Northern Territory Consolidated Acts Northern Territory Consolidated Acts74. Commutation
(1) Where it appears to the Court on the application in writing -
(a) of or on behalf of the employer or the person to whom it is payable that, because of the small amount of regular payments of compensation under section 63 or 65, the administrative costs in calculating and paying the compensation is disproportionate to the benefit received; or
(b) of a worker receiving regular payments of compensation under section 65 that -
(i) his or her condition has stabilized;
(ii) rehabilitation is complete;
(iii) he or she is not totally incapacitated within the meaning of section 65(6); and
(iv) he or she has received financial counselling before so applying,
and, in either case, it is satisfied that the person to whom that compensation is payable is fully aware of the effects of the proposed commutation in relation to future benefits under this Act, the Court may, in writing, authorise the commutation of those section 63 or 65 payments at discounted present values and those payments may be commuted and, subject to subsection (3), the commuted amount paid accordingly.
(2) Compensation payments shall not be commuted except in accordance with this section and where payment of compensation is commuted as a result of an authorisation under this section, no person is entitled to any future payments under section 63 or 65 in respect of the injury to which the compensation relates.
(3) The maximum amount that may be paid as a result of a commutation under this section is not to be greater than an amount equal to 156 times the worker's normal weekly earnings indexed in accordance with section 65(3) or 156 times average weekly earnings (whichever is the greater amount) at the time the payment is made.
(4) Where the calculated commutation exceeds the maximum amount referred to in subsection (3), the Court is not prevented from authorising the commutation of a payment to that maximum amount if it appears to the Court fair and equitable to do so.