Your WA high-risk work licence (HRWL) is valid for 5 years, and you can renew it online up to 90 days before it expires. Apply before the expiry date, and you can keep working while the renewal is processed. Let it expire first, and you must stop doing licensed work until the renewal is granted.
Key Takeaways:
- A WA high-risk work licence is valid for 5 years and can be renewed up to 90 days before expiry (WorkSafe WA).A WA high-risk work licence is valid for 5 years and can be renewed up to 90 days before expiry (WorkSafe WA).
- Renew before expiry, and you can keep working while your application is processed.
- You have up to 12 months after expiry to renew, but you can’t do licensed work in that gap.
- Expired more than 12 months ago? You may need to redo training and be reassessed before you’re licensed again.
When Can You Renew?
The renewal window opens 90 days before your expiry date and closes 12 months after it, according to the WA high risk work licensing guide. Those two dates matter for very different reasons.
Apply inside the 90-day window, and nothing changes on site; you keep working while WorkSafe processes it. Miss the expiry date and the licence lapses.
You can still renew for up to 12 months, but you can’t do the licensed work until the renewal comes through. That’s a direct hit to your roster, so don’t cut it fine.
What You Need Before You Apply
Renewals run through WorkSafe’s online licensing portal, so have everything ready before you log in.
Requirement | Details |
Licence number | From your current HRWL card |
Digital photo | Colour, white background, face and shoulders only, taken within the last 6 months. No hats, helmets, sunglasses, shadows or smiling |
Current contact details | The mobile number or email recorded with WorkSafe licensing |
Payment | Visa or Mastercard, paid online when you apply |
How to Renew, Step by Step
- Check your expiry date and count back 90 days; that’s when you can start.
- Get a passport-standard digital photo taken.
- Log in to the WorkSafe online licensing portal with your licence number.
- Confirm your licence classes and contact details, then upload the photo.
- Pay the renewal fee and submit. Keep the confirmation until the new licence arrives.
If you can’t renew online, call WorkSafe licensing on 1300 424 091 during business hours.
Expired More Than 12 Months Ago?
Once a licence has expired for longer than 12 months, renewal is off the table. You may need to redo the training with a registered training organisation and be reassessed as competent by an accredited assessor before you can be licensed again.
Our guide to high-risk work licences in WA walks through that process from scratch.
Renewal also assumes you’ve maintained competency in every class on your licence. Many WA employers check this with a verification of competency rather than waiting for licence paperwork to flag a problem.
HRWL Renewal FAQs
Yes, if you applied before your licence expired. If you applied after expiry, you can’t do the licensed work until the renewal is granted.
Up to 90 days before expiry. Applying inside that window is what keeps you working while WorkSafe processes the renewal.
Your mobile number or email needs to match what WorkSafe licensing has on file to use the portal. Call 1300 424 091 first if they’re out of date.
