The RIW Pricing Model is designed to be transparent, scalable, and equitable - ensuring every organisation pays only for what they need. Whether you're a small contractor with a handful of cardholders, or a large rail operator managing thousands of workers, the model is designed to suit your workforce.

This article outlines the full Schedule 1 pricing structure effective 1 July 2026, covering cardholder fees, eLearning, premium functionality, site access control, additional services, and fatigue risk management.

Note: Before using the RIW System, all organisations must agree to the Company Registration – Terms and Conditions. Pricing is governed by Schedule 1 of those Terms.

What's in this article

• Part A – Annual RIW Card & Cardholder Fees
• Part B – Job Ready Services
• Part C – eLearning & Training
• Part D – Premium Functionality
• Part E – Site Access Control
• Part F – Additional Services
• Part G – AlertMeter & Biomathematical Reporting
• How to calculate your cardholder fees
• Related articles

Part A – Annual RIW Card & Cardholder Fees

Cardholder fees are the core of the RIW Pricing Model. All RIW Participant Organisations pay an Annual RIW Card Fee per active cardholder, with the per-card rate determined by the total number of cardholders primarily employed by the organisation, assessed as at 28 May each year.

Annual RIW Card Fee (effective 1 July 2026 – 30 June 2031)

The Annual RIW Card Fee is payable annually on the anniversary of the initial registration of each RIW Card.

Additional Cardholder Fees

The following additional fees apply to specific cardholder events. Fees marked with * are subject to Annual CPI adjustment on 1 July each year.

Note: RIW cards must be renewed at the 10-year anniversary. An ID Check is required at re-issuance (unless the organisation is ID Check Exempt), along with a mandatory photo update.

Part B – Job Ready Services

Before a worker can swipe onto the rail network, they need more than a card - they need a complete, verified RIW profile. Job Ready services manage the end-to-end process of getting a new worker registered, identity-checked, and issued their RIW card, so their profile is ready to be managed by an employer from day one.

The process covers identity verification, collection of the worker's personal details, and production of the physical and/or virtual RIW card. Once issued, the card links to the worker's profile - storing their competencies, job roles, and rail health assessments - giving Network Operators and Principal Contractors real-time confidence that every person on site is fit, qualified, and compliant.

For specific Job Ready pricing, please refer to How do I get a Rail Industry Worker card?

Part C – eLearning & Training

MTA offers a range of eLearning and training services to support workforce capability development within the RIW platform. All fees are subject to annual CPI adjustment on 1 July each year.

Part D – Premium Functionality

Premium Functionality unlocks a powerful suite of advanced RIW System capabilities for organisations that need greater control, customisation, and visibility over their workforce and compliance management.

Premium Functionality includes:

• Creation and management of employer competencies
• Creation and management of employer job roles
• Suspension of employer competencies and employer job roles
• Verification of employer, project-based, or site-based competencies
• Management of allocated items (e.g. PPE or high value assets)
• Crew management
• Management of approved Registered Training Organisations (Network Operators only)
• Vircarda Messaging
• Access to Advanced Project Admin RIW System user permissions
• Virtual site configuration with the Worker App (available from early 2027)
• Free eLearning course access for Employer Administrators
• Pay On Account (subject to credit checks)
• Quarterly Newsletter
• Invitation to participate in the Annual Maturity Assessment and Benchmarking Report

Please refer to What is Premium Functionality? for more information. 

Part E – Site Access Control

MTA provides a range of site access control hardware, software, and support services to help organisations manage physical and virtual site entry within the RIW platform. All fees are subject to annual CPI adjustment from 1 July each year.

Part F – Additional Services

MTA provides a range of professional and technical services to support organisations beyond core system functionality. All fees are subject to annual CPI adjustment from 1 July each year, with market reviews of rates every 2 years.

Part G – AlertMeter & Biomathematical (FRMS) Reporting

MTA offers fatigue risk management solutions integrated within the RIW platform, including AlertMeter impairment detection and a full Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) with biomathematical modelling. All fees are subject to annual CPI adjustment from 1 July each year.

How to calculate your cardholder fees

The table below provides a quick reference for calculating the total cardholder fee for the most common transaction types. Apply your organisation's applicable Annual RIW Card Fee (Level 1–6) from Part A above.

