Pay your people correctly — without payroll taking over your week. Practical payroll support for small businesses in Oxley and Brisbane's south-west, including STP, PAYG withholding and Payday Super.
Employing people is an important step for any growing business.
It also brings a new set of responsibilities.
Wages need to be calculated correctly. PAYG withholding needs to be dealt with. Single Touch Payroll information needs to be reported. Superannuation needs to be calculated and paid on time. Records need to be maintained.
And from 1 July 2026, Payday Super has changed when employers need to pay superannuation guarantee contributions.
That's a lot to manage while you're also trying to run a business.
At TaxAssist Accountants Oxley, we provide practical payroll support for small businesses throughout Oxley and Brisbane's south-west.
Whether you're employing your first worker, running an established team or simply want to stop spending your evenings processing payroll, we can help.
You look after your people. We'll help you look after the payroll.
Book a free 20-minute consultation with our Oxley team.
Call 07 2142 6644
Payroll is the process of calculating, recording and administering payments to employees.
But modern Australian payroll involves considerably more than calculating someone's hourly rate and transferring money into their bank account.
Depending on your business and employees, payroll can involve:
Getting payroll right matters because you're dealing with both your business's compliance obligations and your employees' money.
Errors can affect employees, accounting records, superannuation and information reported to government agencies.
That's why we believe payroll deserves a proper system rather than an improvised spreadsheet and a reminder in someone's calendar.
Every business handles payroll differently.
Some businesses employ one or two people.
Others have a growing team with different rates, hours and working arrangements.
Some owners want to process payroll themselves but need help setting up the system correctly.
Others would rather outsource the regular administration.
We can discuss a payroll arrangement that suits your business.
Depending on your requirements, payroll support can include assistance with:
Most importantly, your payroll shouldn't operate in isolation.
We can connect it with your broader bookkeeping, BAS, accounting and tax processes.
Single Touch Payroll — usually called STP — is the Australian reporting system through which employers report payroll information to the ATO using STP-enabled software.
Information reported through STP can include employee salary and wages, PAYG withholding and superannuation information.
Instead of payroll information being dealt with only at the end of the financial year, STP makes payroll reporting part of the regular pay process.
For a small business owner, the practical lesson is straightforward:
Your payroll system needs to be accurate when you process your employees' pay.
Trying to repair months of incorrect payroll information later can create unnecessary work.
Most Australian employers have STP reporting obligations.
The exact requirements depend on the circumstances of the employer and workers.
Your payroll software therefore needs to support the appropriate STP reporting requirements.
If you're employing somebody for the first time, we can help you understand what needs to be established before your first payroll is processed.
PAYG withholding is the system under which employers withhold amounts from particular payments, including salary and wages paid to employees, and remit those amounts through the Australian tax system.
The amount withheld depends on the applicable withholding rules and information provided by the employee.
PAYG withholding information also interacts with:
This is why payroll mistakes can spread into other parts of your accounting.
If the payroll records are wrong, your BAS and year-end payroll reconciliations may also require correction.
From 1 July 2026, the Payday Super rules changed the timing of compulsory superannuation payments.
Rather than treating super as something that can simply be dealt with quarterly, employers now need to calculate and pay superannuation guarantee contributions in connection with payday.
For many small businesses, this means payroll and superannuation are now much more closely connected.
Employers need systems capable of:
If your business was accustomed to dealing with super once every quarter, your payroll processes need to reflect the new system.
The superannuation guarantee rate is 12%.
Under the Payday Super framework applying from 1 July 2026, the calculation is based on an employee's qualifying earnings under the applicable rules.
Not every payment made to an employee necessarily receives identical superannuation treatment, so the underlying payroll setup remains important.
If you're unsure whether a particular payment, allowance, bonus or other amount should form part of your employee's super calculation, obtain advice rather than guessing.
Under the new Payday Super arrangements, employers generally need to ensure required superannuation guarantee contributions reach the employee's super fund within the prescribed timeframe following payday.
That means employers need to think beyond the date they initiate a payment.
Processing delays, incorrect employee details, rejected contributions and fund errors can matter.
For a small business, this makes accurate employee and superannuation information particularly important.
Don't leave errors unresolved simply because you've pressed the payment button.
Payroll can become particularly complicated for construction and trade businesses.
Your workforce may include:
People may work different hours and receive different payments, allowances or entitlements.
Then there is an important question:
Calling somebody a subcontractor doesn't automatically determine their legal or taxation status.
At TaxAssist Accountants Oxley, we work with small businesses including businesses operating in construction and trade-related industries.
We can help integrate your payroll with your bookkeeping, BAS, TPAR and broader accounting processes.
This is one of the most important questions for businesses using a flexible workforce.
An individual isn't necessarily an independent contractor simply because:
The nature of the working relationship matters.
Getting the distinction wrong can have consequences across several areas.
It can potentially affect:
If your business regularly engages individuals as contractors, don't rely solely on the label attached to the arrangement.
Get the structure right.
Payroll and superannuation are now more closely connected than ever.
Your payroll system needs reliable information about employees and the payments being made to them.
