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What is my BMS ID and where do I find it?
Each payroll software is identified using a Business Management Software (BMS) ID. When you set up STP, the ATO is notified of your BMS ID. If your business has previously reported via STP in the current payroll year using another MYOB or non-MYOB payroll software, when you set up STP in MYOB you must notify the ATO of the BMS ID of your previous software. Otherwise, your employees' year-to-date (YTD) payroll information will be reported twice to the ATO, and no one wants that... Transferring your BMS ID lets the ATO know you've changed payroll software, and moves your employee's year-to-date payroll amounts under your new BMS ID at the ATO end. If you haven't already, make sure you've entered your employee's pay history for the current payroll year into AccountRight. To find your previous BMS ID You or your tax/BAS agent can find your previous BMS ID via the ATO's online services. Log into the ATO's online services. Go to Employees > STP reporting (agents go to Business > STP reporting). Click the dropdown arrow next to one of your STP reports. Copy the Business Management software (BMS) ID so you can paste it into the Previous software BMS ID field in MYOB when prompted (see above).4.2KViews0likes0CommentsWhat if an employee doesn't have a Tax file number?
If you don't have an employee's Tax file number (TFN), use the applicable number from these provided by the ATO. If you need more information or you're not sure what to choose, check with the ATO. Use this TFN For this scenario 111 111 111 New payee has not made a TFN Declaration, but 28 days have not passed. 333 333 333 Payee is under 18 years of age and earnings don't exceed $350 per week, $700 per fortnight, or $1,517 per month. 444 444 444 Payee is an Australian Government pensioner payee. 000 000 000 Payee chooses not to quote a TFN and has not claimed an exemption from quoting a TFN or does not fit into any of the above categories.2.3KViews0likes0CommentsHow do I pay super for a contractor?
To pay super from MYOB you need to process the super payments through payroll. This means to pay super for a contractor you'll need to set up the contractor as an employee to pay their super. Just manually add them as an employee and enter their super details. If you pay the contractor via invoices they send you, you will also need to set the contractor up as a supplier so you can pay their bills like any other. Then when you process your payroll to pay super for the contractor, only enter the super amount into their pay (and no other amounts). You can then declare the pay to the ATO as part of your STP reporting.999Views0likes0CommentsA Guide about Annual Leave in Australia
Everything you need to know about annual leave in Australia Annual leave is a standard part of working life that has significant impacts on planning and running a business with employees. As an employer, you’ll want to have a keen understanding of leave entitlements. The National Employment Standards ( NES) sets out the minimum requirements, such as four weeks paid leave, per year. But there are also other agreements, Awards, and various aspects of annual leave entitlement that you should know about. Failing to comply with regulations can lead to penalties in excess of $13,000 (for an individual) or $66,000 (for a company). In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about annual leave in Australia, including how you accrue and calculate annual leave, when you can direct employees to take annual leave, and how to pay annual leave. What is annual leave? Annual leave, also known as recreation leave or holiday pay, entitles employees to take paid time off work. The National Employment Standards (NES) states that employees are entitled to a minimum of four weeks paid leave per year, plus an additional week for some shift workers. Who is entitled to annual leave? All employees, except for casual employees, are entitled to receive annual leave. When can annual leave be taken? You can take annual leave as soon as you accumulate it. But you don’t have to take it each year, and there’s no minimum or maximum amount to take each year. Each employer and employee must agree on when and for how long annual leave can be taken. But, the employer must not unreasonably refuse an employee’s request to take annual leave. An employee isn’t considered to be on annual leave when: A day or part-day is a public holiday They are on community service leave They are on any other type of leave (other than unpaid parental leave) For example, suppose an employee takes five days annual leave, and a public holiday falls within that period. In that case, the public holiday won’t count as annual leave, and you would only reduce their annual leave balance by four days. Likewise, if an employee is sick during annual leave, they can use their paid sick leave entitlement instead of using their annual leave for the time they are unwell. How much annual leave are employees entitled to? Full-time and part-time employees get four weeks of annual leave for each year of completed service, based on their ordinary hours of work. For example: A full-time employee who works the maximum 38 hours per week for a year would be entitled to 152 hours of annual leave. A part-time employee who works 20 hours per week for a year would be entitled to 80 hours of annual leave – the equivalent of four weeks of work. How much notice is needed to take annual leave? There are no specific rules on how much notice is needed to take annual leave. Each employer and employee should follow the agreed company policies for annual leave. For example, an annual leave policy might include rules on how much notice is needed to take annual leave, how soon employees can