PAYG and Tax News
Changes that affect what comes out of your pay and what comes back at tax time, with the numbers worked out rather than quoted.
Every ATO Date From October to December 2026, and the Two Saturdays That Move Them
Quarter 1 BAS on 28 October, self-lodged returns moving to 2 November, and the 21 November payments shifting to Monday 23 November. Every date checked against the ATO.
Read →Payday Super's First Quarter Closes: Why 28 October Still Matters
Shortfalls for July to September pays still unpaid after 28 October put an employer in the ATO's high-risk zone. What to reconcile now, and the STP change coming in July 2027.
Read →The ATO's Interest Charge on Late Tax Rises to 11.51% From 1 October
The general interest charge moves from 11.43% to 11.51% a year, the fourth rise in a row. What it costs on an overdue debt, and when the ATO will remit it.
Read →The $1,000 Work Deduction: What the ATO's Draft Ruling Says Counts
The standard deduction is law from 2026-27. The draft ruling caps it at labour income and reduces it dollar for dollar by what you itemise. Comments close 9 October.
Read →Worked Past Your Rostered Finish? The Federal Court Says That Is Not Automatically Overtime
In the Coles and Woolworths cases the court held that overtime under the retail award turns on roster conditions, not the roster itself. What changes for salaried store managers.
Read →The ATO Now Pre-Fills Contractor Income, and Says Lodge After 28 August
$21 billion of contractor payments reported through the TPAR will pre-fill for around 700,000 sole traders. The data does not land until businesses report by 28 August, which is why lodging early buys you an amendment.
Read →Payday Super, One Month In: What "On Time" Now Means
Super is on time only if the fund receives it within 7 business days of payday. The four extensions, the rebuilt super guarantee charge, the administrative uplift table, and the deduction that flipped on 1 July 2026.
Read →Every ATO Date in August 2026, and Why 28 August Is the Last of Its Kind
Five obligations fall this month, and the nearest is 11 August. Why 14 August matters most for PAYG withholding, why the 28 August super guarantee charge statement is the final quarterly one, and why none of the dates shift.
Read →Dynamic PAYG Instalments Start July 2027, and the ATO Wants Feedback by 28 August
A draft guideline says the ATO will not chase general interest charge when you vary instalments using the new method. That is the change that alters behaviour, and consultation closes 28 August 2026.
Read →The Tax Cut Is $5.15 a Week, and It Stops Growing at $45,000
The 16% band became 15% on 1 July. The most anyone gets is $268 a year, and a $200,000 earner gets exactly the same dollars as a $45,000 earner. The figure at every salary, and why your payslip may not show it.
Read →Division 296 Started on 1 July, and It Is Not Division 293
An additional 15% on earnings above a $3 million balance, plus a further 10% above $10 million. How it differs from Division 293, and why the first assessments do not arrive until 2027-28.
Read →Tax Time 2026 Is Open: Pre-Fill Is Live and the ATO Says Lodge
The ATO has over 100 million pieces of pre-fill data loaded and has given the go ahead to lodge. Why waiting until now mattered, and what the 595,000 adjusted returns tell you about lodging early.
Read →ATO Tax Time 2026 Focus Areas: Deductions and Omitted Income
Work-related deductions and unreported income are the ATO focus this year. The three golden rules, the 70 cents working from home rate, and the deduction the ATO says you cannot claim yet.
Read →The 2026-27 tax changes guide covers what changed on 1 July and what it is worth at your salary. For current rates, see the tax brackets and tax tables.