Tool Box
Issue No. 34 - April/May 2007
New record and payslip obligations
by Mr Shayne Bakewell
Many readers may not be aware that as at 27 March 2007, new laws came into force regarding the obligations of employers (who are bound by the Workplace Relations Act 1996) to maintain pay records and to produce pay slips.
These are obligations that carry with them fines for non compliance. The fines are potentially significant.
As a guide to what is required, a table is produced below as a quick reference guide for those in your business responsible for producing the records and payslips. We urge businesses to seek their own advice, and to have an independent assessment of their compliance or otherwise as soon as practical.
Pay Records
Your pay records must contain the following information for each employee:
•Name of employer
•Name of employee
Status
•Is the employee full-time or part-time?
•Is the employee permanent, temporary or casual?
•Date employment began?
Hours and entitlements
If a penalty rate is payable for overtime (O/T), the number of O/T hours worked and start and finish times of O/T hours
Where you agree to average ordinary hours (eg over a period longer than one week), a copy of that agreement with the employee
Rate of remuneration
If the employee is casual or irregular part-time who is guaranteed a basic periodic pay, a record of hours worked
Where an entitlement exists to one of these, record the:
•incentive base pay
•bonus
•loading
•penalty rates
•allowances, and
•other entitlements provided
•Gross and net amount of pay
Deductions
•Deductions made from gross amount of pay
Leave (for each leave type)
•Accrual of leave
•Leave taken
•Balance of leave entitlement ...