take annual leave after accumulating it, and how to cash out annual leave. How does annual leave accumulate? Annual leave accumulates from the first day of employment, including any probation period. It increases gradually during the year based on the number of ordinary hours an employee works. For example, annual leave accumulates when an employee is on: paid leave, such as paid annual leave and paid sick and carer’s leave community service leave, including jury duty and long service leave But does not accumulate when an employee is on: unpaid annual leave unpaid sick or carer’s leave unpaid parental leave unpaid family and domestic violence leave How do you calculate annual leave entitlements? You calculate annual leave entitlements pro-rata based on an employee’s ordinary working hours. For example, a full-time employee working a 38-hour week throughout the year accrues annual leave at the rate of 2.923 hours per completed week of service (152/52 = 2.923), which equals 0.7308 hours of annual leave per working day. Use the formula: 152 hours of annual leave ÷ 52 weeks = 2.923 hours 2.923 hours ÷ 5 days = 0.7308 hours per working day However, a part-time employee who works a 20-hour week (four hours a day, five days per week) for a whole year accrues annual leave at the rate of 1.538 hours per completed week of service (80/52 = 1.538), which equals 0.3076 hours of annual leave per working day. Use the formula: 80 hours of annual leave ÷ 52 weeks = 1.538 hours 1.538 hours ÷ 5 days = 0.3076 hours per working day How is annual leave paid to employees? There are some circumstances when you pay annual leave to employees instead of taking time off. 1. Employee cashes out annual leave Some agreements allow employees to cash out or get paid their annual leave instead of taking time off even when they are still employed. These agreements generally require the employee: Signs a written agreement with the employer Gets paid as much as if they had taken the annual leave Cashes out a maximum of two weeks of annual leave in any 12-month period 2. Pay annual leave when employment ends Employers must pay their employees for any unused annual leave they’ve accumulated when employment ends. The annual leave payment must be the same amount that the employee would have received if they’d taken the annual leave during their employment. 3. Annual leave when sick or injured If an employee is sick or injured while on annual leave, they can use their paid sick leave entitlement instead of their annual leave. The employer can still request the employee provide notice and evidence when taking sick leave while on annual leave. But they can’t force an employee to take annual leave while on sick leave. Do you need to give a reason for annual leave? No, as long as you’ve accrued sufficient annual leave, you don’t have to give a reason for requesting time off. Can an employer refuse annual leave? An employer can refuse an employee’s request to take annual leave if: The employee does not have any accrued leave to take. The employee does not give reasonable notice of wanting to take leave. The business can’t meet operational requirements during the requested leave period. The requested leave would be detrimental to the business. Can an employer force an annual leave? Under most modern Awards, Australian employers can enforce annual leave when the business shuts down. For example, if the business doesn’t operate over Christmas and New Year, they could notify employees that they must take annual leave at that time. For those employees not covered by a modern Award, employers can enforce “reasonable” annual leave. For example, if the employee has accrued an excessive amount of paid annual leave or the business is being shut down for a period (for instance, between Christmas and New Year). Can shift workers accrue annual leave? Depending on their industry and occupation, shift workers may get up to five weeks of annual leave per year. For example, to get five weeks of annual leave in the Hair and Beauty industry, a shift worker would have to be: Classed as a seven-day shift worker Regularly rostered to work shifts in a business where shifts are continuously rostered 24 hours a day, seven days a week Regularly rostered to work on Sundays and public holidays Do you accrue annual leave on overtime? You cannot accrue annual leave on overtime worked or on unpaid breaks. Employers must pay annual leave at the employee’s current base pay rate for all hours of leave taken. What is excessive annual leave? Excessive annual leave refers to an excessive amount of unused annual leave. Generally, an employee’s annual leave balance is considered “excessive” if they have more than eight weeks of annual leave in their balance. Or in the case of a shift worker, they have more than 10 weeks of annual leave in their balance. What is annual leave loading? Annual leave loading is an entitlement provided in specific modern Awards. Usually, it’s an extra payment of 17.5 percent on top of an employee’s regular wage to compensate for expenses when they take annual leave. Calculate and manage annual leave with MYOB With all the rules and regulations surrounding annual leave, businesses can benefit enormously from using cloud payroll software that manages rosters and staff availability, automatically accrues annual leave, and processes annual leave requests. MYOB automatically calculates payroll variables like superannuation, tax, and annual leave within your workflow. And if something’s not quite right, like a negative annual leave balance, you’ll get a helpful warning message. Forget about manually calculating annual leave and try MYOB Business’s automated payroll software free for 30 days.999Views0likes0CommentsEmployer superannuation contributions -Everything you need to know.
As an employer, it’s vital you know the requirements for paying super, as late or missing payments can result in penalty charges. In this guide, you’ll discover: what superannuation is who is eligible for superannuation how often employers have to pay superannuation contributions what information employers can and cannot provide on superannuation funds employer superannuation best practices how to streamline super calculations and contributions. What is superannuation? Superannuation, or “super”, is the money put aside by employers for their employees' retirement funds. As a mandatory requirement, super contributions are not voluntary and so should be understood by all employers. For most people, super contributions begin when you start work and continue for the remainder of your working life. Your employer automatically pays a percentage of your salary or wages into your chosen super fund, and with each different job, you hold the employer contributes a minimum set percentage into your fund. Your super fund invests and manages this money for you until you retire. It’s a long-term investment that grows over time. So, the more you save, the more money you’ll have for your retirement. Do employers have to pay employee superannuation? All employers must pay their employees’ super as stipulated by the Superannuation Guarantee. The Super Guarantee (SG) is the compulsory contribution made by all employers to their eligible employees. It’s paid directly to each employee’s nominated super fund or a default fund on their behalf. SG is a percentage of each eligible employee’s Ordinary Time Earnings (OTE), including their regular wage plus any shift loadings, commissions, paid leave, and some allowances. The Australian Government determines the SG rate, which is 10.5% of OTE in 2022/23. Prior to 1 July 2022, if an employee was over 18 and earned $450 or more (before tax) in salary or wages in a calendar month, the employer must pay super for them. Note: salary or wages includes any overtime. After 1 July 2022, the $450 threshold is removed and all workers over the age of 18 are entitled to super contributions. Who is eligible for superannuation? In general, all employees are eligible for super. It doesn't matter whether the employee is: full-time, part-time or casual receiving a super pension or annuity while working a temporary resident, such as a backpacker a company director a family member working in your business. Here are some additional eligibility rules that employers must follow: Employees under the age of 18 You must pay super for employees under the age of 18 if they work over 30 hours in a given week. Private and domestic care employees You must pay super for private and domestic employees if they carry out work that: affects you personally (not your business, like an at-home personal carer). affects your home, household affairs or family (such as a housekeeper, nanny or carer). You must pay super for work of a private or domestic nature if they worker over 30 hours per week they work over 30 hours per week. You may also have to pay super for domestic employees or carers if both the following apply: you have a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan that you manage yourself you use your funds to hire a carer or other domestic worker. International employees You must pay super for international employees, including temporary residents, such as backpackers or working holidaymakers. If you send an Australian employee to work temporarily in another country, you must continue to pay their super contributions in Australia. But, you do not have to pay super for: non-resident employees who work outside Australia some foreign executives who hold certain visas or entry permits employees temporarily working in Australia who are covered by a bilateral super agreement. If you’re a non-resident employer, you do not have to pay super for resident employees for work they do outside Australia. Find out more about your super contribution responsibilities to international employees on the ATO website. Contractors You must pay super for contractors, even if they quote an Australian business number (ABN), if you pay them primarily for their labour. Self-employed If you're self-employed as a sole trader or in a partnership, you do not have to pay a super guarantee for yourself, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider doing so regardless. Find out more about your super contribution responsibilities for self-employed business operators on the ATO website. How often do employers have to pay employee super contributions? Employers must pay employee super contributions at least once a quarter by the relevant due dates. You can choose whether this is one or multiple payments across the quarter, such as fortnightly or monthly. Payment frequency may depend on whether employees are covered by an award or employment agreement that specifies payment frequency. In this case, you must meet the agreed payment criteria. What is the role of employers when