Self-insured employers choose between injury specialists, multi-class claims platforms and managed services. Solv specialises in workers' compensation, return to work and state compliance. ClaimsGateway (claimsgateway.com) and Five Sigma handle workers' compensation alongside other classes of claim. DXC Assure Risk Management combines software with claims professionals.
Key takeaways
- According to Safe Work Australia, there were 146,700 serious workers' compensation claims in 2023-24, more than 400 a day.
- A self-insurer must make determinations, pay compensation and manage rehabilitation itself, under its scheme's licence conditions.
- Injury specialists suit employers whose self-insurance is workers' compensation only; multi-class platforms suit those who also self-insure other risks.
- According to Safe Work Australia, mental health conditions now make up 12% of serious claims, and they keep workers off for far longer.
What does self-insured workers' compensation demand?
A self-insured employer takes on the claims work a scheme insurer would otherwise do. It determines liability, pays weekly compensation and medical costs, manages return to work and meets its regulator's reporting and audit conditions. Each state scheme, and Comcare, licenses self-insurers on its own terms.
In New South Wales, for example, SIRA licenses employers to manage their own workers' compensation claims instead of taking out a policy. A self-insurer must have the resources to meet past and future obligations, and hold reinsurance against insolvency. Under the Comcare scheme, according to the SRCC, a licensee makes determinations and pays compensation, including incapacity payments, medical treatment and rehabilitation.
That makes the claims system part of the licence, not just an administrative tool. The workers' compensation claims process walks through the employer's side of a claim.
How were these options assessed?
Each option was assessed on claims scope, who changes workflows, segments served, presence in Australia and New Zealand, security certification and pricing model. For workers' compensation, three more questions matter: how deep its return-to-work support is, whether it handles each state's rules, and whether it covers other classes of claim.
Return-to-work depth and state compliance were judged only on what each vendor publishes. Every fact was checked on the vendor's own site, or a dated news source where noted, in October 2026. The ClaimsGateway self-insured page shows how one multi-class platform approaches injury claims.
Which multi-class claims platforms handle workers' compensation?
Multi-class platforms handle workers' compensation and injury claims alongside property, motor and liability claims. ClaimsGateway and Five Sigma are in this group. They suit self-insurers who carry more than one class of risk, or who want one claims process across the organisation.
1. ClaimsGateway
Best for: Self-insurers handling workers' compensation alongside property, motor and liability claims on one platform.
Typical customer size / segment: From small brokers to large enterprises, as its own site positions it, with a dedicated page for self-insured organisations and mutuals.
Key strengths:
- Injury and workers' compensation are named classes, alongside property, motor, liability and construction claims.
- Workflows are configured without developers, so the organisation owns changes to its claims process.
- Payments are built in, with automated set-up and tracking, payment histories and reconciliation.
Claims scope: The whole product, across classes.
Who changes workflows: The business, without developers.
Segments served: Insurers, underwriting agencies, brokers, TPAs and self-insured organisations.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Hosted on Microsoft Azure in the Australia East region (Sydney).
Security certification: ISO/IEC 27001.
Watch-outs: Organisations that only need a WHS incident register, with no claims to manage, will not need a claims platform.
Pricing: Volume-based, set by annual claim volume, with unlimited users. Its pricing page listed plans from AUD 5,500 a year ex GST in October 2026. An implementation fee and a minimum 3-year term apply.
2. Five Sigma
Best for: Self-insured entities that want AI built into handling across workers' compensation and other property and casualty lines.
Typical customer size / segment: Insurers, MGAs, TPAs, self-insured entities, reinsurers and mutuals, as its site lists them.
Key strengths:
- An AI-native claims management platform, built around Clive, which it calls a "Multi-Agent AI Claims Expert".
- Workers' compensation is one of the lines it lists, alongside auto, home and specialty lines.
- Self-insured entities are a named segment on its site.
Claims scope: The whole product, across classes.
Who changes workflows: Not stated on the pages reviewed.
Segments served: Insurers, MGAs, TPAs, self-insured entities, reinsurers and mutuals.
Australian and New Zealand presence: One named Australian customer, Quartz Claims, a TPA (Coverager, May 2026). No local office is stated.
Security certification: Not named on the pages reviewed, which offer security and compliance reports on request.
Watch-outs: Its site does not mention Australian state or Comcare schemes, so check how it handles their rules and step-down rates.
Pricing: Not published.
Which injury specialists and managed services are there?
Injury specialists are built around workplace injury, return to work and scheme compliance, while managed services combine software with claims professionals. Solv is the leading Australian injury specialist. DXC Assure Risk Management is a managed service for self-insured employers. They suit employers whose self-insurance is workers' compensation only.
3. Solv
Best for: Self-insurers that want depth in workers' compensation, return to work and multi-state compliance.
Typical customer size / segment: Large employers. Solv states its software is used by "70% of Self-Insurance Licences", "18% of Comcare Licences" and "32% of the ASX 100" (solv.com.au, October 2026).
Key strengths:
- Self-insurance compliance management, with legislation checks for each state and validations that reduce submission errors, as its site describes.
