Pay slips can help you tell if you’re underpaid and make it easier to calculate how much back pay you are entitled.
Pay slips may not seem important, but all your details are there in black and white.
Record Keeping
Your employer has a legal obligation to maintain accurate pay records for 7 years. If you suspect you’ve been underpaid and your employer has not maintained accurate records, they will have to disprove that an underpayment has occurred unless they have a reasonable excuse.
Your payslip must include:
- your name
- your employer’s name and Australian Business Number (ABN)
- your employment status (e.g. full time, part-time or casual)
- the gross and net amounts of pay
- any penalty rates/bonuses/loadings/allowances or other paid entitlements
- the period you’re being paid for
- the date of payment.
If you are paid an hourly rate, your pay slip must also list:
- your ordinary hourly pay rate;
- number of hours worked at that rate and;
- the amount of pay at that rate.
- the details of any deductions from your pay.
- information about your super contribution including the amounts of contributions, and the fund to which the contribution was made
No. Your employer must provide you with your payslip – either printed or electronically – within 1 working day of your pay day, even if you’re on leave.
Electronic pay slips must list the same information as hard copy pay slips. Electronic pay slips must be provided to you:
- securely and confidentially via email or into an electronic personal account
- in an easily printable format
While it’s best practice to show for your employer to provide your leave balances on your pay slip, it’s not a requirement.
Your employer is required to tell you your leave balances if you ask for it.