Related Articles

• How can a company calculate RIW fees?
• What can a company do to reduce RIW fees?
• Company Registration – Terms and Conditions

The RIW Pricing Model includes volume-based discounts. The cost for an annual subscription for each cardholder is determined by the number of actively subscribed primary employees for the organisation.

This process will walk you through determining the number of cardholders primarily employed and the expected costs for the year.

This article details how to calculate expected RIW fees for your organisation.

NOTE: There is a volume-based discount (as per the RIW Pricing Model) that is based on the number of actively subscribed cardholders as of 28 May.

This instruction applies to the following RIW System User Roles: 

• Advanced Project Admin
• Employer Admin
• Employer Admin - No Payment
• Employer Admin - Read Only

Step 1: Log in to the RIW System

Go to https://app.riw.net.au and login using your credentials.

Step 2: Create Report

Click on the Reports tab on the top menu, followed by the Create Report shortcut.

Step 3: Report Tables

On the Report Tables screen, select People and then CONTINUE.

Step 4: Define Report Columns 

To define information about cardholders currently employed by the company and their annual subscription end dates, tick First Name, Surname, RIW Number, Primary Employer and Annual Subscription End Date. 

Click Continue to progress.

Step 5: Define Primary Employer

If you run the report without specifying the Primary Employer, the report will list ALL cardholders who have a relationship with the company, including secondary employed and associated cardholders. 

To get an exact list of the primary cardholders, please enter the company name in the Primary Employer field.  You can check the company name by referring to the top of the screen. Copy and paste this to ensure it is correct.

Click CONTINUE when ready to proceed.

Step 6: Report is displayed

The report will provide a list of all RIW cardholders primarily employed by the company and their annual subscription end date. You can sort the list by clicking on the up/down arrows, or alternatively, Export the report which will be sent to the User via email.

Step 7: Calculate RIW fees

Whether you use the table as per above, or export the file, sort the column by Annual Subscription End Date to determine when a cardholder subscription fee is due.

If calculating for the following year based on currently active subscribed workers, remove any cardholders not to be applied to the calculation, then:

Number of current cardholders x Annual RIW Card Fee* = Yearly renewal RIW fees

NOTE: The annual RIW Card Fee is determined by the number of active RIW cardholders primarily employed by the company as per the article What is the RIW Pricing Model?

If you intend on employing more RIW cardholders, then use the calculation below to determine New RIW cardholder fees.

Number of new cardholders x (Supply of New Card Fee* + ID Check Fee (if applicable)* + Annual RIW Card Fee*) = New RIW cardholder fees

Add both the Yearly renewal RIW fees and the New RIW cardholder fees to obtain the expected yearly RIW fees for your company.

RIW Knowledge Centre Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000176346

Companies can review their subscribed primary cardholder numbers to ensure they only pay for the cardholders they need.

If a company no longer needs to manage a cardholders profile, consider removing the cardholder by following the instructions in the article How does a company end employment with a cardholder?

Alternatively, larger companies may wish to increase their subscribed primary cardholder numbers to attract a volume-based discount, which applies to organisations with over 400 primary cardholders (for the 21/22 Financial Year). You can read more about this on the article What is the RIW Program Pricing Model?

To determine a company's RIW fees for the year, please refer to our RIW Knowledge Centre article How can a company calculate RIW fees?

RIW Knowledge Centre Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000176525

As per the Company Registration - Terms and Conditions, all subscriptions are paid for upfront for a full subscription year. No refunds will be provided for a subscription that is not utilised.

The RIW System does not allow for pro rata annual cardholder subscription fees, irrespective of when a cardholder subscription expired. However, there are rules about how expired annual cardholder subscription fees and subscription anniversaries are managed.

The annual cardholder subscription fee uses the initial card issue date to calculate the annual and five-year anniversaries.

For more information, please read our article on How is the annual cardholder subscription fee calculated if it has expired?

This is a static subscription expiry date and ensures the RIW System can manage the requirement to replace the RIW card every five years to update the smart chip embedded in the RIW card.

A refund may be requested for system payment errors only by contacting the RIW Service Desk on info@riw.net.au.

Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000030102

This article details how to monitor forthcoming and expired annual cardholder subscriptions, and how to pay for annual cardholder subscriptions.

This instruction applies to the following user roles:

• Advanced Project Admin
• Employer Admin
• Employer Admin - No Payment
• Employer Admin - Read Only

1	Go to https://app.riw.net.au and login using your credentials.
2	Click on Expiries > Worker Subscriptions. You can select Show All, Show Forthcoming, Show Expired or New Workers before clicking Search. If clicking Show All, the following colour legend will display the status of expiries: Subscriptions expiring within 28 days are identified in AMBER.  Subscriptions already expired are identified in RED. Subscriptions identified in BLACK are displayed even when not expired to help manage / schedule subscription renewals.  If clicking New Workers, it will display all Rail Industry Workers who have had a profile created, but not a card issued.
3	To renew a subscription, click on the checkbox next to the cardholder and click Renew Subscription. Multiple cardholders can be selected if required. You can only pay for subscriptions which have expired or are expiring within 28 days. Note: If renewing a subscription, the item will be sent straight to the shopping basket. If paying a new worker subscription, or purchasing a major subscription renewal, then a prompt to order the new card will display before adding to the shopping basket.
4	Click Checkoutto proceed to payment.
5	At the checkout screen, choose Card and then click Make Payment.
6	After clicking on the Make Payment button, the following fields will be displayed.
7	When the payment has been processed, a confirmation email will be sent to verify that the payment has been accepted, which will include an order number and Stripe payment reference number.
8	To access a list of previous transactions, go to Payment History. You can use the drop-down boxes to filter payments as required.  Clicking on a transaction and View will open the Order Confirmation in another window (pop-ups must be enabled). You can also Export the filtered list to a *.CSV file.

To further monitor or report on expiring items, consider running a custom report.

Article link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000077500

Credit/debit card (through Stripe) is the only option for processing payments in the RIW System, except where a Pay On Account option has been granted (for Premium Functionality Employers only). A tax invoice will be provided at the conclusion of the payment in the RIW System.

RIW Knowledge Centre Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000030104

No. Annual cardholder fees can only be paid by the cardholder's Primary Employer.

Secondary or Associated Employers are not required to pay any cardholder fees.

For more information about how to pay the annual cardholder fee, or how to monitor due dates for cardholder fees, please refer to the following articles:

• How does a company pay the annual cardholder subscription fee?
• How does a company monitor expiries?

RIW Knowledge Centre Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000030103

Yes.  

If a cardholder requires a replacement card due to its being lost, stolen, or damaged, their primary employer must pay the replacement fee of AUD $85 + GST.  

To re-order a lost, stolen or damaged RIW card, please refer to our article How does a company order or reorder a physical or virtual RIW card?

Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000030100

Competencies added to a Rail Industry Worker are verified by the RIW Service Desk within 2 business days. 

Should a Rail Industry Worker need their competencies to be verified sooner to meet job role or site requirements, companies can fast track up to 20 competency verifications (for one worker) in eight (8) business hours for AUD$50.00+GST.  Please note that if documentation submitted is incomplete or incorrect, the fast track may take longer to complete. 

The RIW Service Desk performs this service Monday to Friday, 0700-2000hrs (AEST/AEDT).

Please refer to How does a company add a competency to a Rail Industry Worker profile? for further instruction on how to add and pay for a fast track competency verification.

IMPORTANT! If a Rail Industry Worker also requires a fast track medical assessment, please refer to and follow the instructions in How can a company request a fast track medical assessment? 

Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000029871

All cost items can be placed on Pay on Account. This includes ID checks, subscription costs and fast track services (not including the fast track medical service request). Premium Functionality Employers companies also have the ability to pay via credit/debit card (Mastercard/Visa) as well, i.e. a company may wish to pay the annual cardholder fees on Pay on Account, but fast track competencies and other associated cardholder costs via credit/debit card.

Premium Functionality Employers can contact info@riw.net.au to request commencing or amending current POA requirements, and a member of the MTA Finance Team will be in contact to discuss the options.

