COVID-19 (coronavirus) and payroll tax

13 June 2022

Past Announcements

COVID-19 and payroll tax 2021 - 13 June 2022

2021 Payroll tax 50% reduction for 2021/22 financial year

50 per cent reduction in 2021/22 payroll tax liability for businesses with grouped Australian wages of $10 million or less who experience a 30 per cent decline in turnover.

Payroll tax customers eligible for a 2021 COVID-19 Business Grant or JobSaver payment whose total grouped Australian wages for the 2021/22 financial year are $10 million or less, will have their annual tax liability reduced by 50 per cent when they lodge their 2022 Annual Payroll Tax Reconciliation online.

Customers with total grouped wages of $10 million or less, who did not receive a 2021 COVID-19 Business Grant or JobSaver payment, may still be eligible for the 50 per cent reduction if they are able to demonstrate that they have experienced a 30 per cent decline in turnover during a minimum 14-day period during the ‘Greater Sydney lockdown’ (26 June to 30 November 2021) compared to the same period in 2019 or 2020.

If eligible for the 50 per cent reduction, you can factor this into your monthly returns for the 2021/22 financial year. If you do not have a tax payable amount for a monthly return, you must still lodge a nil return through Payroll Tax Online Services.

Read the fact sheet (PDF, 52.66 KB) for more details about the 50 per cent reduction.

COVID-19 and payroll tax 2021 - 11 March 2022

Published on 11 March 2022

2021 Payroll tax deferral and new Support Payment Arrangements for ALL businesses

Payroll tax referral

The due date for the 2021 annual reconciliation was extended to 14 January 2022. All customers are still required to lodge their annual reconciliation by this extended date.

After lodging their 2021 annual reconciliation, customers had the option to pay their outstanding liability in full or enter into a new Support Payment Arrangement.

Customers had the option of deferring their monthly payments for the July to December 2021 monthly return periods until 14 January 2022 and also had the option to pay their outstanding liability in full or enter into a new Support Payment Arrangement for these return periods.

2021 Support Payment Arrangement

Customers had the option to establish a Support Payment Arrangement for up to 12 months and were able to include tax payable from the 2020/21 annual reconciliation and any monthly liabilities for the July to December 2021 return periods.

The option to establish a Support Payment Arrangement closed on 28 February 2022.

Customers can access and view the details of their Support Payment Arrangement via the portal.

COVID-19 and payroll tax 2021 - 13 July 2021

Published on 13 July 2021

2021 Payroll tax deferral and new Support Payment Arrangements for ALL businesses

Payroll tax deferral

Payroll tax customers have the option of deferring their payroll tax payments until 7 October 2021.

All customers are still required to lodge the 2020/21 annual reconciliation by the due date which has been extended to 7 October 2021.

In addition, customers have the option of deferring their payments for the July and August 2021 return periods until 7 October 2021.

After lodging their 2021 annual reconciliation, customers will have the option of paying all of their outstanding liability in full or entering into a new Support Payment Arrangement.

If customers choose to enter into a 2021 Support Payment Arrangement, they will have the option to include tax payable from the 2020/21 annual reconciliation and any monthly liabilities for the July, August and September 2021 return periods.

More information on how to establish a 2021 Support Payment Arrangement will be provided by the end of September 2021.

Existing 2020 Stimulus Payment Arrangements

The due dates for any Stimulus Payment Arrangement payments in July 2021 remain unchanged.  If you are experiencing difficulty in making a payment, please contact our Payroll Tax team on 1300 139 815 or [email protected].

Tax Debt Instalment Plans

The due dates for any existing Instalment Plans payments in July 2021 remain unchanged. If you are experiencing difficulty in making a payments, please contact the Tax Debt team on 1300 368 710 or [email protected].

25 per cent reduction in 2021/22 payroll tax liability for businesses with grouped Australian wages of $10 million or less who experience a 30 per cent decline in turnover

Payroll tax customers whose total grouped Australian wages for the 2021/22 financial year are $10 million or less AND who have had a decline in turnover of 30 per cent or more, will have their annual tax liability reduced by 25 per cent.

More information on this 25 per cent reduction will be provided when the 2021/22 annual reconciliation becomes available.

COVID-19 and payroll tax 2020 - 30 November 2020

Published on 30 November 2020

Payroll tax deferral and Stimulus Payment Arrangements for ALL businesses

Payroll tax deferral

Payroll tax customers had the option of deferring their payments until 30 October 2020 for the return periods March 2020 to September 2020.

The payroll tax deferral period for monthly payments has now ended and you are required to make a payment or lodge a ‘nil return’ for the October 2020 return period onwards.

The due date for the 2019/20 annual reconciliation was also extended to 30 October 2020.

After lodging, customers had the option of paying their outstanding liability in full or entering into a Stimulus Payment Arrangement.

25 per cent reduction for businesses with grouped Australian wages of $10 million or less

Payroll tax customers whose total grouped Australian wages for the 2019/20 financial year are $10 million or less, will have their annual tax liability reduced by 25 per cent when they lodge their annual reconciliation.