it comes to superannuation funds? Employers must ensure they pay superannuation guarantee contributions on time to the super fund chosen by the employee. If no fund is chosen, then they must use the “stapled super fund” notified by the ATO for the employee. If there is no “stapled super fund”, then they must pay the default superannuation fund or another fund that meets the choice of fund obligations. There are certain things that employers can and cannot provide, as detailed below. What employers can provide: Factual information You can give factual information to employees, including documents relating to superannuation, such as: employees' rights and employers' obligations under SuperChoice how employees can tell their employer what fund they want the superannuation guarantee contributions paid into what will happen if the employee does not choose a superannuation fund. Referrals to government websites You can refer employees to information on government websites, such as the YourSuper comparison tool and Moneysmart resources. These tools let your employees compare MySuper products and help them choose a fund that meets their requirements. Referrals to licensed financial advisors You can refer employees to a licensed financial advisor. But you must disclose any benefits that you or your associates may receive from the referral. You must make this disclosure at the same time, and in the same form, as the referral. What employers cannot provide: Financial advice You should not give financial product advice or mislead employees about superannuation products. People who regularly give financial product advice about superannuation need to hold an Australian financial services (AFS) licence or act as the representative of an AFS licensee. Financial product advice is a recommendation or statement of opinion (or a report of either) that: is intended to influence a person (or persons) deciding on a financial product or class of products could reasonably be regarded as being intended to have such an influence. If you give financial product advice without being licensed or authorised to do so, you may be breaking the law. Also, uninformed advice could be misleading or inappropriate to your employees’ circumstances, costing them money if they act on the recommendation. Fund recommendations You should not mandate, recommend or influence your employees to choose a particular superannuation fund. If you do, you may be breaking the law. Employers have to select a default superannuation fund for employees who have not chosen a fund. The fund is recorded as the 'nominated superannuation fund' on the ATO's standard choice form. Superannuation products You should not make an unsolicited offer to employees, or ask them to apply for a superannuation product during real-time contact, such as a meeting or a telephone conversation – that is, you should not hawk products. Employer superannuation best practices Paying super contributions on time is mandatory, but there are other best practices and behaviours you should consider to make the entire process easier for you and your staff. Provide superannuation fund choices Employers must allow their employees to choose their super fund. There are 3 exceptions to this rule: employment is governed by a workplace agreement that specifies the fund or funds into which payments must be made the employee is a member of a defined benefit fund that meets specific criteria some state and Federal Government employees. If an employee doesn’t specify a preferred super fund, you must pay their super into a default fund with a MySuper option for contributions. Pay super contributions by the deadline Employers must pay super contributions by the quarterly deadline, as specified by the ATO. If you fail to pay on time, you’ll have to pay the (non-tax deductible) Super Guarantee Charge. But if you pay before the deadline, you can claim a tax deduction against your business income. Super contributions are considered paid when received by the super fund, not when you pay them. So, allow plenty of time for bank clearing. To mitigate this, most employers pay their employee super contributions at the time the employee’s wage is paid, such as weekly or monthly. Check for a stapled fund As of 1 November 2021, if new employees do not supply details of a nominated superannuation fund, employers must use the ATO database to check for a stapled fund. As long as the stapled fund complies with superannuation law, you must pay the necessary super contributions into that fund. If an employee doesn’t have an existing super fund and doesn’t nominate one, you must pay their super into a default fund with a MySuper option for contributions. Keep accurate records Employers must keep accurate records that: detail whether you have or have not offered employees a choice of funds confirm your company’s default fund is compliant and meets minimum life insurance requirements show that you have met all financial obligations over the past 5 years prove that you have paid