NTCER FAQs

GPRA receives a broad range of enquiries from members, as well as stakeholders, supervisors, and practice managers. Reading through the previous responses can help clarify an issue, or answer your question.

I am on the Independent Pathway and have verbally negotiated a percentage of billings as a sole trader and have provided ABN and banking details. I have been asked to form a company so I can be paid.

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Part-time Registrar working 16 hours per week agrees to work extra days. Should there be a recalculation of annual and personal leave as days exceed the work agreement?

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I am a GPT1 working full-time, and have a question about what happens to the number of in-practice hours when the number of education hours increases in a particular week (i.e. all-day education on a Wednesday instead of half-day)?

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Full-time and part-time registrars are now equally entitled to time off in lieu on the nearest rostered day to (immediately preceding or immediately following) the educational release day.

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I’m working 38hrs over four days with Wednesdays off. When a training day falls on a Wednesday, am I entitled to equivalent time in lieu for that? And if a training day goes for 8hrs does that mean the leave I am entitled to is 8 hrs off in a 9.5hr day?

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I have heard that GP registrars are eligible to receive payments for training-related expenses. How do I make this happen?

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Do I have to notify my employer as soon as I find out I’m pregnant?

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My current employment has become untenable for a multitude of reasons. How do I go about ending my employment agreement?

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As I move from being a GP registrar to a Fellow, what are the key items (paperwork, registration, etc) I need to organise?

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I am not getting a regular pay slip with my fortnightly pay and I think that I might have been underpaid. What do I do?

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I get paid base rate for 76 hours per fortnight as per the NTCER. At the end of the month 45% of my total billings for that month are calculated and the difference between this and the base rate that has already been paid to me for the month is my bonus.

When I recently took leave, my base rate pay for the month was actually a bit more than the 45% calculated on total billings at the end of the month. Does this mean I have to pay back the difference as my 45% for the month is less than the base rate payment made?

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As a part-time GPT1 registrar, does my base rate of pay change once I’ve completed six calendar months of GPT1 training, or six months full-time equivalent (FTE) training?

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I have recently noticed a new deduction of 5% of my billings for company payroll tax. There is nothing mentioned in NTCER about this but my Practice Manager advised that this is an allowable deduction. Is this correct?

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My practice has not paid me any leave as I earn over the base salary. Is this in breach of the NTCER?

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I am just about to finish my term at my current training practice and will be moving to work at a different practice for my next term. I have one week (38hrs) of annual leave that I have accrued but not taken during my current term. My practice manager is going to deduct this from my percentage billings prior to paying my 13-week payment. Does this sound right?

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I am starting GP training next year. If I become pregnant can I access maternity leave? Is it paid leave, or unpaid leave.

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How much paid sick leave am I able to take as a GP registrar?

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My practice manager has changed my roster so that my day off now coincides with a public holiday. Can they do this?

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My practice is shutting down over the Christmas and New Years holidays. While I am being paid my base rate of pay for the public holidays (as they are my normally rostered days of work), the practice manager has informed me that I will be required to take days of annual leave over the closure dates which are not considered public holidays. Is this in line with the NTCER?

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I don’t have access to my practice’s software and my practice manager is only giving me a printout of weekly billings totals. I am concerned about the accuracy of my billings but my practice manager has told me not to worry because they will sort out any problems. Is this reasonable? Can I request to see all my Medicare Billings and how frequently can I do this?

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There was an error in my Medicare billings where there was an incorrect item claimed which gave a higher benefit than what should have been paid. My practice manager has told me that I am responsible for the full 100% of the repayment to Medicare for this billing error. This seems unfair since the practice retains 50.95% of my MBS earnings; is this correct?

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When I started at my current training practice, I had a discussion with my supervisor about taking two weeks of annual leave after Easter. At that stage, they agreed to this request but now the practice manager says I can only take one week of leave because the practice is too busy. I have already made arrangement for a two-week family holiday; what can I do?

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My practice manager said there was a mistake made in preparing my contract and has changed my pay rate after I signed the employment agreement and started working at the practice. Is this allowed?

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Is possible to be a GP registrar employed as a contractor?

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FAQ I have noticed my contract includes a clause regarding intellectual property (i.e. the GP practice is the sole owner of the rights to any original work/material developed, even outside working hours). I am uncomfortable signing this and was wondering if it is a standard part of a contract? The NTCER outlines your minimum employment…

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I have managed to negotiate a percentage of 50% billings, but my practice is taking super out of that percentage. Is this allowed?

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My practice isn’t paying me any superannuation, what do I do?

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Regarding a statement in the NTCER Schedule A Remuneration, I don’t understand how superannuation works in practice because 44.79% + 10.0% does not equal 49.27%.

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My clinic will be opening for only a morning session on the upcoming public holiday (on Monday). On this day of the week (Mondays) I normally work the whole day—both morning and afternoon sessions. I have been asked to work the morning session on this public holiday. How do I get paid for working this session on a public holiday?

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What are PIP and SIP payments and do I receive a percentage of these payments?

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