First casual job, tax things to be aware?

WaterBottle on 16/07/2018 - 01:56

Hello OZBargain residents 😄

Hoping you could give me some advice or tips.

Recently I just started a casual job in a service station. But I don't know how to proceed with the tax topics.
I've been there around a month, and I get paid weekly.

The payment is a deposit to my bank account, but that's about it. I have no payslips nor I was asked for TFN, so I guess I have to do everything manually.

I asked some of my colleagues and they told me they get cash to avoid this issues. I don't really mind either, but getting paid on my account makes things easier for me and I am not really looking to hide anything.

I was looking around the myGov website where you lodge the tax declaration, there is an option to enter "wages" and select a service station - attendant or console operator as occupation. After that I am asked to fill out a series of fields like:

  • Payer's Name
  • Payer's ABN or WPN
  • Tax Withheld
  • Gross Payments
  • Total allowances including commissions, director's fees, bonuses, tips or consultation fees etc
  • Community Development Employment Project (CDEP)
  • Reportable fringe benefits
  • Reportable employer superannuation contributions
  • Workplace giving
  • Union or professional association fees
  • Lump sum A
  • Lump sum B
  • Lump sum C
  • Lump sum D
  • Lump sum E
  • Exempt foreign employment income

Although I think I'm only able to fill out the first 2 and Gross Payments. In gross payments I would fill whatever I was paid up until 30 June?

Am I in the right direction?? or totally lost?? I know that getting a consultation session with an accountant would be the best and obvious choice, but being on a $15/hr and just a couple of days per week, I would prefer to leave it as last resort choice.

All your help is much appreciated 😄 Thank you!

Financial

Comments

  • kerfuffle on 16/07/2018 - 02:57
    +7

    If you're not getting payslips, it's also very possible they're not paying you super and you're not actually paying tax, meaning you might end up with a tax bill …

    • EightImmortals on 16/07/2018 - 06:20
      +2

      That was my first thought too. Just watch out. Also, there's no point in going to mygov until they give you this years group certificate.

      • ItsMeAgro on 16/07/2018 - 09:15
        +1

        ("group certificate" is a term we over 30's used for what's now called a PAYG payment summary, something your employer gives/emails you after June 30 so you can do your tax return with the correct numbers).

  • Quantumcat on 16/07/2018 - 06:37
    +3

    You can't do anything until they give you a group certificate. I don't think they will, pretty sure they're attempting to dodge paying you super etc.

    Being paid cash can be good (keep getting Centrelink monies) and can be bad (no super, and you could maybe get in trouble down the road for tax dodging). So maybe think about whether you want to keep working there, and whether you want to push them for a group certificate (which would mean they'd need to retroactively work out all the stuff they should have been doing before, and might not want to bother and therefore let you go).

    Reading your question again, sounds like you're getting less than minimum wage, so that's probably why they don't want it to be official. If you want to be a hero you could gather lots of evidence against them and get them into big trouble!

  • whooah1979 on 16/07/2018 - 06:45
    +2

    is this 7-eleven or one of their cousins?

  • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 16/07/2018 - 07:01
    -1

    "tax things to be aware?"

    The government cares about you so much that will always raise taxes, blame you while they spend our money on useless tat.

  • sssx on 16/07/2018 - 07:12
    +2

    Quantumcat makes fair points, and may be correct; the employer may be doing a dodge on a number of things.

    It's called a payment summary now, used to be group certificate; and that's the official information you should use to lodge your tax return.

    If you want to do the right thing regardless, you can lodge with the gross payment you add up yourself - any money you were paid between July 1 2017 and June 30 2018. If it's the wrong amount (you'll only find out when you are given a payment summary), you can lodge an amendment and change it to the right amount. Keep in mind, the ATO can audit your past returns, so doing a dodgy thing now can come back to bite you in 5 years time. They're also lenient on people making (not necessarily repeating) honest mistakes and typically won't penalise you for them.

    If the total you've made is under the tax free threshold, you won't pay tax anyway, and better to err on the side of caution and fulfil your obligations - there's no downside to you.

    https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/working/working-as-an-emp…
    The $18,200 tax-free threshold is equivalent to:
    $350 a week
    $700 a fortnight
    $1,517 a month.

    The first 4 fields you mention are the important ones. Just put $0 for tax withheld. The others you won't know until you are given a payment summary, but they'll all be $0 in your case most likely.

    For what I imagine is going to be a very simple tax return, don't get an accountant. Do a bit of reading and do it yourself, an accountant isn't worth the money.

  • bobbified on 16/07/2018 - 08:07

    What's the rate you get paid in cash versus what they told you you'll get paid? If you're getting paid less than what they told you, then they should've paid tax and should be issuing you with a Group Certificate that shows how much tax has been paid for you.

    You could wait a couple of months and see if any "pre-fill" information on your tax form comes up.

    If it doesn't, then your employer hasn't reported anything which means that it's unlikely any tax has been paid on your behalf

  • CLoSeR on 16/07/2018 - 08:27

    You need a payslip, also if this is your first casual job they should have enrolled you in their default super provider unless you provided an existing account.

  • holdenmg on 16/07/2018 - 10:11
    +1

    This:

    Record My Hours app

    Sometimes employers fail to properly keep employee records. This lack of records makes it difficult for an employee, or us, to address concerns about underpayments.

    We already recommend employees manually record their hours (eg. in a diary) – now we’ve made it easier to do.

    Our Record My Hours app makes it quick and easy for employees to record and store the hours they work, plus other information about their employment.

    IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/record-my-hours/id1166423759…
    Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.fairwor…

    https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/how-we-help-you…

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 16/07/2018 - 11:00
    +3

    Let's not beat around the bush.

    You're an international student that I therefore assume is over 18 years of age getting paid $15/hr for a casual job (that means you get 25% loading - assuming it's a retail award or similar, you'd get above that rate at 17 years of age). You're obviously not TFN withholding exempt or losing 45% a week in tax.

    It's a cash-in-hand job.

    Whose idea was it to do a bank transfer?

    • sparkles on 16/07/2018 - 14:14
      -1

      Yeah, this person's wages won't have tax deducted or superannuation paid. Chances are they aren't covered for Workcover and payroll tax is also being avoided. It's pretty obvious it's one of the dodgy servo's that take advantage of overseas students by paying below minimum wage in cash. So many have been caught lately, why are they still doing this?

      • HighAndDry on 16/07/2018 - 16:05

        Money. The reason is always money.

      • whooah1979 on 16/07/2018 - 18:11

        why are they still doing this?

        they're doing it because there are so many visa holders that are violating their visa conditions. visitor and student visa holders have strict working conditions which they're more than happy to violate for personal gain. the federal government need to send a strong message to these visitors by catching, imposing heavy fines and deport them.

  • johndowy on 16/07/2018 - 13:32

    Wait for your payment summary, it should be coming this week. If not, I'd ask them next week.

    You probably won't be paying any tax.

  • SPCTRE on 16/07/2018 - 13:56
    +1

    $15/hr is underpaying. Sounds like they are dodging tax and super obligations.
    No payslips or missing info on them are the first sign of dodgy practice.
    Sorry but this is not the first job you want.

    • HighAndDry on 16/07/2018 - 16:05

      Eh. As far as first jobs go (not first real job) - this isn't too bad. Unless you're well off and didn't need to get a job before a serious internship in college, most people's first jobs are going to be along these lines.

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