Sunshine Coast and Brisbane Accountants - Clarke McEwan Accountants and Business Advisorrs
Sunshine Coast and Brisbane Accountants - Clarke McEwan Accountants and Business Advisorrs

Prepare for Finalising 2021 Single Touch Payroll

Clarke McEwan Accountants

It's nearly time to make a finalisation declaration for Single Touch Payroll. There is no need to issue payment summaries to employees you have reported through STP.

Employers must complete the finalisation declaration by 14 July. The extended due date that small employers had last year no longer applies.Employers with a mixture of employees and closely held payees have until 30 September 2021 to make the declaration.

Small employers (fewer than 19 employees) that only pay closely held payees have until the payee's income tax return due date. Employers will need to liaise with the individual payee about the exact tax return due date.You may have some payees who have not been reported through STP, so you still need to issue a payment summary for anyone not reported through STP. You will also need to submit a payment summary annual report (PSAR) for any payments outside the STP system.

Once the STP finalisation has been sent to the ATO, the employee's information will be released in their myGov account and listed as 'tax ready'.

STP Payroll Checklist

Be efficient and prepare as much as you can now so that you are able to finalise your data by 14 July.

  • Check that your business details, including ABN, registered name and address and authorised contact person are correct in your software.
  • You should already have necessary details for all employees, both current and any who have terminated throughout the year if you are using STP. The essential information is full name, date of birth, address and tax file number.
  • Review any terminated employees. Is the correct termination date recorded in your software? Are Employment Termination Payments (ETPs) coded correctly?
  • Review salary sacrifice payments to superannuation for Reportable Employer Superannuation Contributions (RESC) amounts.
  • Check with us for any Reportable Fringe Benefit Tax (RFBT) amounts that should be included.
  • Check that all payroll categories are assigned to the correct ATO reporting category. This includes all ordinary earnings, loadings and penalties, allowances, commissions, bonuses, leave payments and termination payments.
  • You may have other unusual payments such as those made under a voluntary agreement for contractors or labour-hire arrangements-check that you have reported them correctly.
  • This year you may also have JobKeeper payments or top-up payments to include.

Finalising Single Touch Payroll

It's important to verify payroll figures before finalising, in order to minimise the chance of errors and having to re-issue at a later date. Once the payroll year is completed at 30 June, you can then analyse the payroll amounts for each employee and cross-check against the numbers in your profit and loss accounts.

Talk to us today if you would like us to make the STP end of year process easier by reviewing and validating your payroll figures prior to finalising the data and lodging with the ATO. The end of the payroll year will be here sooner than you think!

Inspirational podcasts for your business
By Clarke McEwan January 30, 2025
Podcasts are the new radio but for many business owners, there are often not enough hours in the day. Here are 9 to educate, entertain and inspire your next business move. #smallbusiness #podcasts #businessaccountants #sunshinecoastbusiness #brisbanebusiness
Selling your business: what happens once you exit?
By Clarke McEwan January 27, 2025
You’ve sold your business! But what happens now!? We’ve outlined five potential pathways your post-sale life could take, and how they help you find new goals and lifestyles. #exitstrategy #sellingup #businesstips #brisbanebusiness #sunshinecoastbusiness #brisbane #sunshinecoast #maroochydoreaccountants #brisbaneaccountants
Business tips: Using forecasting to help your decision-making
By Clarke McEwan January 21, 2025
A crystal ball would be handy in business. Good-quality forecasting can be just as useful, giving you an informed view of the future of your business and finances. #forecasting #business
Happy New Year
By Clarke McEwan January 21, 2025
Happy New Year to our clients! Wishing you a very prosperous 2025 with time to focus on the things that matter most to you! #HealthWealthHappiness #2025
Five big business challenges for 2025
By Clarke McEwan January 8, 2025
What are the five big challenges your business will face in 2025? We’ve summarised five of the most significant external factors that could affect your business. #2025 #externalthreats #businesstips
By Clarke McEwan December 22, 2024
Happy Christmas! We wish you a happy Christmas and very well deserved end-of-year break. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with you and be a part of your business journey. It has been another year of hard work and challenges for our clients. We hope you will be able to take some time at Christmas to connect with family and friends to recharge and relax. Our office will be closed from Friday 20 January 2024 and reopening on Monday 6 January 2025. From all of us at Clarke McEwan Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors
More Posts
Share by: