OWS Record Keeping and Payslip Guidelines
You can download a PDF copy of the OWS Guidelines for Time and Wages Record Keeping and also the templates for your personal use. Also available is the OWS Guidelines for Payslips as well as the template.
OWS Media Release:
Local businesses now have until March 2007 to comply with employee record keeping requirements under the new Federal Workplace Relations Regulations, according to the Office of Workplace Services (OWS).
OWS Director Nicholas Wilson says the transitional period during which employers cannot be prosecuted for failure to comply with the new record keeping obligations was due to end on 26 September 2006.
However, Mr Wilson says the Federal Government has extended the deadline to 26 March 2007 to give employers more time to ensure compliance with the requirements.
Mr Wilson warns that failure to comply by that date could result in an OWS investigation of individual businesses and financial penalties for employers found to be in breach of the regulations.
“The Workplace Relations Act requires employers to keep accurate and complete time and wages records and to issue pay slips to each worker. The record keeping and pay slip requirements are designed to ensure that workers receive their correct wages and conditions,” Mr Wilson says.
Mr Wilson notes that for most businesses such record keeping will be consistent with their current administrative and record keeping arrangements. He emphasises that the OWS “will not direct or lecture an employer on the manner in which they record the required information”.
“But the OWS does expect that employers keep a record of the necessary information in accordance with the Regulations, and the OWS would also expect that employers should satisfy themselves that the way in which they record the information complies with the law.”
To assist employers to understand and comply with their record keeping and pay slip requirements, the OWS has developed record keeping and pay slips templates. When used correctly, these templates will ensure that employers are meeting their record keeping and pay slip obligations. The record keeping and pay slips templates are available to download from this website or see above.
The role of the OWS is to ensure that the rights and obligations of both workers and employers are understood and enforced fairly under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Employers and employees who would like more information on their rights and obligations should contact the OWS on 1300 363 264 or visit the website at www.ows.gov.au.
Media inquiries: OWS Media Adviser Leo D'Angelo Fisher 0409 554 330
or email leo.d'angelofisher@ows.gov.au.
Release Date: 3 October 2006
