A living donor is someone who donates a kidney or partial liver to another person who has end-stage kidney disease or liver failure.

Living organ donation is major surgery and, like all surgery, can be risky. Prospective donors undergo extensive testing to ensure they are physically and mentally able to donate.

Strict medical and legal criteria apply before a living donation can proceed. Donors cannot be coerced, paid or otherwise rewarded for donating. The donor must show they fully aware of the risks and benefits of the donation.

Support for living donors

If the donation goes ahead, you will need time off work to recover from surgery.

Taking time off work may cause financial stress, so the Australian Government has created the Supporting Living Organ Donors Program.

This program funds employers to pay staff who need time off because they have donated an organ. The payment to employers, including self-employed donors, is available for up to nine weeks based on a 38-hour week, at an amount up to the national minimum wage. Some out-of-pocket expenses can also be reimbursed for employed and non-employed donors.

Read more about the Supporting Living Organ Donors Program.