Effectiveness of tip-off line has led ATO to dub it “crime stoppers” for tax Tip-offs to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) have reached an all-time high with close to 60,000 tip-offs received between June and May 2019 – almost double the number of the previous year. The ATO thinks the number of tip-offs will reach…
From 1 July Single Touch Payroll applies to all employers What employers need to report will also be extended to include certain salary sacrificed amounts. From 1 July 2019, single touch payroll – the direct reporting of salary and wages, PAYG withholding and superannuation contribution information to the ATO – will apply to all employers.…
What you need to do 1 July 2019 is not that far away. If your business does not already use STP compliant software, you may need to upgrade your systems or implement new ones. STP requires PAYG withholding and superannuation contribution details to be reported to the ATO as payments are made to employees or…
Another year, another scam! While data-driven crime is more sophisticated and difficult to address than ever, human error and judgement remains one of the major problems. The latest data breach report from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is surprising for the simplicity of the problems – 37% of data breaches resulted from…
Expenses you can claim If you’re an employee who regularly works from home, you may be able to claim a deduction for expenses relating to that work. These are generally home office running expenses, and phone and internet expenses. In limited circumstances you may also be able to claim occupancy expenses. One such circumstance is…
Defining workers in the gig economy A former Foodora Australia delivery rider, Joshua Klooger, recently won an unfair dismissal claim despite a service agreement that classified him as an independent contractor. We explore the implications of the case. Pivotal to the Fair Work Commission’s decision was the classification by Foodora of Mr Klooger as an…
The implications of misclassifying a worker The implications of misclassifying a worker go well beyond industrial relations. If a business misclassifies an employee, it impacts on superannuation guarantee (SG), PAYG withholding, workers compensation and payroll tax. These entitlements will often need to be met even if the misclassification was a genuine mistake. For SG obligations,…
Super provides income for your workers in retirement Here’s how to run a quick check of your super obligations to make sure you’ve got everything sorted. 1. Check you’re paying super to all eligible workers. Some contractors may be entitled to super. 2. Check you’re paying the right amount. Currently, you…
New domestic violence leave entitlements come into force A Fair Work Commission decision created a new entitlement for most Australian employees; unpaid family and domestic violence leave. The Fair Work decision provides five days’ unpaid leave per annum to all employees (including casuals) experiencing family and domestic violence. The leave will also be available in…
Clothing deductions hung out to dry The Australian Taxation Office is closely examining work-related clothing and laundry expense claims of taxpayers submitting their 2017-18 tax returns. The ATO says that clothing claims are up nearly 20% over the last five years with people either making mistakes or deliberately over-claiming. Common mistakes include people claiming ineligible…