly activity threshold:

Central Payment System (CPS)
- Minimum: $6,000 of services billed under the MBS in MM 3-7 locations within a quarter
- Maximum: $30,000 of services billed under the MBS in MM 3-7 locations within a quarter
- Note: Amounts in excess of the maximum quarterly threshold are not carried forward to other quarters. If you don’t meet the $6,000 per quarter threshold, then you may be eligible for the FPS, considering if you also meet the other eligibility criteria.

Flexible Payment System (FPS)
- Activity under the FPS is captured in ‘WIP – Doctor Stream sessions’. A session is an accumulated period of at least 3 hours of eligible primary care services and/or eligible training. A maximum of 2 sessions can be claimed per day.
  - Minimum: 21 sessions within a quarter (each lasting 3 hours or more)
  - Maximum 104 sessions
  - Note: Amounts in excess of the maximum quarterly threshold are not carried forward to other quarters.

Here are the number of active quarters required for payment:

New participants practising in MM 3-5 locations: Complete 8 active quarters within a 16 quarter reference period, and eligible for an initial payment at year level 2

New participants practising in MM 6-7 locations: Complete 4 active quarters within an 8 quarter reference period, and eligible for an initial payment at year level 1

Continuing participants: Complete 4 active quarters within an 8 quarter reference period

Please note that you can be inactive for up to 5 years for any reason without losing your accrued year level status, but you will not receive incentive payments for any period of leave. If you are inactive for 6 years (24 quarters) from the end date of your last payment’s reference period, then you will restart the program as a new participant.

For reference, here are the quarters:

Quarter 1 – July, August, September
Quarter 2 – October, November, December
Quarter 3 – January, February, March
Quarter 4 – April, May, June.

How do I apply?

To apply for the Workforce Incentive Program – Doctor Stream, the process depends if you will apply for Central Payment System (CPS) for Doctors who bill the MBS for eligible services, or Flexible Payment System (FPS) for Doctors who provide eligible services that are not reflected in the MBS.

Central Payment System (CPS)

If you are a Doctor who bills the MBS for eligible services regularly, you can receive the incentive through CPS with no application needed, only your bank account details. You can receive the incentive through CPS by:

New participants: Once you complete your active quarters, Services Australia will send a letter requesting bank details. You should send it within 60 calendar days, and only then will the payment be processed.
Continuing participants: Services Australia will process payments automatically to your nominated bank account and send payment advice.

Please note there are eligible and ineligible services for CPS as seen below.

Eligible primary care services:

Category 1: Professional attendances
Category 2: Diagnostic procedures and investigations
Category 3: Therapeutic procedures
Category 7: Cleft lip and cleft palate services
Note: Telehealth services within the above categories are generally eligible under the WIP – Doctor Stream with the exception of some specialist items. Eligible telehealth services are based on the medical practitioner’s physical practice location, not the patient location.

Ineligible primary care services:

Optometry
Dentistry
Diagnostic imaging and pathology
Bulk Billing Incentive items

Flexible Payment System (FPS)

In applying through the FPS, 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.

You can see the FPS application form and more details about the FPS application guide here. Please npte that medical practitioners applying through the FPS must apply for all time spent providing WIP – Doctor Stream eligible services, regardless of whether the services were MBS billed.

All FPS applications must be given to the relevant RWA. You can check the contact details of each RWA at the Workforce Incentive Program Guidelines – Doctor Stream here.

Please note there are eligible and ineligible services for FPS as seen below.

Eligible primary care services:

Category 1: Professional attendances
Category 2: Diagnostic procedures and investigations
Category 3: Therapeutic procedures
Category 7: Cleft lip and cleft palate services

Ineligible primary care services:

All directly funded Commonwealth Government positions in:
- Detention Centres
- Defence Facilities
- Antarctica.
Non-Advanced Specialised Training (ACRRM) or Additional Rural Skills (RACGP) hospital-based training.
State salaried medical practitioners (including locums) providing primary care services in MM 1-5 locations are not eligible for FPS payments.
Patient retrieval by the RFDS.

Here are some examples to be eligible under FPS:

Approved Training Program: If you are a registrar undertaking approved Rural Generalist or GP training placements in a MM 3-7 location, you are eligible to apply for payment under the FPS, as MBS records will not reflect your services/training. The following are approved training pathways for the purposes of the WIP – Doctor Stream:
- Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program (ACRRM or RACGP)
- Fellowship Support Program (RACGP)
- Independent Pathway (ACRRM)
- Practice Experience Program (RACGP)
- Remote Vocational Training Scheme (ACRRM or RACGP)
- Rural Generalist Training Scheme (ACRRM)
- Note: AGPT GP Registrars on the rural pathway completing Advanced Specialised Training (ACRRM) or Additional Rural Skills (RACGP) placements in MM 1-2 locations are eligible for incentives if the training is authorised by their relevant GP college. Eligibility for participants on other pathways will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Alternative employment top-ups: If you are eligible for a mix of eligible MBS billed and non-billed services and has billed enough to trigger a CPS automatic payment across the relevant period, you can apply through the FPS to see if they are eligible for an ‘Alternative employment top-up’.

Special top-up provisions: If you are working in remote and very remote communities (MM 6-7 locations), you are entitled to apply for a Special top-up payment if you undertake:
- An excessive travel time (3 or more cumulative hours per week, above an initial 3 hours per week threshold) to provide outreach services
- Population health work in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities or
- Support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and/or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners

Others:

If you are applying for certain provisions, take note of the following supporting documents:

Participants on an approved training pathway
- All participants undergoing approved training will need to have session records confirmed and signed by their GP College (if on AGPT) or by their approved supervisor (if on another approved pathway) in the relevant section of the FPS application form.
- Registrars undertaking eligible training in MM 1-2 locations will need to have these placements confirmed and signed off by their GP College in the relevant section of the FPS application form.

Alternative employment and alternative employment top-ups:
- A letter from the medical practitioner’s employer/practice manager must be submitted with the application, stating the dates, hours and number of days that the medical practitioner practised over the relevant active quarters at each location and any eligible travel that they have undertaken. The letter must verify that the sessions being claimed relate to the provision of eligible primary care services.
- A standard template showing the details required is attached to the FPS application form. Only in circumstances where this is not possible will a statutory declaration accompanying session records be acceptable.

Special top-ups
- A letter from the medical practitioner’s employer/practice manager must be submitted with the application stating the dates the medical practitioner practised over the relevant active quarters at each location, along with brief details of the type of services provided and any travel required.
- A standard template showing the details required is attached to the FPS application form. Only in circumstances where this is not possible will a statutory declaration accompanying session records be acceptable.

Please take note of the timeframes for the application period below.

For more information, you may contact Services Australia below.

Services Australia:
- 1800 222 032
- wipdoctor@servicesaustralia.gov.au
DoHDA: WIP@health.gov.au

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!

Book a Consult

Recruitment

Document Assistance

Information from this blog has been taken directly from: