Financial Planning for Electrical Linesworkers
Helping Electrical Linesworkers to Build Wealth and Prosperity
Call-out and storm pay, how much of it reaches your super, and cover for work near live lines all connect. We help you give the extra pay a purpose before it lands, and plan all three together.
Our Financial Advice Team Is Here to Help You
We Can Help You
- Budget on your regular pay and give call-out and storm pay a purpose before it arrives
- Check how much of your pay attracts super, and whether extra contributions suit you
- Compare income protection and TPD cover for work at height near live network gear
- Review any cover that comes with your job or super fund, and what a move would change
- Weigh a network role against a contractor role on super, allowances and cover
- Read a defined benefit statement with you before any change of hours, employer or role
- Plan the change in pay, super and cover when you move into supervision, switching or the control room
- Plan a move to a regional depot, or a KiwiSaver transfer into Australian super from New Zealand
Who We Help
- Apprentice powerline workers on the way to a trade qualification
- Distribution linesworkers on an on-call roster for faults and emergencies
- Live line workers trained to work on energised overhead lines
- Cable jointers on underground networks and substations
- Contractors’ linesworkers working on network jobs for a service provider
- Long-serving network staff holding a defined benefit from an earlier scheme
- Linesworkers relocating to a regional depot, or from New Zealand
- Field supervisors and linesworkers moving into control room, planning or training roles
What we advise on
How Our Advice Works for Electrical Linesworkers
Cashflow & Financial Wellbeing
When storm season brings extra pay, what would you most like it to go towards?
Deciding ahead what the extra pay is for can turn a busy storm season into savings and plans you care about.
We can plan your budget around your regular pay, with any on-call, call-out and storm pay set aside as a separate layer.
Depending on the award or agreement that covers you, pay for lines work can include an allowance for being available after hours and payment for call-outs to emergency work. Storm restoration can run over several days, sometimes away from home, so the plan can allow for that time away.
Together, we’ll work through:
- Regular pay, meaning your base rate and any allowances paid every week, used as the base for bills and repayments
- Any availability allowance for weeks you’re rostered on call, counted as extra rather than relied on for fixed costs
- Call-out and storm pay given a purpose before it arrives, such as a buffer, a debt or a goal you choose
- A buffer for quieter seasons, when fewer faults and storms can mean fewer call-outs on the payslip
- Costs at home that carry on while you’re away on a restoration run, with a plan for how they’ll be paid
- A separate savings account for call-out and storm pay, kept apart from the account the bills come out of
- Leave and time off planned around busy seasons, with the budget allowing for a break after a long run
- A move to a higher classification, with the extra regular pay put towards a goal you choose
Personal Insurance & Protection
How would your pay be looked after if illness or injury kept you off the line?
Income protection can pay part of your income after a waiting period, leaving your savings for the plans they’re meant for.
We can compare income protection, TPD, trauma and life cover for pole, elevated work platform (EWP) and live line work.
Insurers ask about your occupation and duties, and the duty is to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation. Income protection usually bases the benefit on your earnings in the 12 months before an illness or injury, and each policy defines that income. Any cover through work or a fund’s default can change if you change employer.
Together, we’ll work through:
- Pole climbing, EWP work and any live line methods, set out in full when an insurer asks what your job involves
- The 12 months of earnings an income protection benefit is usually based on, and how a quiet year affects it
- Any cover provided through your employer, read for its terms and whether it continues if you leave
- Medical checks, usually not needed for default cover in super, and any pre-existing condition rules in the fund’s PDS
- Super insurance for a new member under 25, which needs a request unless a dangerous job brings automatic cover from the fund
- Total and permanent disability cover, and whether its wording looks at lines work or at any work you’re suited to
- Cover held both through super and personally, checked so premiums aren’t paid twice for the same need
- Beneficiaries named on any life cover, inside or outside super, and kept up to date after a move or a new partner
Superannuation
Could some of the extra pay from storm season go into your super?
Seeing which parts of your pay attract super can help you plan the retirement you’d like.
We’ll show you how much of your pay attracts super, and whether extra contributions suit your plans.
The super your employer must pay is worked out on qualifying earnings. Overtime generally isn’t included where your ordinary hours are clearly set, and nor are on-call allowances for hours outside ordinary hours or call-back allowances, unless an award or agreement adds super on them. From 1 July 2026 the general concessional cap is $32,500, and caps are indexed.
Together, we’ll work through:
- Your payslips set beside your super statements, to see how much of a storm year’s pay attracted super
- Pre-tax contributions from your pay, if your employer allows them, kept under the yearly cap along with employer super
- A top-up from a big season’s pay, weighed against a buffer or debt before any goes into super
- Employer super rates above the minimum, which differ between employers, compared when you weigh up a job offer
- Allowances for work at heights, which count towards super as qualifying earnings, matched against your payslips
- Accounts from earlier employers or contractors, combined only after the insurance in each one is checked
- A KiwiSaver balance moved to a participating Australian fund, which must be the whole balance and counts as non-concessional contributions
- Contributions from more than one employer in a year, if you change jobs, counted together against the cap
Financial Planning & Advice
With each new role on the network, what could you plan for next?
Looking at pay, super and cover at each move can help each new role support your goals.
We’ll build a financial plan, or Statement of Advice, across your career, from apprentice to live line or jointing work and supervision.
A network business may employ linesworkers under the Electrical Power Industry Award or an enterprise agreement, and a contractor under the Electrical Award or its own agreement. A move between them can change your allowances, the super rate and any cover that came with the job. A restructure, a relocation or a new role are natural review points.
Together, we’ll work through:
- A network offer and a contractor offer compared on the whole package: pay, allowances, super and cover
- Allowances and on-call terms in the award or agreement that covers you, and what they mean for the plan
- A restructure or voluntary redundancy offer, with the lump sum, any leave paid out and super decisions weighed together
- Stepping up to field supervisor, and the pay, super and cover changes that can come with less on-call work
- A move into switching, planning, the control room or training, with the effect on income mapped before you accept
- Plans away from work, like a home, a boat or more time with family, each given a cost and a date
- Relocation offers to a regional depot, weighed on housing, travel and what the move does to the household budget
- Shared household goals, if you share finances with someone, set out so both of you plan from the same numbers
Retirement & Aged Care
How many more years on the line would you like, and what would let you choose?
Laying out your super, savings and any lighter role side by side can open up choices about when you finish.
We’ll plan your later career with you, on the line or off it, and the retirement it leads to.
Preservation age is 60 for anyone born from 1 July 1964, and super can generally only be accessed once you meet a condition of release, such as ceasing employment at 60 or over. If you hold a defined benefit, Moneysmart notes that some funds offer benefits you may lose if you leave, and you generally can’t rejoin.
Together, we’ll work through:
- Any defined benefit statement you receive, read with you for the formula, the salary it uses and your years of membership
- Leaving a defined benefit fund, weighed carefully against the fund’s rules first, since some benefits may be lost and rejoining generally isn’t possible
- Fewer hours or a lower-paid role near retirement, and how the change could affect a salary-based defined benefit
- A move off the poles into a role with less on-call pay, and what a steadier salary means for savings
- Cutting back to fewer days once you reach preservation age, with a transition to retirement pension considered if you’re eligible
- A redundancy offer late in your career, weighed against working on to the age you’d planned
- Your Age Pension eligibility later on, set beside super and savings to show what each year of work adds
- Passing on your skills as a trainer or assessor later on, and how a different income fits the plan
Tax & Wealth Strategies
After a big year of call-outs, could more of that pay end up in savings and super?
Planning tax together with super and savings can help more of a big year’s pay stay with you for later.
Together, we’ll plan tax alongside your super, savings and cover, with your accountant on allowances, travel and deductions.
Ryker’s financial advisers plan tax and set tax structure and strategy, working alongside your accountant, who prepares and lodges your return. An accountant can confirm how allowances and travel payments are taxed, and what you can claim. If your employer offers electric car packaging, an eligible car can be exempt from FBT, though the ATO says the benefit is reportable.
Together, we’ll work through:
- Restoration work away from home, and how any travel or meal payments are treated for tax, confirmed by an accountant
- Extra contributions to super after a big storm year, timed with an accountant’s view of your tax position
- An eligible electric car through packaging, where on offer, and the FBT conditions it must meet, confirmed by an accountant
- Tax withheld from larger storm-season pays, set against what an accountant expects the year’s tax to be
- Savings held outside super for goals before preservation age, with the tax on any earnings worked through with an accountant
- A partner’s income, if you share finances, considered when deciding who holds investments, with an accountant confirming the tax
- The extra cost of a special licence or licence condition your job needs, with deductibility confirmed by an accountant
- Tax planning tied to the rest of the plan, so contribution, investment and cover decisions draw on the same numbers
Property Investment Advice
Is it possible to buy a home without counting on storm money to make the repayments?
Testing repayments on your everyday pay can show how a home loan could fit your budget in quiet years and busy ones.
We can look at a first home or investment property with you, based on the pay you can count on.
A lender decides how much of any allowances and overtime it will count, and any loan is arranged through a broker or the lender. Borrowing to invest can magnify losses as well as gains, and the loan must still be repaid if values fall. For gains accruing after 1 July 2027, indexation and a 30% minimum tax generally replace the 50% CGT discount.
Together, we’ll work through:
- Storm and call-out pay put towards a deposit, weighed against keeping a buffer for quieter months
- Buying in a regional depot town or waiting until you know where you’ll settle, weighed on costs and plans
- Lending based on your regular pay, with any overtime or allowances a lender counts arranged through a broker
- Repayments that still fit the budget in a year with fewer call-outs and less storm work
- Saving a deposit through on-call weeks and quiet ones alike, with a set amount moved each pay
- A waiting period on income protection chosen with your savings in mind, so repayments can continue until any benefit starts
- Relocation costs and any housing help in a relocation package, set against buying straight away or renting first
- A property near a depot you may move on from, weighed as a home now and a rental later
Your Career on the Network, Worked Through Together
Storm and Call-Out Pay
A plan made with you for extra pay, decided before the next big season arrives.
Super on Your Extra Pay
A look at how much of your pay attracts super, and whether a top-up suits you.
Cover for Work Near Live Lines
Cover options compared for pole, EWP and live line work, with the insurer deciding the terms.
Cover That Came With Your Job
Any employer or fund cover read with you, including what a move would change.
A Network or Contractor Role
Two job offers set side by side on pay, allowances, super and cover.
Your Defined Benefit
Any defined benefit statement read with you before you change hours, employer or role.
Moving Off the Line
A plan for the pay change when you move into supervision, switching or training.
A Relocation
A move to a regional depot, or from New Zealand, planned with costs and super in view.
Proactive, Holistic, and Experienced Financial Planning
Keeping the power on is essential work, and it carries on when the weather turns. Crews head out early and late, and often stay out until every street is back on. It’s skilled work that takes years of training and care on every job. We’ll take time to listen to how your work is set up and what you’d like your money to do, then help you build a plan that suits the way you’re paid and the life you have away from the depot.
Planning well for pay that changes from week to week can give you more say in what comes next: a home of your own, time with family and friends, a trip you’ve been meaning to take, or the choice of when to come down off the poles. If anyone at home relies on your income, we’ll include them in the plan as well. Wherever your career on the network takes you, we can help you take each step with a clear plan, now and in the years ahead.
Every financial decision impacts the next
Your Financial Life Is Connected
Great advice starts with understanding the bigger picture. Every stage of life presents new opportunities and challenges, from buying property and changing careers to growing your family, planning for retirement and protecting what matters most. At Ryker, we help connect every piece of your financial world into one clear strategy.
Your
Wealth
- Property & Investing
- Career & Income
- Tax Strategy
- Insurance & Protecting Your Family
- Super & SMSF
- Wealth & Investments
- Life Events & Changes
- Business & Wealth
- Legacy & Future Wealth
- Retirement Planning
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re invested in your long-term success. What we do is personal, and we take it personally.
Your financial decisions connect, so we consider the parts of your financial life that are relevant to the advice you need:
- Property & Investing
- Career & Income
- Tax Strategy
- Insurance & Protecting Your Family
- Super & SMSF
- Wealth & Investments
- Life Events & Changes
- Business & Wealth
- Legacy & Future Wealth
- Retirement Planning
This is how we help you make decisions today with your longer-term goals in view.
Everybody’s situation is different, so we listen first, understand what matters to you and explain your options clearly before we make a recommendation.
Generally not, unless an award or agreement says so. From 1 July 2026, the super your employer must pay is worked out on qualifying earnings. The ATO says overtime isn’t included where your ordinary hours are clearly identified, and neither is an on-call allowance for hours outside ordinary hours or a call-back allowance.
