How to Get a Separation Certificate or Statement of Service From Your Employer

Ask your former employer for it in writing: under section 199 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 you can request an Employment Separation Certificate once your job ends, section 200 says the employer must comply “as soon as practicable”, and Services Australia asks employers to complete it within 14 days of the request. A statement of service is different. No general law makes an employer write one, so you ask for it politely and make it easy to say yes.

Claim Done writes that request for you. The Request for Employment Records costs a flat A$29. It lists exactly what you need (a separation certificate, a statement of service, pay slips or a copy of your records), the dates it should cover and where to send it, and it quotes the official time frame only where one really exists. You read it first, and nothing is emailed until you approve it.

What is the difference between a separation certificate and a statement of service?

They answer different questions for different readers.

An Employment Separation Certificate is a Services Australia form (SU001). Centrelink uses it to work out what you are paid and from when. It records the date you stopped work, the leave and termination amounts paid, any redundancy payment, your final pay, money still owed to you and the reason the job ended. Your employer fills it in, not you.

A statement of service is a short letter on the employer’s letterhead confirming that you worked there, your role and your start and finish dates. People ask for one for a new job, a visa or skills assessment, a rental application or a loan. It says nothing about why you left or how good you were at the job. That is what a reference is for.

The practical difference: the first is a legal obligation once you ask; the second is a courtesy. Ask for both in the same letter if you need both, but do not tell an employer they are “required” to write a statement of service. They are not, and saying so undermines the parts of your request that are required.

Does my employer have to give me an Employment Separation Certificate?

Yes, if you ask. Services Australia’s employer page on when to complete a certificate says an employer “must provide” one if Services Australia, an employee or a former employee requests it, and it names the two sections: section 196 when Services Australia asks, and section 199 when a former employee asks.

The wording of the Act is worth knowing. Section 199 lets a person whose employment has ended ask the former employer for a statement “in accordance with a form approved by the Secretary” about that employment. Section 200 then says the employer “must comply with the request as soon as practicable”. The 14 days comes from Services Australia’s own guidance: its Employment Separation Certificates for employers page tells employers to complete the certificate within 14 days of the request.

It is not only for people who were sacked or resigned. The same employer page lists two triggers: someone stops working for the employer, or an employee’s hours drop or they change from full time to casual.

Employers can lodge it online through Business Hub, or download the SU001 form and give it to you. Services Australia also suggests they give you a printed copy for your own records. Ask for that copy in your letter; it costs them nothing.

When will Centrelink ask me for one, and how long do I have?

Services Australia’s page for people claiming a payment says you may need the certificate if you or your partner stop work or move from full time to casual, because it helps decide whether a waiting period applies. If you are already getting a payment, it needs the certificate within 14 days. If you are making a new claim and stopped work in the 12 months before claiming, it may ask for one.

Here is the catch. There are two 14-day clocks, and they do not start at the same time. Your employer’s 14 days start when you ask them. Your 14 days start when Centrelink asks you. If you wait for Centrelink’s letter before writing to payroll, the employer’s full time frame can run past your own deadline. The simple fix is to ask on or just after your last day, in writing, so the date of your request is on record.

What if my employer will not give me a separation certificate?

Services Australia has a fallback, and many people never hear about it. If you cannot get the certificate, it will accept any of these instead:

• a letter from the employer on their business letterhead;
• a copy of an email from the employer giving the information;
• a written statement from the employer, such as pay slips showing unused leave and termination payments.

The substitute has to cover the date you stopped work, the leave paid out and the period it covers, any redundancy payment, your final payment, any money still owed and the reason the job ended (including whether you left voluntarily or for misconduct). Services Australia warns that missing details can slow its assessment.

This matters for how you write your request. If the employer is slow with the form, your letter can ask for the certificate and, in the alternative, an email with those listed details. You give a busy payroll officer two ways to say yes. If you are in financial hardship while you wait, the same page says you can call your regular payment line.

Does my employer have to give me a statement of service?

No general law requires it. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s pages on pay slips and record-keeping set out what employers must give and keep, and a statement of service is not on either list. You will find pages online saying an employer “must” provide one; none of the official sources we checked says so.

So write the request to be easy to grant. Say exactly what you want it to confirm (your role, and the start and finish dates you have), who it is for if that helps, and where to send it. Offer to confirm any detail they need to find your file. Most employers will write three lines confirming dates when asked clearly and politely. Where one will not, your pay slips, payment summaries and a copy of your employee records (below) prove the same facts, and you are entitled to those.

