Now that the school holidays are over, it’s the perfect time to ensure your staff leave balances are accurate and up to date.
Whether you’re checking for cashflow purposes or already looking ahead to the ski season, having the right numbers matter (and help keep Fairwork off your case) – so if your team took time off recently, let us know and we’ll handle the updates for you!
January-March super contributions must be received (by fund) by 28th April.
Payments should be authorised right now as it can take several days to process.
Late payments of superannuation are not tax deductible and attract interest, fines & additional paperwork.
Directors also become personally liable for the debt.
Authorise payments from Xero no later than 2pm on Friday.
All January – March super contributions must be received (by fund) by 28th April, regardless if you pay monthly or quarterly.
Severe penalties will apply for late payments.
Approve payment by Friday 17th at the absolute latest.
As a small business owner you might be looking forward to a few days off to take a little break and eat too much chocolate.
As an employer you might be a bit less keen to pay your team when they are not working.
Remember: ‘Employees (except casual employees) who normally work on the day a public holiday falls will be paid their base pay rate for the ordinary hours they would have worked if they had not been away because of the public holiday. An employee’s roster can’t be changed to deliberately avoid this payment. An employee doesn’t get paid for a public holiday if they don’t normally work on the day that the public holiday falls.’ says Fairwork
Part time staff need to be paid for their normal work days, if you ask them to come in on an extra day to get everything done, you need to pay them extra – no swapsies!
Are you aware what might trigger this extra tax for your business and just how costly it could be?
What is a fringe benefit?
A fringe benefit is like a payment to an employee, but in a different form to salary or wages.
To work out how much FBT to pay, you ‘gross-up’ the taxable value of the benefits you’ve provided. This is equivalent to the gross income your employees would have to earn, at the highest marginal tax rate (including the Medicare levy), to buy the benefits themselves.
FBT can be quite costly, that employee gift might cost you a lot more than you anticipated or budgeted for!
Not sure if you might be caught out by this extra tax? Speak to your tax agent about your situation and what exemptions might apply. They may also assist you to make smarter decisions to avoid future lodgements and liabilities.
Employee Appreciation Day is tomorrow.
Want to say ‘thank you’ without inviting the ATO to the party?
Handle the ‘fun tax’ (FBT) like a pro.
Keep your gift under $300 (including GST) per person. For the best tax outcome, stick to Non-Entertainment gifts like a hamper or a gift card. You get the deduction, they get the prize!
And don’t forget the non-cash options
What are you planning for your team this year?
How is the powergrid in your business looking?
Are you plugged into a fast charger or are you trying to run your entire business on a single AA?
Do you fear your staff starting to leak acid as their leave balances are too high? Encourage them to take the time to recharge and reduce your liabilities.
Don’t forget about real batteries – carefully dispose of the old tech you might have lying around your office 📱 💻 📷 ⌚️ 🔦 🎧 🕹 🖥 🚗
Don’t wait for a blackout – book a long weekend off, a delegate a mentally draining task and save your energy for the important stuff – making sales and delivering services to your clients.
It’s only mid February, and if you are already down to 1% – ask us about our uninterrupted power supply accounts department services.
Its Employee Legal Awareness Day and awareness is important for small business owners.
When it comes to the law, what is an employee? And who can be a contractor?
Don’t forget that super may still apply for genuine contractors if they are principally supplying labour.
We’ve googled to bring you the important bits from various government departments.
To follow the law, businesses need to make sure they aren’t treating employees as contractors – it’s not as simple as whether or not they have an ABN or send invoices.
You are responsible for classifying your worker for tax and super purposes and you need to get it right. If you make an incorrect decision, you may face penalties.
Don’t forget to record staff leave and keep balances up to date.
– Keep records of when staff are at work or not at work for liability (workers comp) purposes.
– You must provide leave balances to employees in a timely matter to staff Fairwork compliant.
– Large balances might result in a request from a team member for a very long holiday – could you cope without them for a long period?
– Unused leave is a liability in your accounts – if an employee leaves, you’ll need to pay it out, so its best to know where you stand.
Back to school and back to work – let us know if staff leave needs to be updated.
October-December 2025 super contributions must be received (by fund) by 28th January for all employees – including working directors and some contractors, regardless if you pay monthly or quarterly.
Late payments of superannuation are not tax deductible and attract interest, fines & additional paperwork.
Directors also become personally liable for the debt.
Authorise payments from Xero no later than 2pm on Friday 16th January.
