How to set up payroll

You use the payroll feature to:

• process pays for your employees
• calculate superannuation amounts and make superannuation payments
• track employee entitlements (such as personal and annual leave)
• pay accrued payroll liabilities
• print pay slips and paycheques
• prepare payment summaries.

Before you start using the payroll features, you need to:

• Load tax tables PAYG withholding taxes are amounts that are calculated and deducted from employee pays according to the rules established by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). In AccountRight, these calculation rules are stored in a tax table file that you need to load into your company file.
• Enter general payroll information Enter the current payroll year, number of hours in your normal working week, your Withholding Payer Number (if you have one) and the default superannuation fund for your employees.
• Review payroll categories The components of an employee’s pay, such as wages, superannuation, entitlements and taxes, are called payroll categories. These are assigned to an employee’s card to calculate their standard pay.

Review the details of each payroll category to make sure it matches the way you do business.

• Enter employee details Create a card record for each of your employees and enter details such as their addresses and payroll information.
• Enter pay history [Existing businesses only] If you have already paid the employee in the current payroll year, you should enter the amounts you have paid your employees. These amounts will be used on payment summaries and reports not derived from payroll activity (such as register reports). They are not recorded as transactions in your accounts.

You can use the Payroll Easy Setup Assistant to do these tasks. To access the Payroll Easy Setup Assistant, go to the Setup menu, choose Easy Setup Assistant and then click Payroll.