Some employers pay super above the minimum, and an award or agreement can require super on more of your pay. Your payslips and super statements show what was paid.
So a year with plenty of storm work can lift your pay by more than your super. We can look at whether extra contributions suit you, within the caps.
Your accountant and financial adviser bring different expertise to the same decisions. Your accountant can advise on tax reporting, structures and consequences; we help you plan how cashflow, debt, super, investments and protection work towards your goals. We can coordinate before important decisions.
What an accountant does
- Prepares and lodges tax returns, BAS and financial statements
- Advises on tax structures such as companies, trusts and partnerships
- Manages bookkeeping, payroll and ATO compliance
- Provides tax advice on the consequences of a transaction
What a financial adviser does
- Sets a long term strategy across retirement, investing and cash flow
- Builds wealth from early in a working life, starting with cash flow, a first home and super
- Recommends specific super funds, investments and personal insurance
- Operates under an Australian Financial Services Licence, which is required to give personal advice on financial products
- Handles retirement planning, Centrelink and aged care strategy, and estate planning considerations
Professional roles and authorisations matter. We provide financial advice within our authorisations and work with your accountant for specialist tax advice and lodgements.
Where they work together
- Tax position. Your accountant confirms your marginal rate, deductions and carried forward losses, which shapes decisions on super contributions, investment structures and the timing of asset sales.
- Business and entity structures. Your accountant advises on the structure itself and your financial adviser works within it for investments, insurance and succession planning.
- Cash flow. Your accountant’s figures can help us understand what’s available for debt repayment, protection and longer-term goals.
- Before key decisions. We can coordinate with your accountant on contributions, asset sales and other material choices in time to consider relevant tax consequences.
It depends on the policy. Income protection usually bases the benefit on your earnings in the 12 months before an illness or injury, and each policy has its own definition of the income it covers. Whether overtime, on-call allowances and call-out pay are included varies between policies.
That makes the 12 months before a claim matter: a quiet year and a busy storm season can give quite different pictures. Recent payslips show how much of your pay came from call-outs and overtime.
We can compare how suitable policies treat your pay, and the insurer decides the terms of any cover.
It depends on how the cover is held. Cover provided through an employer’s scheme may end or change when you leave, depending on its terms. Default cover in a super fund depends on the fund’s terms.
When you start a new job, your employer generally pays into your existing super fund unless you choose another; a default fund applies only if you have no fund.
We can check what you hold before you move, and compare cover outside super if it would suit you.
A budgeting app is a useful way to track spending and see where your pay goes each week, and it can help you spot patterns across busy and quiet seasons.
Advice adds the decisions around it: how much of the extra pay goes to a buffer, debt, super or a goal, how much of your pay attracts super, whether your cover suits the work, and how a change of role or employer would affect each of those.
We can build that plan with you and review it after a big season.
That depends on your fund’s rules and your plans, and it’s worth understanding both before you decide. A defined benefit is worked out with a formula rather than an account balance, and the formula may draw on your salary and years of membership. Moneysmart notes that some funds offer benefits you may lose if you leave, and you generally can’t rejoin.
It helps to read your latest statement and the fund’s rules, and to ask the fund what leaving would mean for your benefit.
We can go through the options with you, alongside the rest of your plan, before any change is made.
Yes. We meet in person or online, so an initial conversation can be booked wherever your depot is, anywhere in Australia.
If you’re rostered on call, it can help to pick a time outside your on-call week, or to let us know if a call-out comes in so we can find another time. Anyone who shares the household finances with you is welcome to join too.
When you book, tell us the days and times that usually suit your work.
Yes. From a first-year apprentice to an experienced lineworker moving into a new role, we start with where you are now.
There’s no cost for the initial conversation. Any advice after that is a paid service, with its scope and fee agreed with you in writing first.
Useful things to have on hand: a few payslips that include call-outs or storm work, any defined benefit statement, and what you know about cover through work or your fund. Tell us what you’d like the next few years to look like, on the line or off it.
Who We Help
Advice for All Stages of Life
From first job to retirement, we help you build wealth, protect it, and live well.
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Pre-retirees, transition to retirement, Age Pension, aged care, estate planning and more.
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Any income, any stage, career changers, separation, second opinions and more.
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Whatever’s on your mind, we’re here to help. You’ll speak with an authorised financial adviser who’ll listen first and get to know what matters to you.
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