A payroll register is a spreadsheet that lists the total information from each payroll. Total gross pay, the total of each type of deduction, and total net pay are set out in a payroll register. The calculations for each individual employee for total gross pay, withholding and deduction amounts, and total net pay are set out in an employee earnings record, and the totals from all employee earnings for the pay period are the source of the totals in the payroll register. A payroll register is usually part of an online accounting software package or online payroll application. The information in the payroll register is used to help you with several important payroll tax tasks: Show
You must keep a record of totals for all employees for the following:
In addition, you must set aside an amount equal to the total Social Security and Medicare deduction. Payables are amounts that are owed by your company to others, but which have not yet been paid. The total for each category for each paycheck creates several payables that are owed to federal and state (and sometimes local) agencies. When you create a payroll (all the payroll checks), you must set aside money for the following payables:
If you have deducted money from employee paychecks for such items as health insurance premiums, charitable donations, or qualified retirement plans, you must account for these totals and create payables for each so you know how much to pay at the appropriate time. You will need a payroll book or register, which you can get from an office supplies store. You will also need a federal tax booklet and a state tax booklet that you can get from the federal courthouse. Fill out the first part of the payroll book or register. This information is the employee’s full legal name, which is used on their annual tax filings, and their residency. Enter R for resident or NR for nonresident of the state where the income is paid. Fill in the rest of the employee information. Next, put a line through any of the days listed that your business is closed. The days labeled in boxes across the top of the page start with Sunday and go through Saturday. Record the total number of hours each employee works for each day of the week and calculate their total hours and overtime. Using their pay rate, calculate the total pay earned.
Use the appropriate formulas, federal income tax tables and state income tax tables to calculate payroll deductions. Deduct Social Security, Medicare, U.S. withholding, and state withholding amounts plus any other amounts withheld in the state you have your business. Total the deductions and subtract them from the total pay earned. Write the employee a company check for the amount earned after taxes and record that amount in your payroll book. The IRS Form 941 is filled out and mailed quarterly for most small businesses. Payroll registers can make the 941 filings easier because all calculations have already been completed and recorded.
This Information Sheet is also available as a PDF, download TPB(I) 31/2016 Payroll Service Providers (PDF, 427 KB)
Introduction Background Circumstances where a payroll service provider does not need to register as a tax agent or BAS agent Circumstances where a payroll service provider must register as a tax agent or BAS agent Options available to payroll service providers who need to register Appendix
This is a Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) information sheet (TPB(I)). It is intended to be for information only. While it seeks to provide practical assistance and explanation, it does not exhaust, prescribe or limit the scope of the TPB’s powers in the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA) or the Tax Agent Services Regulations 2022 (TASR). In addition, please note that the principles and examples in this TPB(I) do not constitute legal advice and do not create additional rights or legal obligations beyond those that are contained in the TASA or which may exist at law. Document history
The TPB originally released this document as a draft information sheet in the form of an exposure draft on 11 July 2014. The TPB considered the submissions made and issued a second exposure draft on 18 August 2016. The closing date for the submissions was 3 October 2016. The TPB considered the comments and submissions received and published the following TPB(I). The TPB considered the comments and submissions received and now publishes the following TPB(I). On 4 February 2019, the TPB updated this TPB(I) to:
On 1 April 2022, the TPB updated this TPB(I) to:
Issued: 9 December 2016 Last updated: 1 April 2022 Introduction
Background
Tax agent service
BAS service
Back to contents ↑ Circumstances where a payroll service provider does not need to register as a tax practitioner
Transmission of data to the ATO
Back to contents ↑ Circumstances where a payroll service provider must register as a tax practitioner
Back to contents ↑ Options available to payroll service providers who need to register
Appendix A – Summary of the qualifications and experience options for registering as an individual tax agent or BAS agentThe following PDFs contain a summary of options regarding the qualifications and experience requirements for registering as a tax agent or BAS agent. Individual applicants must meet one of the options in relation to the registration type they are seeking. Back to contents ↑ [1] A 'pay event' is the reporting of tax and superannuation information using STP enabled software. [2] An 'update event' is the reporting of changes to an employee's year to date amounts using STP enabled software. [3] Single Touch Payroll is a payroll reporting mechanism that allows employers to meet their reporting obligations to the Commissioner of Taxation using their own payroll or accounting software. [4] ‘Taxation law’ includes any Act (including a part of an Act) of which the Commissioner has general administration of, or any regulations made under such an Act. Key Acts include, but are not limited to, the:
[5] Under section 995-1 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, BAS provisions means:
[6] See subsection 90-10(1A) of the TASA. [7] See section 5 of the Tax Agent Services (Specified BAS Services) Instrument 2016. [8] Standard Business Reporting (SBR) is a feature built into business/accounting software that uses the business transactions captured in business software to prepare reports. The platform is then used by digital service providers to transmit data to the ATO. SBR2 is the latest version of this electronic messaging service. [9] The TPB registration number of the tax practitioner and declaration that the information contained in the approved form to be transmitted to the ATO is required by the ATO before a transmission can occur. [10] For a summary of the qualifications and experience requirements for registration as an individual tax agent and BAS agent, see Appendix A to this TPB(I). |