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Tax Facts – PAYG Withholding

Pay as you go (PAYG) withholding is a system for withholding amounts from payments to employees and businesses. An entity will have withholding obligations if the entity:

  • Has employees, including company directors and officeholders
  • Has other workers such as contractors, and voluntarily agrees to withhold tax from payments to them
  • Makes payments to other businesses, if they don’t quote an Australian business number (ABN) to the entity

If you are an employer or run a business and withhold amounts from payments, you need to:

  • Register for PAYG withholding
  • Register as an employer of working holiday makers (417 or 462 visa’s) if applicable.
  • Withhold amounts from wages and other payments
  • Lodge activity statements and pay the withheld amounts to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
  • Provide payment summaries to employees and other payees
  • Provide the ATO with an annual report once each income year has ended.