Can I get my pay slips and employee records too?

Yes, and both have real time limits.

Pay slips. Section 536 of the Fair Work Act 2009 says an employer must give each employee a pay slip within one working day of paying them. The Fair Work Ombudsman repeats it plainly: pay slips “have to be given to an employee within 1 working day of pay day”, even if the employee is on leave, in paper or electronic form.

Copies of your records. Regulation 3.42 of the Fair Work Regulations 2009 says an employer must make a copy of an employee record available for inspection and copying when the employee or former employee asks. Where the record is kept at the workplace, the employer must make the copy available there within 3 business days, or post it to you within 14 days, after receiving the request. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s workplace privacy guide says the same. Employers must keep time and wages records for 7 years, so older pay periods are fair to ask for.

Here is how the four documents compare.

How do I write the request so payroll actually acts on it?

Payroll teams stall on vague emails. A request that gets actioned has six things in it:

1. Your full name, your role and your start and finish dates (rough dates are fine, and they help payroll find you).
2. Each item you need, one sentence each, with the dates or pay periods it should cover.
3. The official time frame for an item, stated once, calmly, and only where one applies.
4. Where to send it: an email address or a postal address.
5. One clear date for everything, 14 days out.
6. A line about any earlier request (“I first asked by email on 15 September 2026”).

Leave out the arguments. A records request is not the place to raise unpaid wages, leave or why you were let go; mixing them gives the employer a reason to hand the whole letter to someone senior and slow it down. If money is owed, deal with it separately, for example with the Final Pay, Notice, Redundancy and Long Service Leave Demand (A$49) or our guide to final pay that is late or short.

What does Claim Done’s Records Request do, and what does it cost?

The Request for Employment Records is a flat A$29, including GST, with no subscription. You answer 9 short questions: what you need, whether you still work there, the employer’s name, who the letter goes to, your role and dates, the periods to cover, any earlier request, where to send the records and the tone (friendly, firm or formal).

The letter then does four things. It lists each item in its own sentence with the dates you gave. It adds the official rule sentence only where it applies, at most two of them, so a current employee missing pay slips gets the section 536 line and a former employee asking for a separation certificate gets the section 199 line with Services Australia’s 14 days. It never claims a statement of service is required. And it sets one date, 14 days out, for everything.

It is usually ready about five minutes after payment. You read it on your dashboard, change the wording or ask for a redraft (2 edits included), and once you approve it, it is emailed to your employer; or you download the PDF and send it yourself. Claim Done is not a law firm. It turns your answers into a clear letter, nothing more, and it adds no fact you did not give.

Facts checked against the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (ss 196, 199 and 200, compilation 163), the Fair Work Act 2009 (s 536, compilation 73), the Fair Work Regulations 2009 (reg 3.42, compilation 56), Services Australia’s employer and claimant pages on Employment Separation Certificates and the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay slip, record-keeping and workplace privacy pages on 29 September 2026.

Your next step: note your role, your dates and exactly which documents you need, then start your Request for Employment Records. It takes a few minutes, and the date of your request goes on record the moment you send it.

Frequently asked questions

How long does my employer have to give me a separation certificate?

Section 200 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 says a former employer must comply with your request as soon as practicable. Services Australia tells employers to complete the certificate within 14 days of the request. Ask in writing so the date of your request is clear.

Can I get a separation certificate if I still work there?

Yes, in some cases. Services Australia lists two triggers for employers: an employee stops working for them, or an employee's hours decrease or they change from full time to casual. If your hours were cut, you can ask for one.

What if my former employer has closed or will not respond?

Services Australia says that if you cannot get a certificate it can accept a letter from the employer on letterhead, a copy of an email from the employer with the information, or pay slips showing unused leave and termination payments. It needs details such as your finish date, leave and final payments, and the reason the job ended.

Is a statement of service the same as a reference?

No. A statement of service confirms facts: that you worked there, your role and your dates. A reference gives an opinion about your work. No general law requires an employer to give either, so ask politely and say exactly what you need confirmed.

How much does Claim Done's Request for Employment Records cost?

A flat A$29, including GST, with no subscription. You answer 9 short questions, read the letter on your dashboard, and it is emailed only after you approve it. You can also download it and send it yourself.