superannuation contributions to an employee’s chosen funds or the default fund. Penalties may apply if employers do not keep accurate records. Calculate income properly It’s vital that employers calculate employees’ income correctly as Super Guarantee (SG) contributions use that figure. Contributions are a percentage of regular Ordinary Time Earnings OTE), which includes regular wages plus any shift loadings, commissions, paid leave, and some allowances. However, some items are generally excluded from OTE, including: overtime (other than regularly rostered overtime) fully expended expense allowances, such as car allowances reimbursed expenses benefits subject to fringe benefits tax jury top-up payments parental leave payments annual leave loading accrued annual leave, long service leave, and sick leave paid as a termination lump sum redundancy payments gratuities and tips dividends partnership and trust distributions restraint of trade agreement payments payments for private and domestic work under 30 hours a week. Assist with salary sacrificing Employers are not allowed to give financial advice to employees unless they hold a Financial Services Licence, but they can assist with salary sacrificing. Any salary sacrificing arrangements must have both the employer and employee’s written agreement. Employers must report these amounts on the individual’s payment summary – reportable employer super contributions. Salary sacrifice contributions are pre-tax payments from an employee’s income into their super fund. And they may offer the employee some good tax advantages. Salary sacrifice arrangements can only apply to future payments, not past earnings. There are limits to how much a person can voluntarily contribute before losing tax concessions. There’s no difference between employer super contributions and salary sacrifice amounts, so both are assessed against an individual’s concessional contributions cap. Report extra super contributions to the ATO In most cases, an employer doesn’t need to report on the basic superannuation contributions. But if you pay an employee extra super contributions, such as through a bonus or salary sacrifice, you may need to report the payments to the ATO. These extra super contributions could influence any government payments your employees may receive, such as child support payments, family tax benefits, and government co-contributions. You can report any extra super payments through Single Touch Payroll or as an item on an employee’s PAYG Payment Summary and Payment Summary annual report to the ATO. Provide employee tax file numbers to the super fund Employers must provide employee tax file numbers (TFN) to their super fund no later than: the day on which you make the first super contribution for an employee within 14 days of receiving their TFN, if not available at the first contribution. Without a TFN, the employee might be taxed at a much higher rate, and the super fund won’t accept any voluntary contributions. Employers who fail to provide a TFN will face a financial penalty from the ATO. Use technology to streamline super calculations Single Touch Payroll (STP) technology helps employers automate and streamline payroll variables like superannuation, tax, and annual leave. If anything looks amiss, the software flags the problem with a helpful error message. Once everything is entered correctly, STP software automatically sends your employees’ tax and superannuation information to the ATO. FAQs What do employers do if they miss a super payment? If an employer misses a super payment deadline, they must submit a Super Guarantee Charge (SGC) statement by the end of the following month. They also have to pay the SGC (which is not tax-deductible) to the ATO, which consists of: unpaid SG payments interest on the outstanding amount an administration fee. What are employers required to do in terms of superannuation? Employers must make superannuation contributions to their eligible employees’ super accounts at an ATO-prescribed minimum percentage rate of the employee’s ordinary time earnings. At what age do employers stop paying super? In general, an employer must pay SG contributions for employees aged 18 to 69 years. Once an employee reaches the age of 70, an employer is no longer required to pay the superannuation guarantee. What is the superannuation guarantee? The superannuation guarantee (SG) is a percentage rate set by the Australian government. It’s called a “guarantee” because it refers to the minimum regular payment employers must pay. As of July 2022, the minimum SG rate for eligible employees is 10.5% of ordinary time earnings (OTE). It is slated to increase annually by 0.5% until it reaches 12 percent in 2025. Streamline super calculations and contributions with MYOB Superannuation is a mandatory scheme where employers pay a fixed rate of employees OTE into a retirement fund. Missing payments or late payments are subject to penalty charges. As an employer, you can remove the hassle of super calculations and contributions with cloud-based payroll from MYOB. You can stay in the ATO’s good books by sending compliant Single Touch Payroll (STP) reports on time.899Views0likes0CommentsDefault Super fund
