As payroll professionals, we are expected to know a lot. Tax, superannuation and the legislation governing these complex topics are part of our normal daily routines. But how are we supposed to learn all of that and, more importantly, remember it all? What’s the trick to it?
Perhaps the trick to it isn’t really trying to ‘know’ it all, but rather knowing where to go to get the information quickly when you need it. Because luckily for us, the answers to most questions can be found in just a handful of places. And doesn’t that sound a whole lot easier to remember?!
So here’s a little cheat sheet of where to get some of the most commonly sought after information.
Fair Work Ombudsman
Fair Work’s main task is to advise on workplace rights and obligations. There is a listing of all 122 modern awards, as well as a link to an external site with a directory of all registered and enterprise agreements. You can quickly investigate anything to do with pay rates, allowances, overtime and leave entitlements, as well as any specific rules that are particular to your award/agreement. There is also a detailed explanation of the National Employment Standards and the minimum entitlements that apply to all Australian workers.
Top picks:
- ‘The P.A.C.T. Pay and Conditions Tool Calculator’
- Follow the Pay Calculator link on the home page, then once you select your award you can investigate knowing that all of the information shown applies specifically to your award
- ‘Ending Employment’
- From the home page, the Ending Employment link can guide you through everything from how much notice is owed on termination, to what to do in the case of bankruptcy
Australian Taxation Office
Hover your mouse over any of the links at the top of the ATO home page to see the many different areas of information to be found on the ATO website, with the main focus being on taxation and superannuation.
Top picks:
- ‘Tax tables’ – https://www.ato.gov.au/Rates/Tax-tables/
This invaluable link includes among other things:
- Schedule 7 – tax table for unused leave payments on termination of employment
- Schedule 5 – tax table for back payments, commissions, bonuses and similar payments
- Table A – withholding rates for ETPs
- ‘Super For Employers’
Under the Super heading on the home page, this link covers everything related to super that an employer needs to know, including the current financial year contribution caps and how to work out what payments super applies to
And here’s a handy trick to keep in mind. If you’re having trouble finding what you need using the search box on the ATO website, try entering your search into Google along with the letters ATO. For e.g., ‘ATO tax on termination’. It works wonders!
Australian Payroll Association
And let’s not forget the APA’s own reference pages! The Members Menu on the ‘Your Account’ page offers a huge range of information, including templates, calculators, best practice guides and much more. This vital set of reference materials is available to all APA members. You can join Australian Payroll Association here.
Top picks:
- Long service leave
A full state by state guide to all aspects of long service leave
- Redundancy template, novated lease calculator & salary packaging worksheet
These easy to use and up to date tools are ready to be used straight away
So you can see that the information is all there to easily be found with only a few clicks of your mouse. By taking advantage of the resources available on these three websites you can save yourself the headache of trying to remember every little detail about payroll (while still managing to look like you really do know it all).