Superannuation errors can occur because of:
Regular payroll review can help identify issues before they become a larger compliance problem.
Payroll can feed directly into your Business Activity Statement.
Depending on your registrations and circumstances, amounts relating to wages and PAYG withholding can form part of activity statement reporting.
This creates another important accounting connection:
Payroll → PAYG Withholding → BAS
If the payroll records don't agree with your accounting system or activity statement information, differences may need to be investigated.
Keeping payroll and bookkeeping together can make reconciliation considerably easier.
Payroll is one part of your overall accounting system.
When wages are processed, the financial information also needs to be reflected correctly in your bookkeeping.
That can include items such as:
If payroll software and accounting records aren't properly integrated or reconciled, discrepancies can accumulate.
That's why our preferred approach is:
Payroll + Bookkeeping + BAS + Year End Accounts + Tax
One connected accounting system is generally much easier to manage than five disconnected processes.
Hiring somebody involves much more than considering their advertised wage or salary.
Employment can create additional cash-flow requirements.
Depending on the circumstances, costs can include:
Payday Super also means compulsory super contributions need to be incorporated more directly into the business's regular payroll cash flow.
Before employing your first worker, it can therefore be useful to consider the real ongoing cost of employment, rather than simply the hourly rate.
Congratulations. Hiring your first employee is a significant milestone.
It's also the point where your business administration becomes more complex.
Before or when employing someone, you may need to deal with areas such as:
The exact requirements depend on your circumstances.
Our role is to help with the accounting, payroll and taxation side and make sure those systems work properly with your broader business accounts.
Where specialist employment-law or workplace-relations advice is required, that should be obtained from an appropriately qualified adviser.
Accurate employee information is essential for payroll.
The information required can include details needed for:
Modern Australian payroll processes increasingly use digital employee commencement information and payroll software rather than relying solely on old paper-based processes.
That's one area where I would be particularly cautious about following an old checklist found online.
Use the current processes applicable to your business and payroll system.
Payroll responsibilities don't necessarily stop when somebody finishes work.
Depending on the circumstances, a final pay may need to deal with matters such as:
The treatment depends on why employment ended and what amounts are being paid.
Final payroll should therefore be processed carefully rather than simply removing the employee from the system.
STP has changed much of the traditional year-end payroll process.
Employers using STP generally need to complete the appropriate year-end finalisation process through their payroll software.
This allows relevant payroll information to be finalised for employees and the ATO.
Before finalising, it's important to make sure the payroll records are accurate.
That can include reconciling:
Year-end is a poor time to discover that payroll hasn't reconciled for the previous twelve months.
Regular checking throughout the year is much easier.
Payroll mistakes happen.
An employee might have been paid the wrong amount.
PAYG withholding may have been calculated incorrectly.
An allowance might have been classified incorrectly.
Employee information may have been entered incorrectly.
An STP report may need correction.
The appropriate response depends on what went wrong.
The important thing is not to ignore the error or randomly adjust future payroll figures in the hope everything eventually balances.
Identify the problem, determine the appropriate correction and maintain records of what was done.
If you're unsure how to fix a payroll issue, we can help review the accounting and payroll information.
Late or unpaid superannuation can create additional obligations and costs for an employer.
Under Payday Super, timely processing becomes even more important because superannuation is directly connected to each payday and needs to reach the employee's fund within the applicable timeframe.
If you've identified unpaid or late super, don't simply wait until the next payroll cycle and assume that fixes the issue.
The appropriate superannuation guarantee rules need to be considered.
Address problems early.
Absolutely.
Many small business owners successfully process their own payroll using modern accounting and payroll software.
The real questions are:
Is the software configured correctly?
Does payroll reconcile with your accounts?
Is super being calculated and paid correctly?
If you're confident and everything is working properly, self-managed payroll may suit your business.
If payroll has become another weekly or fortnightly headache, outsourcing some or all of it may be worthwhile.
Yes.
Payroll can form part of an ongoing accounting and bookkeeping arrangement.
This can be particularly useful where the accountant or bookkeeping team already handles your:
Instead of sending payroll information between several providers, the financial information can form part of one connected accounting process.
The payroll system that worked perfectly when you had two employees may not work as well when you have twelve.
Growth creates complexity.
More employees can mean:
If your team is expanding, it's worth reviewing whether your existing payroll process is still appropriate.
Don't wait until the system breaks under the additional workload.
The biggest reason isn't simply convenience.
It's time and consistency.
Payroll happens repeatedly.
Weekly.
Fortnightly.
Monthly.
Whatever your pay cycle, the work keeps returning.
For a business owner, several hours spent processing payroll and troubleshooting software can be several hours not spent quoting work, serving customers or growing the business.
Outsourcing can provide a more structured process while freeing up valuable management time.
We're based at 94b Cook Street, Oxley QLD 4075 and assist businesses throughout Oxley and Brisbane's south-west.
Our services are designed around the needs of independent businesses rather than large corporate payroll departments.
We can connect payroll with bookkeeping, BAS, year-end accounts and taxation.