What is a Default Superfund? A default fund is a super fund you can pay your super guarantee contributions to if your employee does not nominate a super fund of their choice. Every employer must have a default super fund (see the ATO guidelines about this). This is the super fund your employees can join if they don't already have one. It can be any complying fund that's registered by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). If you need help choosing a default super fund, ask your advisor. Once you've decided on your default super fund, contact that fund to obtain an employer membership number. You can then add this super fund into AccountRight (as described above), then set it as your default super fund. To set your default super fund in AccountRight Go to the Setup menu and choose General Payroll Information. Choose your Default superannuation fund. Click OK. If a new employee chooses your default fund, you'll need to contact the fund so they can allocate a membership number. Also see Add an employee for details on setting an employee's super fund.617Views0likes0CommentsHow do I match my payroll transactions?
How you match your payroll transactions depends on how you pay your employees. If you pay employees... Here are the details Electronically (using a bank file or direct payment from MYOB) To match these payroll transactions, you'll need a bank feed set up on the business bank account your electronic payments are paid from. Employees paid this way will need their Payment method set to Electronic. When you process the electronic payment in MYOB: choose the business bank account your electronic payments are paid from a single electronic payment transaction is created in MYOB (containing all the pays of the employees being paid electronically) the funds will be withdrawn from your bank account as a single transaction, and these transactions will match in your bank feeds. using cash To match these payroll transactions, you'll need a bank feed set up on the business bank account your cash wage payments are paid from. Employees paid this way will need their Payment method set to Cash. When you process a pay run that includes employees with a payment method of Cash: the employees' pay amounts are posted to your linked account for cash payments (what are linked accounts?) you'll withdraw a single amount from your bank account for cash wage payments these transactions will match in your bank feed via EFT (by manually transferring funds using internet banking) This requires a bit of work on your behalf, and relies on you entering the correct bank details and amounts into your online banking. We suggest using electronic payments in MYOB to speed things up, reduce the possibility of errors, and to simplify bank feed matching. To match these payroll transactions, you'll need a bank feed set up on the business bank account the EFT wage payments are paid from. Employees paid this way will need their Payment method set to Cash. When you process a pay run that includes employees with a payment method of Cash: the employees' pay amounts are posted to your linked account for cash payments (what are linked accounts?) you'll manually process the EFT payments into your employee's bank accounts using your online banking these transactions will match in your bank feed using cheques To match these payroll transactions, you'll need a bank feed set up on the business bank account your cheque wage payments are paid from. Employees paid this way will need their Payment method set to Cheque. When you process a pay run that includes employees with a payment method of Cheque: the employees' pay cheque amounts are posted to your linked account for cheque payments (what are linked accounts?) when an employee deposits their pay cheque into their bank account (and the cheque clears), the cheque amount will be withdrawn from your cheque account these transactions will match in your bank feed500Views1like0CommentsDeath of Employee
Unfortunatly, one of our employees died suddenly. He is owed a sizable amount of Annual Leave and LSL. I believe I cannot pay this out until after probate on his estate, is this correct? Also, are the payments made to his estate tax free? And also, I cannot terminate his employment without wiping all of his entitlements?? Any help on this would be most appreciated.499Views0likes12Comments
Payroll tax code for a higher education loan program
Hi there, We have a new employee who has a higher education loan program. I try to select the tax code with "HELP" but there is not in the tax table description list. How can select the correct one for it. I see there are some with " STSL" and not sure what these means. Could you please someone help me for solve this issue? Thank you very much. Sherry400Views0likes2Comments
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