When lodging your annual reconciliation, you will still need to provide details of the wages paid for the entire financial year.

For customers that are or have been a member of a group during the 2019/20 financial year, you will also need to provide the group details of all group members in your annual reconciliation.

Threshold increase - 2020/2021 financial year

The tax-free threshold has increased from $1 million to $1.2 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020.

Frequently asked questions

Six month deferral arrangement

What return periods does the six-month payment deferral apply to?

You can defer your monthly payments for the March, April, May, July, August and September 2020 periods. No action is required if you defer these payments.

Do I still need to lodge my 2019/20 annual reconciliation?

Yes, you're still required to lodge your annual reconciliation, however, the due date for the 2019/20 annual reconciliation has been extended to 30 October 2020.

What happens after the six-month deferral period?

Between 26 October 2020 and 29 November 2020 customers can enter into a Payroll Tax Stimulus Arrangement.

Can I still make a monthly payment?

Yes, you can continue to make your monthly payments.

Do I need to enter my wage details in the monthly calculator?

No, you're not required to enter your wage information or advise us of your monthly liability.

However, if you normally use the monthly calculator, you can continue to do so as it will help when completing the annual reconciliation.

If my monthly tax liability is less than the threshold, do I still need to lodge a nil return like I normally would?

No, you're not required to lodge a nil return for March, April, May, July, August or September 2020.

I have set up direct debit after using the estimate method to calculate my monthly payments for the year. Do I have to cancel these?

Yes, you'll need to log onto the payroll tax online service to cancel all future payments.

Can I get my refund for the reduction now, or do I have to wait until the end of the financial year?

The reduction will be applied when you lodge your 2019/20 annual reconciliation and, if you're entitled to a refund, it will be paid at that time.

Payroll tax 25 per cent reduction for businesses with total group Australian wages of $10 million or less for 2019/20 financial year

Who does the 25 per cent reduction apply to?

If you're not a member of a payroll tax group, the reduction will be available if your total Australian wages are $10 million or less for the 2019/20 financial year.

If you're a member of a payroll tax group, the reduction will only be available if the group’s total Australian wages are $10 million or less for the 2019/20 financial year. All members will receive the 25 per cent reduction if the group’s total Australian wages are $10 million or less.

Do I need to register or apply to receive the reduction?

No, you don't have to register or apply for the reduction.

If your total group Australian wages are $10 million or less for the 2019/20 financial year, the reduction will be automatically applied to your tax liability when you lodge your annual reconciliation.

What does ‘total Australian wages paid or payable’ mean?

Australian wages comprise of NSW wages and interstate wages paid or payable to an employee.

NSW wages are the wages subject to payroll tax under the NSW Payroll Tax Act.

Interstate wages are those wages subject to payroll tax in the other jurisdictions under their equivalent payroll tax legislation.

For members of a payroll tax group, total Australian wages are the NSW wages and Interstate wages paid or payable by all members of the group.

If I'm a member of a group, what information will I need to provide?

You'll need to provide the total Australian wages of all group members. They'll need to be separated into NSW wages and interstate wages in the 2019/20 annual reconciliation.

During the financial year, my group membership changed. How will this impact the reduction I am given?

If you were part of a group during the financial year, you'll need to consider the total group Australian wages for that period. When you lodge your annual reconciliation, you must disclose all the group members wages for that period.

What if I don’t know what my total group wages are?

For the reduction to be applied, you'll need the wage​ details of all group members in NSW and interstate. This determines if your total group Australian wages are $10 ​million or less for 2019/20 financial year. ​

If I don’t have group details, can I lodge my annual reconciliation without claiming the 25 per cent reduction and apply the reduction later?

Yes. If you'd like to apply for the reduction after you have lodged your 2019/20 annual reconciliation and you have the group details, you can re-lodge your annual reconciliation.

I am an annual customer, how will the reduction be applied?

The reduction will be automatically applied when you lodge your 2019/20 annual reconciliation, if your total group Australian wages are $10 million or less.

What happens if I’m a seasonal employer?

The reduction will be automatically applied when you lodge your 2019/20 annual reconciliation, if your total group Australian wages are $10 million or less.

What happens if I'm only registering for payroll tax now?

If you're registering now and your total group Australian wages are $10 million or less for the 2019/20 financial year, the reduction will be automatically applied to your tax payable figure when you lodge your annual reconciliation.

What happens if I’m not liable for the full year?

If you're still registered for payroll tax, you must lodge your annual reconciliation, and if your total group Australian wages are $10 million or less for the year, the reduction will be automatically applied to your tax payable figure.

I cancelled my registration earlier in the year. Am I still entitled to the 25 per cent reduction? How do I apply?

If your total group Australian wages were $10 million or less for the period you were employing during the 2019/20 financial year, you may be entitled to the reduction.

Contact [email protected] to have your request reviewed.