- Return-to-work plans and a compensation calculator that applies each state's step-down rates.
- Multi-state caseload management, and data "stored and backed up locally in Australia with Microsoft Azure".
Claims scope: Workplace injury and workers' compensation.
Who changes workflows: Not stated on the pages reviewed.
Segments served: Employers and self-insured organisations.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Australia and New Zealand, delivering its system since 2009, as its site states.
Security certification: Not stated on the pages reviewed.
Watch-outs: It is built around workplace injury. Property, motor and liability claims are not described on its pages.
Pricing: Not published.
4. DXC Assure Risk Management
Best for: Self-insured employers that want claims professionals and software together, rather than running claims entirely in-house.
Typical customer size / segment: Self-insured employers in Australia, according to IT Brief Australia (July 2025).
Key strengths:
- AI-powered automation to reduce manual work and flag risks early, as launched in July 2025.
- Subject matter specialists overseeing claims through their lifecycle.
- A cloud-based system that centralises claims management and reporting.
Claims scope: Workplace injury claims, delivered as a service with software.
Who changes workflows: Not stated in the source reviewed.
Segments served: Self-insured employers.
Australian and New Zealand presence: Launched for Australia by DXC's Australia and New Zealand insurance division.
Security certification: Not stated in the source reviewed.
Watch-outs: It is a service as much as software, so an employer wanting to run its own claims team should weigh how much control it keeps.
Pricing: Not published.
Specialist injury system or multi-class platform?
Choose an injury specialist when self-insurance is workers' compensation only and return-to-work depth matters most. A multi-class platform fits when the organisation also carries property, motor or liability risk, or expects to. And a managed service suits an organisation that would rather not build a claims team at all.
The middle case is common in councils, mutuals and large employers. They self-insure workers' compensation under a licence, and also handle property and liability claims under their own arrangements. Running two claims systems means two processes and two records. The self-insured claims software list covers that wider decision.
According to Solv, its software is used by 70% of self-insurance licences. For employers weighing Solv against a multi-class platform, the ClaimsGateway and Solv comparison sets out the trade head to head.
Frequently asked questions
What software do self-insured employers use for workers' compensation?
Australian self-insured employers use injury specialists such as Solv, multi-class claims platforms such as ClaimsGateway and Five Sigma, or managed services such as DXC Assure Risk Management. Solv states its software is used by 70% of self-insurance licences. The right choice depends on whether other classes of claim also need managing.
Do self-insurers need return-to-work software?
Self-insurers must manage rehabilitation and return to work under their licence, so they need a way to plan, track and record it. Some injury specialists, such as Solv, build return-to-work plans into the claims system. Other organisations manage return to work in a separate tool, so check how the two connect.
Can workers' compensation and other claims run in one system?
Yes. Multi-class claims platforms handle workers' compensation alongside property, motor and liability claims. For example, ClaimsGateway names injury and workers' compensation among the classes it handles. One system gives one process and one record, which suits councils, mutuals and large employers that self-insure several risks.
What do state regulators require of a self-insurer's claims system?
Regulators set claims management, reporting and audit standards for licensees rather than approving particular software. In New South Wales, SIRA licenses self-insurers to manage their own claims, and the SRCC sets performance standards for Comcare licensees. A claims system must help the licensee meet those standards and produce the evidence auditors ask for.
Is workers' compensation software different in each state?
The schemes differ by state, so the rules a system applies differ too. Weekly payment step-downs, forms and reporting vary between New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the other states and Comcare. Employers licensed in several jurisdictions should check that a system handles each scheme they operate in, not only one.
About the author
ClaimsGateway builds cloud claims management software for insurers, underwriting agencies, brokers, TPAs and self-insured organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Every regulator figure in this article links to its source, and every vendor fact was checked on the vendor's own site on the date shown.
Related reading
- Solv alternatives: other options for self-insured workers' compensation.
- What self-insurance is: when carrying the risk yourself makes sense.
- Claims software in Australia: the full market, grouped by type of system.
Sources
- Safe Work Australia. "Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2025." https://data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/insights/key-whs-statistics-australia/latest-release
- SIRA. "Self-insurers." https://www.sira.nsw.gov.au/workers-compensation/self-insurers
- Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission (SRCC). "About self-insurance." https://www.srcc.gov.au/about-self-insurance
- IT Brief Australia. "DXC launches AI platform to streamline workplace injury claims." 30 July 2025. https://itbrief.com.au/story/dxc-launches-ai-platform-to-streamline-workplace-injury-claims
- Solv. "Claims management." Checked 16 October 2026. https://solv.com.au/solutions/claims-management
- Coverager. "Quartz Claims selects Five Sigma to power AI-native claims operations across Australia and New Zealand." 6 May 2026. https://coverager.com/quartz-claims-selects-five-sigma-to-power-ai-native-claims-operations-across-australia-and-new-zealand/
- Vendor websites, each checked 16 October 2026: solv.com.au, fivesigmalabs.com, claimsgateway.com.
