Payroll

There is a change to the way in which super guarantee contributions are calculated. Employers should review their calculation practices to ensure conformity with the law. Recent changes made to the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 (SGA) by the Treasury Laws Amendment (2019 Tax Integrity and Other Measures No 1) Act 2019 (the amending Act) …

Read morePayroll – Check you’re making the correct super contributions for your employees

The increasing use of labour supplied through labour hire firms or employment agencies under a labour hire/employment agency contract has led to a considerable number of challenges for the Government and regulatory authorities including the Australian Taxation Office and State Revenue Offices. Just to be clear, a labour hire/employment agency contract involves a contract between …

Read morePayroll – Some developments in the labour hire/employment agency space that may impact TaxEd members

Employers contemplating redundancies or early retirement schemes should be aware of the Government’s action to lift the age limit for genuine redundancy and early retirement scheme payments with effect from 1 July 2019. This will give employers marginally greater scope to package payments which are tax-free for redundant/retiring employees and potentially marginally greater flexibility in …

Read morePayroll – Lifting the age limit for genuine redundancy and early retirement scheme payments

Are there any PAYGW or superannuation issues in relation to allowances paid for use of an employee’s truck? Question Council pays an employee an allowance for the use of the employee’s truck. It is understood the employee provides services to 3rd parties as an owner driver (using the truck) on weekends. The allowance is set …

Read morePayroll Q&A – What is the treatment of an allowance paid for the use of an employee’s truck?

Persons in certain dangerous occupations should be aware of the opt-out/opt-in status of insurance through their superfunds. A Bill which provides for insurance to apply only if certain super fund members choose to have insurance through their super fund has been passed with an exception that is likely to especially interest our readers. This article …

Read morePayroll – Superannuation – exception to ‘opt in’ insurance

Are we required to withhold PAYGW from allowances paid to employees for work related travel and based on the ATO’s recommended cents/km rates? Should the allowances be shown in their payment summaries? Question When employees are required to use their own vehicle for work related travel, we pay them an allowance based on the ATO’s …

Read morePayroll Q&A – PAYGW requirements: Cents per kilometre allowance

Can a public officer delegate the function of reviewing Payment Summaries prior to their issue? Question As the Public Officer will be on annual leave and not able to review Payment Summaries prior to issue, is it possible for the Public Officer to delegate the function? Answer Ordinarily the primary person for signing things like …

Read morePayroll Q&A – What name should be shown on the payment summary – is it possible for a name other than the Public Officer’s to appear?

A recent Western Australia case (DCT v Lim [2019] WADC 106 (26 July 2019)) illustrates  that directors penalty notices (DPNs) can be validly served by being posted to addresses obtained from ASIC records. We have considered the facts of this case through a worked example scenario. Worked example Background Mr Jones is the sole director …

Read morePayroll – Director Penalty Notice: ASIC records used as evidence