RIW Knowledge Centre Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000030105

The annual hardware maintenance fee ($2,000 +GST) is payable by all owners of RIW enabled kiosks or tablet devices. It is charged on initial hardware procurement and then the anniversary of each device. The fee covers:

Software and product support

Kiosk software is updated regularly to meet industry needs to ensure it interfaces seamlessly with the RIW System. Kiosk software is managed by our third-party provider TIKS and requires a different development cycle to an RIW System upgrade.

Technical support maintenance services

If you have a problem with a hardware device, you can lodge a RIW Hardware Technical Support Service Request at https://www.riw.net.au/contact-us/request-a-service/ by selecting category & sub-category mentioned in the below screenshot: If the matter is more urgent and out of hours, you can contact the RIW Service Desk direct on 1300 101 682. Our team will triage the issue and, if required, organise an out of hours maintenance call.

Sites only need to pay a call-out fee where the issue or cause is found to be the site's fault, for example, physical damage to the hardware such as a broken screen. 

A call-out fee will not be charged if the fault is out of the site's control, such as a hardware malfunction still within the warranty period.  If the device needs to be returned to the manufacturer, this will be at the owner's cost, as per the return-to-base warranty.

Please refer to the RIW Knowledge Centre article How to submit a hardware maintenance or technical support request for further information about the maintenance priority levels and response times.

Site hardware moves 

If you need to move a kiosk or tablet device from one site to another, you can lodge a Relocation of Site Hardware Service Request at https://www.riw.net.au/contact-us/request-a-service/ by selecting category & sub-category mentioned in the below screenshot: The RIW Service Desk will manage the software re-configuration, free under the annual hardware maintenance fee.  Please note that the physical movement of hardware is at the owner's expense and management.

RIW Knowledge Centre Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000286362

The RIW System does not allow for pro-rata annual cardholder subscription fees (known as the RIW card fee), irrespective of when a cardholder subscription expired. However, there are rules about how expired annual cardholder subscription fees and subscription anniversaries are managed, which are detailed below.

NOTE: The annual cardholder subscription fee uses the initial card issue date to calculate the annual and five year anniversaries. This ensures the RIW System can manage the requirement to replace the RIW card every five years to update the smart chip embedded in the RIW card.

Scenario 1

On the day of renewal, if the annual cardholder subscription expiry date is less than one year past the initial card issue date, the full annual cardholder subscription fee is paid for the remainder of the subscription period, and the next annual subscription anniversary date applies.

For example, Jo’s annual cardholder subscription is due on 17 January 2020.  Their employer did not renew their subscription when it was due and paid it on 20 August 2020, which was six months later.   Their employer is required to pay the full annual cardholder subscription fee at the time of renewal for the remaining six months, and the next subscription date will be 17 January 2021.

Scenario 2

On the day of renewal, if the annual cardholder subscription expiry date is more than one year past the initial card issue date, the full annual cardholder subscription fee is paid for the remainder of the subscription period, and the next annual subscription anniversary date applies. However, the year(s) missed will not require payment.

For example, Jo’s annual cardholder subscription is due on 17 January 2020.  Their employer did not renew their subscription when it was due and paid it on 20 August 2021, which was eighteen months later. Their employer is required to pay the full annual cardholder subscription fee at the time of renewal for the remaining six months of their subscription. The next subscription date will be 17 January 2022.

Scenario 3

On the day of renewal, if the annual cardholder subscription fee expiry date is more than five years past the initial card issue date, the full annual cardholder subscription fee + card re-issuance at 5th-year anniversary fee is paid, and a new subscription date commences on the day of renewal. At this time, a new RIW card will be issued.

For example, Jo’s annual cardholder subscription fee is due on 17 January 2020. Their employer did not renew their subscription when it was due, and then paid it on 20 August 2026, which is over five years from the initial card issue. Their employer is required to pay the annual cardholder subscription fee + card re-issuance at 5th-year anniversary fee, and the next subscription date will be 20 August 2027.

Annual cardholder subscription fees (known as the RIW card fee) and renewal costs are detailed in Schedule 1, Part A of the Company Registration Terms & Conditions.

Article Link:

https://support.riw.net.au/support/solutions/articles/51000292653