Interpreting service charges

TIS National provides interpreting on a fee-for-service basis.

Calculate the cost of your booking

Estimate what a booking will cost using our cost calculator.

Should you require a quote for a booking, please contact the Client Engagement Team .

Book an interpreter

On-site, pre-booked phone and video remote interpreting assignments can be requested through the TIS Online automated booking system.

Immediate phone interpreters can be requested by contacting TIS National on 131  450 and quoting your client code.

Booking requests will only be accepted up to 90 days in advance.The minimum booking time for pre-booked phone and video remote interpreting is 30 minutes. For on-site interpreting, the minimum booking time is 90 minutes.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation by Users

A reference to “You”, “Your” or “User” within this Cancellation Policy has the meaning provided in the general terms and conditions of use available at General Terms and Conditions of Use. 

The policy and procedures set out below apply when You cancel a booking.

Cancellations You make without sufficient notice will incur cancellation charges as set out below (“Cancellation Charges”). This allows TIS National to ensure the assigned interpreter does not suffer unreasonable financial loss if bookings are cancelled at short notice.

Immediate phone interpreting jobs commence as soon as the interpreter is engaged. Cancellation after this point is not possible and standard service charges will apply.

Cancellation of bookings must be made in the following manner:

Pre-booked Phone, Video Remote or On-site jobs booked on TIS Online

On-site jobs not booked on TIS Online

Through your TIS Online account

In writing to tis@homeaffairs.gov.au, including the relevant job number

In exceptional circumstances such as when You do not have access to email or Your TIS Online account and a booking is scheduled to start within 24 hours, You may cancel on-site, Pre-booked Phone or Video Remote bookings by phoning TIS National on 1300 655 082. However, subsequent notification in writing is still required.

Sufficient notice

When You cancel a booking, the required notice period for the provision of ‘sufficient notice’ varies depending on the type of job, as set out below:

Type of job1

Required minimum notice (sufficient notice)

Pre-booked Phone

24 hours before scheduled start time

Video Remote

 24 hours before scheduled start time

Standard On-site

24 hours before scheduled start time

Deployment

48 hours before scheduled start time

Extended Travel On-site

Jobs where the 48 hour mark prior to the scheduled start time falls within standard operating hours

48 hours before the scheduled start time

Jobs where the 48 hour mark prior to the scheduled start time falls outside standard operating hours2

By the most recent 4pm which is:

  • at least 48 hours before the scheduled start time

    AND

  • on a standard operating day2

1 View more information on the different types of jobs.
2 Standard operating hours and days are 8.30 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday (Australian Eastern Standard/Daylight Time), excluding public holidays in Melbourne.

Longer notice periods apply for Extended Travel On-site bookings and Deployments in recognition of the longer periods interpreters must block out when accepting these jobs and the higher administrative costs for TIS National.

When calculating whether You have provided sufficient notice of cancellation, the determining factor is the time that TIS National receives notification. Where notice of cancellation meets the required minimum notice period, this is considered sufficient notice and no Cancellation Charges will apply.

For Extended Travel assignments and Deployments involving travel, the scheduled start time is the time that the interpreter leaves their place of residence. This will affect calculation of sufficient notice and may also affect calculation of any applicable Cancellation Charges.

Some Deployments are arranged at very short notice and may be subject to rapidly changing requirements. Once the assigned interpreter accepts a deployment in writing, the booking is considered to be confirmed and sufficient notice provisions will apply to any subsequent cancellation or significant changes.

Cancellation Charges

Where You provide insufficient notice of cancellation, applicable Cancellation Charges vary depending on the type of job, as set out below:

Type of job

Applicable cancellation charges

Pre-booked Phone

Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for the full scheduled duration of the booking
Video Remote
 Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for the full scheduled duration of the booking

Standard On-site

Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for the full scheduled duration of the booking

Deployment

Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for any days of interpreting which were scheduled to have commenced within 48 hours from the time the booking was cancelled (calculated in full-day blocks and including applicable interpreter travel costs if travel has already commenced)

Extended Travel On-site

Charges for:

  • any days of interpreting or travel which have already occurred, plus
  • any days of interpreting or travel which were scheduled to have commenced on other relevant days1, plus
  • applicable interpreter travel costs and travel allowance (if travel has already commenced or if travel costs have already been incurred)

Cancellation Charges will be calculated as follows:

