PAYROLL IN AUSTRALIA

Going for global growth? Here’s what you need to know about payroll if your business is expanding into Australia. Payroll regulations are a complex and constantly moving target in Australia. The challenge is to ensure your payroll is compliant with them. Getting your payroll compliance right means a happy, engaged and motivated workforce. Getting it wrong can result in financial penalties, investigation by local authorities and reputational damage.

The payroll and HR regulations in most developed nations are similar. It tends to be the ‘exceptions’ in each country that can be problematic. In Australia, these differences range from gender parity payroll reporting requirements that must conform to WGEA (Workplace Gender Equality Agency) standards, to wage theft being made a criminal offence from 2025. The latter carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, if employers fail to properly compensate employees for overtime or shift work.