Our Oxley practice works with small businesses, including businesses operating in construction and trade-related industries.
With the new Payday Super requirements operating from 1 July 2026, we can help businesses ensure their payroll processes reflect the new superannuation environment.
If something isn't clear, ask us.
We'll explain what the numbers mean without burying you in payroll jargon.
We'll discuss your requirements and provide a fixed-price quote based on the services you need.
Payroll generally involves calculating and recording employee payments and associated amounts such as PAYG withholding and superannuation, together with maintaining appropriate payroll records and meeting relevant reporting obligations.
Single Touch Payroll is the Australian payroll reporting system used by employers to report relevant payroll information to the ATO through STP-enabled software.
Most Australian employers are covered by Single Touch Payroll requirements, although the specific obligations can depend on the employer and circumstances.
PAYG withholding requires employers and other payers to withhold amounts from certain payments, including employee salary and wages, and report and pay those amounts through the Australian tax system.
Payday Super is the Australian superannuation framework applying from 1 July 2026 that requires employers to calculate and pay superannuation guarantee contributions in connection with employees' paydays.
The super guarantee rate is currently 12%, with the amount calculated under the applicable superannuation rules.
Yes. TaxAssist Accountants Oxley can assist businesses with payroll as part of their broader bookkeeping and accounting arrangements.
Yes. We assist small businesses, including construction and trade-related businesses, with payroll, bookkeeping, BAS, TPAR and taxation.
A genuine independent contractor isn't necessarily treated in the same way as an employee. However, worker classification needs to be determined from the actual circumstances rather than simply whether the person has an ABN or issues invoices.
It can. PAYG withholding and other information associated with employees can form part of activity statement reporting depending on your circumstances.
STP errors can generally be corrected using the appropriate reporting processes. How the correction should be made depends on the error and circumstances.
Yes. We can assist with the accounting, payroll, PAYG withholding, STP and superannuation aspects of taking on employees and help establish an appropriate payroll system.
TaxAssist Accountants Oxley is located at 94b Cook Street, Oxley QLD 4075 and provides payroll and small business accounting support to businesses throughout Oxley and surrounding Brisbane suburbs.
TaxAssist Accountants Oxley provides payroll and small business accounting services from our local office at:
94b Cook Street Oxley QLD 4075
We assist businesses throughout Oxley and surrounding areas including Corinda, Graceville, Rocklea, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Sinnamon Park, Salisbury, Moorooka, Coopers Plains, Yeronga and nearby Brisbane suburbs.
Whether you're about to employ your first worker or payroll has become too time-consuming as your team grows, we'd be happy to discuss how we can help.
Your employees expect to be paid correctly and on time.
The ATO expects accurate reporting.
Superannuation needs to be calculated and paid correctly.
And you still have a business to run.
Payroll doesn't need to consume your evenings or become another source of stress.
At TaxAssist Accountants Oxley, we'll help you establish a practical payroll process that works with the rest of your accounting system.
TaxAssist Accountants Oxley 94b Cook Street Oxley QLD 4075
Phone: 07 2142 6644
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Spend less time processing payroll and more time running your business. Talk to TaxAssist Accountants Oxley today.
Information on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your individual circumstances. Payroll, PAYG withholding, superannuation, workplace and employment obligations depend on the circumstances of the employer and worker. Obtain appropriate professional advice for your situation.
Payroll generally involves calculating and recording employee payments and associated amounts such as PAYG withholding and superannuation, together with maintaining appropriate payroll records and meeting relevant reporting obligations.
Single Touch Payroll is the Australian payroll reporting system used by employers to report relevant payroll information to the ATO through STP-enabled software.
Most Australian employers are covered by Single Touch Payroll requirements, although the specific obligations can depend on the employer and circumstances.
PAYG withholding requires employers and other payers to withhold amounts from certain payments, including employee salary and wages, and report and pay those amounts through the Australian tax system.
Payday Super is the Australian superannuation framework applying from 1 July 2026 that requires employers to calculate and pay superannuation guarantee contributions in connection with employees' paydays.
The super guarantee rate is currently 12%, with the amount calculated under the applicable superannuation rules.
Yes. TaxAssist Accountants Oxley can assist businesses with payroll as part of their broader bookkeeping and accounting arrangements.
Yes. We assist small businesses, including construction and trade-related businesses, with payroll, bookkeeping, BAS, TPAR and taxation.
A genuine independent contractor isn't necessarily treated in the same way as an employee. However, worker classification needs to be determined from the actual circumstances rather than simply whether the person has an ABN or issues invoices.
It can. PAYG withholding and other information associated with employees can form part of activity statement reporting depending on your circumstances.
STP errors can generally be corrected using the appropriate reporting processes. How the correction should be made depends on the error and circumstances.
Yes. We can assist with the accounting, payroll, PAYG withholding, STP and superannuation aspects of taking on employees and help establish an appropriate payroll system.
TaxAssist Accountants Oxley is located at 94b Cook Street, Oxley QLD 4075 and provides payroll and small business accounting support to businesses throughout Oxley and surrounding Brisbane suburbs.