  • Relevant days where no interpreting or travel was scheduled to occur do not attract any cancellation charge.
  • For relevant days which were originally scheduled to include travel only, the cancellation charge will be:
    • where travel has occurred- the actual travel time, from the time the interpreter leaves their usual place of residence to the time they arrive at their hotel
    • where travel has not yet occurred- the expected travel time, as calculated by TIS National on the basis of available information.
  • For all other relevant days, the cancellation charge will be the greater of:
    • the applicable daily minimum, or
    • where such a day involves travel, the amount calculated from the scheduled start time for that day up until the time the interpreter arrives at their hotel (for the outbound journey) or usual place of residence (for the return journey).

    1 ‘Relevant days’ are the day of cancellation and the following two days, plus any days of interpreting or travel which have already occurred.

    Significant changes without sufficient notice

    Unless You provide sufficient notice, TIS National is not able to accommodate significant changes to on-site, Video Remote or Pre-booked Phone bookings. Changes to the following criteria are significant changes if they affect interpreter allocation:

    • Requested language
    • Job location
    • Date or time of job
    • Requested interpreter gender or NAATI credential level
    • Additional requirements such as a Working with Children Check, NDIS Worker Screening Check or security clearance

    If You request to change the mode of interpreting (for example, from on-site to Video Remote), this is always a significant change. TIS National may also determine that other requests constitute a significant change where they have an impact on the original interpreter allocation.

    If You request a significant change without sufficient notice, TIS National will treat this as a cancellation without sufficient notice if You choose not to proceed with the assignment. Cancellation Charges will apply in these circumstances.

    Cancellation provisions for TIS National interpreters

    Cancellation fees payable to interpreters

    If a User (client) or TIS National cancels a booking without ‘sufficient notice’ as defined at Sufficient notice above, the assigned interpreter is entitled to a cancellation fee. The applicable cancellation fee varies depending on the type of job, as set out below:

    Type of job

    Applicable cancellation fee

    Pre-booked Phone

    Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for the full scheduled duration of the booking
    Video Remote
    		 Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for the full scheduled duration of the booking

    Standard On-site

    Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for the full scheduled duration of the booking

    Deployment

    Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for any days of interpreting which were scheduled to have commenced within 48 hours from the time the booking was cancelled (calculated in full-day blocks), plus incurred travel costs if applicable

    Extended Travel On-site

    Cancellation fee for:

    • any days of interpreting or travel which have already occurred, plus
    • any days of interpreting or travel which were scheduled to have commenced on other relevant days1, plus
    • applicable travel costs and travel allowance (if travel has already commenced or if travel costs have already been incurred)

    Cancellation fees will be calculated as follows:

    • Relevant days where no interpreting or travel was scheduled to occur do not attract any cancellation fee.
    • For relevant days which were originally scheduled to include travel only, the cancellation fee will be:
      • where travel has occurred- the actual travel time, from the time the interpreter leaves their usual place of residence to the time they arrive at their hotel
      • where travel has not yet occurred- the expected travel time, as calculated by TIS National on the basis of available information.
    • For all other relevant days, the cancellation fee will be the greater of:
      • the applicable daily minimum, or
      • where such a day involves travel, the amount calculated from the scheduled start time for that day up until the time the interpreter arrives at their hotel (for the outbound journey) or usual place of residence (for the return journey).

    1 ‘Relevant days’ are the day of cancellation and the following two days, plus any days of interpreting or travel which have already occurred. 

    When calculating whether a User (client) has provided sufficient notice of cancellation, the determining factor is the time that TIS National receives notification, not the interpreter.

    Rarely, there may be short delays in passing notification onto interpreters. In most cases such delays are not expected to be more than five minutes, but delays of up to one hour may occur for cancellations of Extended Travel On-site jobs, which must be processed manually. Accordingly, interpreters are not entitled to a cancellation fee as long as TIS National provides at least 47 hours’ notice of cancellation for Extended Travel On-site jobs.

    If TIS National has made all reasonable efforts to notify the interpreter of a cancellation with sufficient notice but the interpreter cannot be contacted, the interpreter will be deemed to have been notified with sufficient notice and a cancellation fee will not be payable.

    Interpreters should refer to the Cancellation Policy Procedural Instruction in the TIS Online interpreter portal for further details on how the Cancellation Policy applies to them.