Record Keeping and Pay Slip Obligations
Published February 05, 2018 (last updated June 17, 2020)
Author: Employsure
Record keeping and pay slip obligations
With the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017 coming into effect last year, it is essential that employers maintain accurate employee records, and keep these for a period of seven years.
Employees must keep records of:
- employee name
- ABN
- type of employment
- employee start date and end date
- any overtime paid
- details of any arrangements made to average hours
- leave entitlements
- leave taken
- leave cashed out
- full details of superannuation contributions made
- all details of termination
- workplace flexibility agreements
- guarantees of annual earnings given to employees
Payslips must contain:
- employer’s name and ABN
- employees name
- pay period dates
- date the payment was made
- employee’s hourly rate
- number of hours worked, or salary details
- gross and net amounts of the payment
- bonuses, loadings, allowances, penalty rates, incentive based payments
- details of any deductions from the employee’s pay
- details of any superannuation contributions made
As of September 2017, penalties for non-compliance of record keeping have increased and employers who cannot give a reasonable excuse must disprove wage related claims in court. We recommend that employers take the time to examine their own records keeping practices, and get professional advice if there are any concerns.

For certainty about your record keeping, call us on 1300 2017 182 and book a Free Workplace Check with us.