Businesses who want to become sponsors for international workers under the Visa 457 program are often searching for answers about how wages are calculated for the Training benchmarks A and B.

If you are looking for help in meeting training requirements for Visa 457 & 186, use Benchmark Training Helpline offered by pdtraining.

The Visa Training Helpline makes it easy to get straight answers in plain English.

Benchmark A & Benchmark B Compared:

There are currently two benchmarks – employer sponsors may choose which benchmark they will meet. The training benchmarks are defined as:

Training Benchmark A – Applied if a sponsor doesn’t employ Australian Permanent Residents.

• Contribution by employer sponsors of at least 2% of recent payroll to an Approved Scholarship Fund or Industry Training Fund.
• Commitment to maintain this contribution for the term of approval as sponsor.

Training Benchmark B – Applied if a sponsor employs Australian Permanent Residents.

• Contribution by employer sponsors of at least 1% of recent payroll to the provision of training for their employees who are Australian citizens and permanent residents.
• A relevant course of study relates to the business of the applicant, but is not narrowly limited to the occupation of the employees. Training which contributes to the professional development of employees can be counted towards the Training Benchmark.
• Commitment to maintain this contribution for the term of approval as sponsor.
• For more information on training benchmarks, please visit (IMMI 12/062) Specification of Training Benchmarks

To assist sponsors with their 457 benchmarks, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions as a quick reference guide.

Q. If I have more than one Business do all businesses need to meet the benchmark?

A.   Only the sponsoring business (ABN/ACN) is required to meet the benchmark.

Q. Are the Visa 457 benchmark calculations based on wages/payroll?

A.   Payroll expenditure includes any wages, remuneration, salary, commission, bonuses, allowances, superannuation contributions (mandatory or otherwise) or eligible termination payments that are defined as wages in the Act relating to payroll tax in the relevant State or Territory.

Q. What period of wages do I require for the payroll total calculation?

A.   Payroll total is the amount of money an employer pays in wages in the 12 months prior to application lodgement.

Q. Which staff are included for salary calculation?

A.   All employee salaries are included in the salary calculations.

Q. I am a new business, and don’t have wages – what can I do?

A.   Applicants who have been trading in Australia for less than 12 months can submit a business plan demonstrating the expected salaries and staffing for a complete 12 month period, along with an auditable training plan to meet either of the training benchmarks.

Q. How do I receive a training plan for a Visa 457?

A. Call the Visa Training Helpline 1300 121 400 and ask for Don or visit www.pdtraining.com.au/457-ens-training-benchmark/

Training plans provided by pdtraining and the Visa Training Helpline are completely FREE and can be provided within the hour of request.

pdtraining and the Training Benchmark Helpline also specialises in designing custom, contextualised, site-specific training that meets the needs of your project, your people and your organisation.

If you have any further questions regarding VISA 457 Benchmarks, contact the Training Benchmark Helpline today 1300 121 400 and speak to us regarding clarifications on the following points when calculating Training benchmarks A and B.

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Pdtraining delivers 1000’s of professional development courses each year in Brisbane, Sydney, Parramatta, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth, so you can be assured your training will be delivered by a qualified and experienced trainer.

Customised courses are available upon request so please contact pdtraining on 1300 121 400 to learn more.