Free Payslip Generator

Fair Work payslip requirements for Australian employers

Under the Fair Work Act 2009, employers covered by the national workplace relations system must provide each employee with a payslip within one business day of the payment being made. Failing to provide payslips on time is a breach of the Act and can result in penalties from the Fair Work Ombudsman. The one business day rule applies regardless of the pay frequency — weekly, fortnightly, or monthly.

A compliant Australian payslip must include: the employer's name and ABN; the employee's name; the date of payment; the pay period covered; the gross pay amount; the net pay amount; any loadings, penalty rates, overtime rates, or allowances paid; the amount of PAYG withholding tax deducted; superannuation contributions (including the fund name and the amount paid or payable); and any deductions made (e.g. salary sacrifice, union fees). If leave balances are maintained, it is best practice to include them — and some awards or enterprise agreements require it.

The ATO's record-keeping requirements overlap with Fair Work obligations. Payroll records — including payslips — must be kept for seven years. Records must be in English (or readily convertible to English) and must be accessible to Fair Work inspectors on request. Digital payslips are acceptable and can be emailed or provided via a payroll portal, as long as the employee can readily access and save them.

Common payslip mistakes include omitting the ABN, not showing the pay period dates, failing to break out allowances separately, or not recording super contributions. These omissions can result in compliance action even if employees are being paid correctly.

How to use this payslip generator

1. Enter your business name and ABN. Add your employee's name, job title, and employment type.
2. Set the pay period start and end dates and the payment date. Add earnings lines for ordinary hours, overtime, allowances, and bonuses as applicable.
3. Enter PAYG withholding, superannuation, and any deductions. The tool calculates gross and net pay automatically.
4. Download as PDF and send to your employee within one business day of payment. Retain a copy for seven years.

Does super need to be on every payslip?

Yes. Under the Fair Work Regulations, payslips must show the amount of super paid or payable for the period. This includes the fund name. Most employers pay super quarterly, but the payslip must still show the super contribution that relates to that pay period — even if the actual payment to the fund occurs later. If no super is payable (e.g. employee is under the threshold or is an exempt contractor), note that on the payslip to avoid ambiguity.

What is the penalty for not providing payslips?

Failure to provide a payslip — or providing an inaccurate payslip — is a civil remedy provision under the Fair Work Act. The maximum penalty for an individual is 60 penalty units ($18,780 as at 2025) and for a company is 300 penalty units ($93,900). Systemic failures, or failure to produce records during a Fair Work investigation, attract higher penalties. The risk of not having proper payslips is significant relative to the effort of creating them.

Do I need to include leave balances?

The Fair Work Act does not universally require leave balances on every payslip, but many modern awards and enterprise agreements do. Check the specific award covering your employees. Even where not required, including leave balances is strongly recommended — it reduces employee queries and demonstrates transparent record-keeping. This generator includes leave balance fields for annual leave and personal/carer's leave.