The Queensland Payroll Tax Relief

On the 24^th March 2020, the Queensland government announced that as a result of COVID-19, all employer regardless of their size can apply for a deferral of payroll tax for the 2020 calendar year. The online application can be found at this link (note: if you have already applied for a deferral, you do not need not reapply – it will be automatically extended).

Further, employers who pay $6.5 million or less in Australian taxable wages can receive a refund of two months payroll tax. These employers may also be eligible to a payroll tax holiday (e.g. no payroll tax to be paid) for 3 months which is in addition to the above mentioned 2020 calendar year deferral (note: applications for the payroll tax holiday must be lodged before 31 May 2020).

If your applications are approved:

• You won’t need to pay your payroll tax returns for the 2020 calendar year
• You must continue to lodge returns in OSRconnect during this time, but do not pay them
• You can resume paying your payroll tax returns at any time during this deferral period.

The Queensland government did advise that some emails were sent out to employers covering this payroll tax relief, however if you did not receive an email or you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact our office for further assistance.

Please note that the payroll tax legislation varies between states and territories. This article is solely directed at the state of Queensland. If you would like to know about any payroll tax reliefs relating your state or territory, please contact our office.

– Ian Hogbin & Kanista Arokianathan

Posted 26.03.2020

This article is compiled as a helpful guide for your private information and is subject to copyright. We suggest that you do not act solely on the basis of material contained in this article because items are of general nature only and may be liable to misinterpretation in particular circumstances. We recommend that our advice be sought before acting on any of these crucial areas.